February 3, 2016

Drug Offenders Now Need Prescription For Cold Medicines

Indiana leads the nation in the number of meth labs. - public domain

Indiana leads the nation in the number of meth labs.

public domain

INDIANAPOLIS -- The House and the Senate Tuesday overwhelmingly passed bills that would block someone convicted of a drug crime from buying certain cold medicines without a prescription.

The bills block those convicted of drug-related offences from buying cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in the most common recipes for methamphetamine production.

The Senate bill’s author Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, said the legislation targets those who are a threat to the spread of meth production in Indiana – the state remains number one in the country for its number of meth labs.

“What we’re attempting to do is find a way that we can cut down on the meth problem in the state of Indiana and not harm our honest, law-abiding citizens,” Young said.

Senate Bill 161 would allow someone drug offenders to purchase cold drugs containing pseudoephedrine if they have a prescription.

The Senate legislation mirrors a House measure authored by Dave Frizzell, R-Indianapolis, who said the effort ensures law-abiding citizens aren’t inconvenienced.

Support independent journalism today. You rely on WFYI to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Donate to power our nonprofit reporting today. Give now.

 

Related News

Indiana Senate Republicans want to make big changes to HIP, Medicaid. What do those changes mean?
Health leaders flag Medicaid, public health as major policy concerns ahead of session
Report: Indiana local public health funding program generates significant savings