House OKs moving cold, flu medicines behind counters

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- On a near-unanimous vote, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved tight restrictions on the sale of many popular cold and flu medications in an aggressive attempt to reduce methamphetamine production in Missouri.

The bill sponsored by state Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson, would require products containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to be sold by a pharmacist. Customers would have to show photo identification and sign a logbook so law enforcement officials could identify frequent purchasers.

Although only pharmacists could distribute such products, customers wouldn't need a doctor's prescription.

"It's a well-reasoned, measured response to the extraordinary problem that we have concerning methamphetamine in our state," Lipke said.

Epherdrine and pseudoephe-drine products, such as Sudafed, are base ingredients of the illegal stimulant methamphetamine. At present, meth cookers can easily obtain those medications from convenience stores and supermarkets.

By a vote of 157-1, the House sent the bill to the Senate, which approved its own version last month. Further legislative action on one or both of the measures is needed to deliver the issue to Gov. Matt Blunt, who has endorsed the restrictions.

The legislation is modeled on an Oklahoma law that is credited with greatly reducing methamphetamine production in that state. Missouri lawmakers, however, say the success of the Oklahoma law has driven meth producers across the border into Missouri.

The House bill includes an emergency clause that would allow it to become law instantly upon receiving the governor's signature. Lipke said that provision is necessary because the Arkansas Legislature is moving quickly on a similar bill. If that measure is enacted first, Lipke is concerned even more out-of-state meth producers would set up shop, at least temporarily, in Missouri.

"With that being a surrounding state of ours, I don't want to see any lag time between their law going into effect and our law going into effect," Lipke said.

Although the bill enjoys strong support, some lawmakers expressed concerns about limiting legitimate access to needed medications. To address that issue, the restrictions wouldn't apply to the liquid form of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products, which isn't seen as useful in methamphetamine production.

State Rep. Bob Behnen, R-Kirksville, said the hardship on ill Missourians would be minimal.

"The little inconvenience we may have will make a world of difference in the lives of our children and neighborhoods," Behnen said.

The bill is HB 441.

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