DENVER -- Because drug cartels will do anything to get it, metro area police are urging the state's top law enforcer to help make some cold medicines available only by prescription.

"You know, I don't want to see us to get left behind if, in fact, this becomes a national trend," said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.

Methamphetamine makers use what's called "smurfing", where one person or several people go to a number of grocery stores and drug stores to buy pseudoephedrine, often at the same time.

The pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient used to make methamphetamine, is sold under the brand name Sudafed and in generic form.

Since 2005, federal law has required a driver's license to buy pseudoephedrine.

An employee at a Colorado Walgreen's told 7NEWS they limit customers to four boxes per month.

After a bust in early November, at 9080 Aspen Drive in Thornton, North Metro Drug Task Force agents learned more about how smurfing was becoming more prevalent here.

"We still have a severe meth problem in the state," said Cmdr. Jerry Peters of the NMDTF.

Mexican drug cartels have turned to smurfing and will pay $80 for a $10 box of pseudoephedrine, Peters said.

He added the task force looked at trying to require stores to integrate their computer systems to better track who's buying the drug and how much.

"You're going to find more labs. You're going to arrest more people. And I don't know if that's a good thing. I mean, putting more people in prison is a huge financial burden for our state. Clean up for these labs is a hug financial burden on the community," Peters said. "Doing away with meth labs is the right thing to do. And if we're able to stop meth production before anything happens, that would be the right thing to do."

He's made his pitch to Suthers, who says he wants more time and won't take the idea to lawmakers yet.

"You know I'm not sure. I think I'd have to hear a little bit more from the industry and from the medical profession," Suthers said.

Prevention groups like the Colorado Meth Project are trying to combat an increase in meth use by adults of 60 %, according to a recent national survey.

"You can't do one without the other. You can't ignore the demand reduction piece of it," said Kent MacLennan, executive director for the group. "We actually are up to 88-percent of teens and young adults that now see great risk in using the drug even one time."