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"I'm not overly concerned about this. I don't want to be sued, but we've gotten opinions to the contrary that this is perfectly OK to do," he said. "I've also talked to some council members and those who voted for it are willing to stand their ground."
Washington is the first city in Franklin County - and Missouri - to require prescriptions to buy pseudoephedrine-based medicines.
Pseudoephedrine is the single, vital ingredient that's needed to make meth.
The mayor said he hopes other communities will follow suit and enact similar ordinances. He said the city has received phone calls from other cities asking for a copy of Washington's ordinance.
Jefferson County Executive Chuck Banks told the Associated Press he planned to propose a similar ordinance at a county committee meeting Tuesday. Jefferson County has long led the state in meth lab busts.
"We're also going to talk to the Municipal League and see if they will back it too," Stratman said. "Obviously if we're the only one it won't be a real benefit, but the idea is to create a snowball effect and get other communities to do the same thing."
If that happens, Stratman said the state Legislature might then be willing to pass a statewide law requiring prescriptions for pseudoephedrine.
Detective Sgt. Jason Grellner, commander of the Franklin County Narcotics Enforcement Unit, credits a massive lobbying effort by pharmaceutical companies for keeping the legislation bottled up in committee until the last session ended.
Grellner is on a mission to get all cities in Franklin County to pass similar ordinances as a way to curb the continuing scourge of methamphetamine labs in this area.
Each year, Franklin County ranks among the top five counties for meth labs in Missouri, which holds the infamous title of the No. 1 meth state in the county.
In the letter addressed to the mayor and city councilmen, ACLU legal director Anthony Rothert said the organization feels the ordinance "sets a bad policy precedent and is beyond the authority of the city of Washington."
The letter goes on to state that "while we sympathize with the concerns about methamphetamine and the desire to find innovative ways to halt its production, the rights of citizens to access OTC (over the counter) drugs should not be unreasonably restricted . . .
"There are other medications available over the counter that some cities might want to prevent people from obtaining without a prescription. Allowing cities to place the obstacle of requiring a prescription could ultimately interfere with the ability of citizens to access treatment."
Rothert thinks the ordinance conflicts with state and federal laws, which consider pseudoephedrine products, such as Sudafed and Claritin D, safe enough to use without a prescription.
However, the Missouri Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs thinks the ordinance is OK, according to the Associated Press.
"As long as it's more restrictive than state and federal laws, and they're able to pass it, the city has the authority to do this," said Dean Linneman, section administrator for the Department of Health and Senior Services Health Standards and Licensure division, which oversees the bureau.
Declaring pseudoephedrine a controlled substance - which would make it illegal to possess without a prescription - is a move only state and federal governments can make.
So far, the only state to do so is Oregon, where meth lab busts have decreased since its law took effect in July 2006.
The Washington City Council voted 6 to 2 in favor of the ordinance last Monday, which became effective on passage.
Councilmen John Rhodes and Tim Overschmidt voted no. Guy Midkiff, Carolyn Witt, Connie Groff, Tim Buddemeyer, Walt Meyer and Jeff Mohesky supported the measure.
