I think that it's a wise decision to control the sales of ephedrine: this alkaloid can be one of the best medicine for cold, flu and asthma but unfortunately also a dangerous drug precursor due to its easy reduction to methamphetamine.
In the USA, the NPLEX system (real-time tracking through a nationwide database) has achieved good results.
With a group of friends (doctors) we have created a blog on this topic, here is our point of view on the legality of ephedrine:
ephedrinewheretobuy.com/[...]