March 27, 2013
03/28/13 Hoosier allergy sufferers will soon face tougher limits on how much over-the-counter cold medication they can purchase. A bill to set an annual cap on pseudoephedrine purchases passed the house by a vote of 91-1. The goal of the legislation is to curb the manufacture of methamphetamine by dampening the supply of one of the drug’s main ingredients.
Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter and former Indiana State Trooper testified in support of the limits during a House hearing on the bill, although he was seeking stronger language that would a prescription necessary to purchase the drug. During testimony Senter said, “Things have gotten ugly in just the last six weeks, 21 arrests for either possession of manufacturing meth in Marshall County alone. When I read an article about two children under the age of five located in a lab on the west side of Plymouth, I decided we needed to take another step.”
The cold medications containing pseudoephedrine are already sold behind the counter in pharmacies in limited quantities and purchasers must show photo identification to purchase them. The 61 gram per person limit is about an eight month supply of the current law’s monthly limit.
The bill will go back to the Senate for consideration of a few minor changes before it can be sent to Governor Mike Pence.