A bill aimed at curbing Kentucky’s growing methamphetamine problem and regulating prescription drugs sold over the Internet moved closer to becoming law yesterday, says the Louisville Courier-Journal. The measure passed the House unanimously, and is expected to pass the Senate and be signed by Gov. Ernie Fletcher. Supporters said the bill is the state’s broadest antidrug effort in many years.
The bill requires pharmacies to keep cold and allergy medication with pseudoephedrine–the key ingredient in meth–behind the counter or in a locked cabinet. Customers will be limited to buying medications containing 9 grams of pseudoephedrine per month, or about 300 Sudafed tablets, and will be required to show an ID and sign a log. The measure strengthens a law used to prosecute meth manufacturers, makes it illegal to make meth in the presence of children, and holds meth makers liable for the cost of cleaning up labs. It also will help the state regulate Internet pharmacies that sell drugs without valid prescriptions. The Courier-Journal reported in December that meth has spread rapidly through Kentucky, clogging jails and prisons, ravaging families, and increasing demand for drug treatment. It found that the state had failed to keep pace with other states in regulating the sale of cold and allergy medications.
Link: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050303/NEWS0101/503030434