House committee approves proposal restricting pseudoephedrine sales
BY WAYNE GREENE World Senior Writer
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
OKLAHOMA CITY — A House committee approved Tuesday a proposal to further restrict sales of pseudoephedrine, the popular allergy medicine that is a key ingredient in more Oklahoma meth labs.
An amendment to Senate Bill 1634 approved by the House Public Health Committee would restrict pseudoephedrine buyers to no more than 2.4 grams a day.
A ten-tablet package of 24-hour Sudafed contains 2.4 grams.
The committee approved another amendment that would stop anyone who has reached the 2.4 gram limit from buying any pseudoephedrine for seven days.
The current limit is 9 grams a day.
The limits don’t apply who people who have prescriptions for the drugs.
With the two amendments, the committee approved the bill on an 11-0 vote, sending it to the full House for consideration.
The amended bill was originally designed to link Oklahoma to a 19-state electronic tracking system that would make it harder for pseudoephedrine buyers to avoid state limits by going across state lines.
The proposal also includes language designed to make it harder for people who don’t have legitimate medical needs for pseudoephedrine from buying it.
A House bill passed earlier this year would require pharmacists to determine a legitimate medical need for anyone they sold the drug to. The Senate bill doesn’t mandate a finding of medical need, but prohibits companies from firing pharmacists who refuse sales of pseudoephedrine.
Associated Images:
A House committee approved Tuesday a proposal to further restrict sales of pseudoephedrine, the popular allergy medicine that is a key ingredient in more Oklahoma meth labs. CHRISTOPHER SMITH/ Tulsa World
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