An innovative, statewide computer network tracking the sales of drugs containing pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient found in cold medicines, will soon be found in all Missouri pharmacies. The monitoring of these products is necessary, due to the fact that the drug can also be used to produce an illegal drug in our state – methamphetamine.
Past studies have shown that 7.1 percent of persons in Missouri age 12 or older have reported using meth one or more times during their life. This drug is very dangerous, causing possible psychosis, loss of memory, violent behavior, and mood disturbances. The highly hazardous production process is getting easier as well, luring people in to making their own drugs that require only a few components.
Considering this alarming trend, the statewide computer network is designed to notify law enforcement and pharmacies if a buyer is purchasing products containing pseudoephedrine at several different stores or pharmacies, stopping that person from getting the materials they need to produce methamphetamine.
In 2005, the Missouri General Assembly passed and the governor signed Senate Bill 10, which limits the amount of some over-the-counter cold medications containing pseudoephedrine that customers can buy. Purchases are limited to quantities of nine grams of medicine in a 30-day period and sales are required to be logged. Gel capsules and syrup forms of pseudoephedrine-based medicines were not included in the legislation, since dry tablets are normally sought for meth production.
Further legislation addressing meth production in our state was passed in 2008. With the governor's signature on SB 724, pharmacies' monitoring of pseudoephedrine purchases became more advanced by upgrading from a paper log to an electronic log. The law also requires a photo ID to be issued with each purchase.
Currently, more than 340 of Missouri's estimated 1,300 pharmacies are registered with the online network and participate in the program. Several other pharmacies stated that they will be registered by the end of this year. Many pharmacists and law enforcement officers will undergo training to familiarize themselves with the new computer system.
We continue to take the issue of eliminating methamphetamine labs and preventing meth addiction in Missouri very seriously. The safety of our state's citizens is always a top priority.
If you have any questions or comments about this or any other topic regarding state government, please visit my website, e-mail me, or call my office at (866) 271-2844.
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