Health News
Legislators wanting to pass a bill that would make the key component to make methamphetamine available only by prescription are now willing to make a concession that they would not accept last week.
- 'meds For Meth' Bill Is About To Become Law Despite Heavy Lobbying Campaign By Pharmaceutical Companies
The bill to limit purchases of a popular cold medicine used to make methamphetamine passed the General Assembly today and Gov. Steve Beshear said he would sign it. The Senate voted 29-8 to approve changes the House made in Senate Bill 3, sponsored by...
- Anti-meth Bill Passes Senate; Limits Monthly Pseudoephedrine Purchases To 7.2 Grams A Month And 24 Grams A Year
In an effort to curb methamphetamine production, the Senate passed a bill Friday that will limit the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be bought monthly and annually. Senate Bill 3, approved 25-11, will allow consumers to buy 7.2 grams of medicine containing...
- Meds-for-meth Bill Sent Back To Committee; Compromise In The Works, Original Sponsor Says
The bill that would make pseudoephedrine ? the key ingredient to make methamphetamine ? available only by prescription was taken off the Senate floor Thursday afternoon. The bill's original sponsor, Sen. Tom Jensen, R-London, said "he expects a compromise...
- Make Pseudoephedrine Available Only By Prescription And See What Effect It Has On Methamphetamine Making, Editorial Argues
The 2012 General Assembly should make the cold medicine pseudoephedrine available only by prescription to see if that curbs methamphetamine production, an editorial in the Lexington Herald-Leader argues. The editorial notes the plan of Democratic...
- As Meds-for-meth Bill Languishes, Some Seek Compromise, But Bill's Sponsor Says Proposals Would Render It Ineffective
By Al Cross and Tara Kaprowy Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues As the bill to require prescriptions for three widely used decongestants remains short of votes to pass the Senate, there is talk of a compromise measure to thwart the use...
Health News
Sponsor of meds-for-meth bill now willing to accept compromise excluding gel capsules and liquids
Legislators wanting to pass a bill that would make the key component to make methamphetamine available only by prescription are now willing to make a concession that they would not accept last week.House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said "supporters of the bill are considering excluding cold medicines in gel or liquid capsule form," the Lexington Herald-Leader's Beth Musgrave reports. It is more difficult to extract pseudoephedrine in cold medicines that come in gel or liquid capsule form, though it's unclear how much more difficult.
When Kentucky Health News first broached the idea to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Tom Jensen, R-London, last week, Jensen said he was not willing to make comprises on the bill, though it lacked the votes to pass the Senate. Now he seems to have had a change of heart. "If that would get it passed, we would certainly do it," said Jensen, right. "I have not talked to enough people yet who have said that would change their minds."
Democratic Rep. Linda Belcher of Shepherdsville, who has a similar bill in the House, said the change would help, because more legislators would vote for it because there would still be some cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, which helps combat symptoms from allergies, on the market.
Drug industry lobbyists, however, rejected the compriomise. "According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, PSE (pseudoephedrine) in gel cap or liquid formations is 'readily extractible,' meaning it can still be used illegally to make meth," said Elizabeth Funderburk, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.
Senate Bill 45 would make ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylproppanolamine available only by prescription. It is similar to legislation that has passed in Oregon and Mississippi, where there has reportedly been a radical drop in the incidence of meth labs. The bill has been repeatedly passed over since being approved 6-4 by the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Read more)
- 'meds For Meth' Bill Is About To Become Law Despite Heavy Lobbying Campaign By Pharmaceutical Companies
The bill to limit purchases of a popular cold medicine used to make methamphetamine passed the General Assembly today and Gov. Steve Beshear said he would sign it. The Senate voted 29-8 to approve changes the House made in Senate Bill 3, sponsored by...
- Anti-meth Bill Passes Senate; Limits Monthly Pseudoephedrine Purchases To 7.2 Grams A Month And 24 Grams A Year
In an effort to curb methamphetamine production, the Senate passed a bill Friday that will limit the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be bought monthly and annually. Senate Bill 3, approved 25-11, will allow consumers to buy 7.2 grams of medicine containing...
- Meds-for-meth Bill Sent Back To Committee; Compromise In The Works, Original Sponsor Says
The bill that would make pseudoephedrine ? the key ingredient to make methamphetamine ? available only by prescription was taken off the Senate floor Thursday afternoon. The bill's original sponsor, Sen. Tom Jensen, R-London, said "he expects a compromise...
- Make Pseudoephedrine Available Only By Prescription And See What Effect It Has On Methamphetamine Making, Editorial Argues
The 2012 General Assembly should make the cold medicine pseudoephedrine available only by prescription to see if that curbs methamphetamine production, an editorial in the Lexington Herald-Leader argues. The editorial notes the plan of Democratic...
- As Meds-for-meth Bill Languishes, Some Seek Compromise, But Bill's Sponsor Says Proposals Would Render It Ineffective
By Al Cross and Tara Kaprowy Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues As the bill to require prescriptions for three widely used decongestants remains short of votes to pass the Senate, there is talk of a compromise measure to thwart the use...