Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 Source: Kansas City Star (MO) Copyright: 2005 The Kansas City Star Contact: http://www.kcstar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/221 Author: Paul Wenske And Matt Stearns, The Kansas City Star Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) LIMITS PROPOSED ON SOME COLD MEDICINES Which is more important: Giving consumers easy access to cold medications or cutting meth production? You've got the sniffles, watery eyes and your head feels ready to explode. You want to grab something quick at the drug store and just go to bed. You probably don't expect to wait in line to buy your favorite cold or flu medicine -- much less show ID and sign a form. But consumers nationwide could face that prospect if legislation introduced Wednesday in Congress and aimed at curtailing methamphetamine labs becomes law. A bipartisan group of senators led by Jim Talent, a Missouri Republican, and Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, is pushing the bill. They argue that many cold medicines -- such as Benadryl and Sudafed -- contain pseudoephedrine, a key component of methamphetamine, the illegal drug that has become a nationwide scourge, especially in Missouri. The bill would force retailers to place products containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter, rather than on the shelves. They would be sold by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. And, you'd be limited in how much you could buy -- about 9 grams, or about 300 30-milligram pills, in a 30-day period. Kara Harmon, who was shopping Wednesday for allergy medicine at Bruce Smith Drug in Prairie Village with 1-year-old son Charlie in tow, said the proposal struck her as a little over the top. "Certainly the average consumer isn't out there running a meth lab," Harmon said. Still, if the meth problem is that bad, she said she didn't mind "the slight inconvenience." Proponents contend the methamphetamine problem is out of control and cold medicines have become such an easy source of the active ingredient for meth makers that it more than justifies any inconvenience or possible loss of privacy to consumers. "We've got to stop the meth cooks from buying them because if they can't buy them from the local stores they can't make the stuff in our neighborhoods," Talent said Wednesday at a press conference in Washington. Groups representing makers of cold medications, however, complain that the law would interfere with consumer choice. "Consumer access is key," said Elizabeth Assey of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. "Millions of Americans rely on decongestants to treat colds and allergies." The federal proposal echoes legislative efforts in Missouri and Kansas and about 24 other states nationwide. Area pharmacists, who have witnessed an increase in shoplifting of cold medicines, say they support some sort of restrictions. "On general principle, we're in support of what legislators are trying to do," said Ron Fitzwater, chief executive officer of the Missouri Pharmacy Association. "We understand it's going to be an inconvenience to consumers and pharmacists, but we are in favor of any effort to make things better." Some retailers, including Walgreens, Osco and Hen House, already have put the stronger drugs behind the counter. The federal legislation is similar to the state proposals. Consumers would be able to buy only 9 grams per month, or about 300 pills. "Who needs to buy more than 300 pills in a month?" Feinstein asked. "Think about it, if you're really going to use them just for cold medication." Officials said the average consumer buys about six packages a year. Spurring concerns in Missouri and Kansas is that a similar law passed in Oklahoma last year forced meth makers to drive across state lines to do their shopping at Kansas and Missouri drug stores. "It's a concern expressed by the retailers," said Sharon Watson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. "We have a situation in southern Kansas with retailers seeing people coming in and buying larger portions and taking them back to Oklahoma." Kansas already had pioneered a program in which police work with pharmacies to watch for suspicious purchasers of cold and flu medicines. "Anything we can do to make it more difficult for these illegal drug manufacturers, I'm all for," said Debbie Richmond, the pharmacist at Bruce Smith Drugs. But Richmond noted that enforcing the restrictions could present logistical challenges for pharmacists. Other drawbacks include more paperwork as pharmacists check identification and track who buys cold remedies. Storing the data electronically could present privacy concerns -- especially if the information is made available to police. For retailers, the legislation could require adding more clerks, special counters and surveillance cameras, as well as tying up more of a pharmacist's time assisting customers. Richmond said she didn't mind that because it could lead to better-informed consumers. Consumer groups still have not weighed in on the legislation. But Larry D. Sasich, a spokesman for Public Citizen, a group based Washington, D.C., said one benefit is that the law may reduce consumer use of medications containing pseudoephedrine, a drug the group contends has unnecessary risks because it can raise a person's heart rate. Sasich, a pharmacist, said pseudoephedrine already is overused. "We're only talking here about a stuffy nose. You can get the same relief using a normal nasal spray containing saline," he noted. But Talent said the possibility of consumer inconvenience is worth making a major dent in meth production. Ellie Slater of Leawood agreed. Shopping for over-the-counter medication Wednesday for a sore throat, she said she would not be inconvenienced by the new law. "I'm not all that sick," Slater said. "If I was real sick I'd call my doctor to get a prescription anyway." - --- MAP posted-by: Derek