States Considering Rx For Pseudo/Ephedrine

[Paregoric Kid]

States mull Rx rule for meth ingredients
By Alison Young, USA TODAY
State and local efforts to thwart methamphetamine production by further limiting consumer access to a popular decongestant are pitting law enforcement against pharmacists and patients.
New ordinances in some Missouri communities and legislation pending in several states would require consumers to get a prescription to buy cold and allergy pills containing pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed and Claritin-D. The medicines still are being purchased at pharmacies to make methamphetamine, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), despite an earlier nationwide effort to track sales.
The goal is to eliminate meth labs — often in homes or hotel rooms — that use a mixture of toxic chemicals that can explode or catch fire, putting bystanders at risk and requiring costly cleanups.
"I don't think I've ever been involved in my entire career in law enforcement in something that's more important than this," said Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director Marshall Fisher, who supports a bill the Mississippi House passed last week. Mississippi seized 590 meth labs in 2009, he said, up from about 300 the previous year.
About 15 million Americans use pseudoephedrine products. Requiring prescriptions will delay access to the quick-acting medication and drive up costs to consumers through more doctor visits and co-pays, said Ron Fitzwater of the Missouri Pharmacy Association, which opposes prescription laws.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents makers of over-the-counter medication, also is against the restrictions. It wants to pay for states to install electronic tracking systems to detect and stop excessive purchases.
Oregon is the only state that requires prescriptions. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wants to mandate prescriptions nationwide. He notes Oregon had just 10 meth lab seizures in 2009.
Nationwide, cold and allergy sufferers already must show ID and sign pharmacy logs to buy restricted quantities of medications with pseudoephedrine. Those rules increasingly are being thwarted by illegal drugmakers who send people to multiple pharmacies to make small purchases. "It's a huge problem," said Gary Boggs of the DEA.
Among states considering new measures:
• Missouri. A handful of municipalities — including Jefferson County, southwest of St. Louis; Poplar Bluff; and Washington — have passed prescription ordinances.
• California. The state Senate passed a bill to require prescriptions.
• Kentucky. The Kentucky Narcotics Officers Association last month called for a prescription law and is helping to draft a bill.
• Oklahoma. The state is among several trying to increase electronic tracking. "We think we can solve this problem without putting more of a burden on Oklahomans," state narcotics bureau Director Darrell Weaver said.

[Thanat0s]

"Lame"


with a capital "L"


oklahoma has been on this trip awhile now,
we have a HUGE issue
with clandestine labs
in rural AND urban oklahoma.

dxm next?
inhalers?
all tempt amateur extractions etc...

[jacky]

this has been coming for some time now......

once the ephedrine type compounds become prescription, then watch how many other compounds they can make amphetamines from...
there are lots of them...
plenty of plant sources for various precursors...

and not to mention all the ephedra plants growing in the wild like so much sage brush...
is it possible that we will start seeing a black tar amphetamine produced from impure ephedra extracts?

making this substance prescription will only put a temporary dent in the meth supply...cooks will quickly start finding their other amphetamine types that can be produced from so many natural sources.

and if anything, it will cut down on alot of the home labs....those with fundings and connections will still be able to get what they need from many countries that are NOT GOING to turn psuedo ephedrine into a controlled substance.
so it will inevitably put more money and power into the hands of the cartels..

not to mention that khat supply might be tapped for some precursor potential...and that would quickly benefit certian terrorist groups.

I dont fuck with pseudo ephedrine anymore for cold purposes, or allergy.....if I need ephedrine I will go harvest some off of the MANY ephedra plants that I see when walking all over the foothills of my home town. in some areas of the desert less than an hour outside of town...a person could gather tarp full amounts of the herb without attracting any attention.
the herb is also still avialable from certian TCM herb supply companies.

making something a prescription substance doesnt make it impossible for people to divert. if anything, dirty Dr's will knowingly script people who end up making even more money off of meth than they did in the first place. or, certian people will be able to get a cheaper price on product, but becoming suppliers for certian cooks.

look at ritalin abuse in the USA....

as usual, the pharmaceutical companies end up the winners, and the cartels.....

I also forsee some people just learning to make ephedrine themselves....apparently, a degradation product of sugar can be used with a reaction with benzene to produce a precursor substance that can be cooked using various processes utilizing hydrochloric acid/sodium amalgam/hydrogen....
the result is eventually ephedrine...which doesnt sound to damn technical.
let me say that I dont pursue chemistry as a hobby, and I dont know alot about the application either....but I could take a geuss that this law of making ephedrine products controlled substances might only make the home based labs that much more desperate and volatile.