Possible Bill Banning Some Cold Meds...

In 2008 Missouri had 1,487 meth busts according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.  That works out to four busts a day.  Missouri makes up about a quarter of the meth incidents nationwide. That is an extremely large number and lawmakers want to do something to stop this meth production.  Their solution is to make cold medicines containing pseudafedrine prescriptions.  This means that Cairitin D and Sudafed along with Nyquil and other medications will be out of the hands of consumers unless they first go to the doctor and get a prescription. Being the curious person I am, I wondered what pharmacists, doctors, and consumers thought of this possible bill.  I went to a local pharmacy and spoke with Blaine Alberty, a registered pharmacist.  

Alberty told me that frankly if this bill became a reality, it would be much more of a hassle for the pharmacy and for the customers. It would make more work on behalf of pharmacists throughout the state, and it would give the every day person more steps to obtain cold medication.  Alberty went further to explain that in 2006 the state made the medications containing the decongestant pseudafedrine a behind the counter drug that people needed to be ID'd and logged into a system. People would be allowed to buy 7.5 grams of medication during a 30 day period.  Alberty believes this works; however, part of the 2006 legislation said that there would be an electronic system where each pharmacy could track a persons purchases at other pharmacies.  This electronic system was never funded.  Alberty believes that this could solve more problems that trying to recreate another solution that would be more costly to tax payers. However, it would cost close to one-million dollars to get the electronic system up and running and additional tax payer money to keep it going.  

While at Alberty's pharmacy I talked to Becky Rowson. Rowson lives in Columbia and is a therapist in a private practice.  She used to work at a  treatment facility and worked with many meth addicts.  She voiced strong opinion that she thinks the 2006 legislation was effective, and that she personally is not in favor of the talk of making these drugs prescriptive.  She says she uses those cold medications herself and it would be an inconvenience for her and others. She added that many addicts she met would steal the cold medications.  Would making them a prescription stop that?

The proposed bill was discussed last week, but debate over the conflicting issue continues.