HOUSE VOTES TO RESTRICT METH INGREDIENT

An Oregon Bill Requiring Prescriptions For Some Cold Pills Is
Expected To Sail Through The Senate And Be Signed Into Law

SALEM -- The Oregon Legislature took a major step Wednesday toward
passage of a first-in-the-nation bill requiring prescriptions for
cold and allergy medicines containing an ingredient used to make
methamphetamine.

The House voted 55-4 to send the bill to the Senate even as
legislators said they knew that many of their constituents would
resent the inconvenience and expense of having to get a prescription
for common drugs such as Sudafed and Claritin D.

Sponsors said they expected the measure to swiftly pass the Senate
and be signed into law by Gov. Ted Kulongoski.

Blake Rice, chairman of the state Board of Pharmacy, said his board
planned to put the new prescription requirement in place before the
next cold and flu season.

Currently, cold pills with pseudoephedrine -- the essential
ingredient in meth -- can only be purchased from pharmacies after
consumers show identification and sign a log. Liquid and gel products
are also slated to soon be placed behind pharmacy counters.

Law enforcement officials credit those restrictions with cutting the
number of meth labs in half. But sponsors of a package of bills
attacking the meth epidemic said they're convinced they need tougher
rules to stop all diversion to meth cooks.

"You can vote no on House Bill 2485 and assure then that people can
be treated for their sniffles," said Rep. Wayne Krieger, R-Gold
Beach. "You can vote yes on HB2485 and protect Oregonians and their
children from the scourge of meth and give them an opportunity for a
meth-free future."

"Could I lose my seat for doing the right thing?" said Rep. Brian
Boquist, R-Dallas, of his vote in favor of the bill. "Absolutely, and
if necessary, I will."

Several legislators said in interviews that they fretted about
whether it made sense to go further than any other any state in
restricting access to these products. But only a handful of
legislators spoke out on the floor -- and voted -- against the measure.

The most impassioned opposition came from Rep. Jeff Kropf,
R-Sublimity, who said voters won't understand the complexities of the
meth issue.

"What they're going to understand is: 'I'm being punished for
something I didn't do,' " said Kropf, who added that the prescription
requirement "goes too far beyond common sense."

Kropf noted that most of the meth in Oregon is imported from Mexican
superlabs and that the real solution is turning would-be users away
from meth with education and treatment.

Rep. Tom Butler, R-Ontario, raised concerns that visitors to Oregon
could be arrested for carrying pseudoephedrine that wasn't purchased
with a prescription.

Supporters said they doubted that would happen. Rice said it was just
"common sense" that someone carrying medicine for personal use would
not be arrested. He noted that there are already several prescription
drugs regulated differently by various states.

Several legislators said it was important to eliminate local meth
labs even if most supplies of the drug come from out of state. They
said dangerous chemicals from the meth labs contaminate homes and
endanger the health of children.

Rep. Jeff Barker, D-Aloha, a retired Portland police lieutenant, told
of a rental van that had been turned into a meth lab. Though it was
supposed to have been destroyed, he warned that some family could
unknowingly have used it and had their belongings contaminated.

"We can either make pseudoephedrine a prescription drug or we can
continue to see more meth labs," he said.

Rep. Bill Garrard, R-Klamath Falls, said requiring a prescription
would not be a hardship for many people who can use an increasing
number of alternatives. Pfizer, which makes Sudafed, already sells a
version that uses another decongestant and is planning
pseudoephedrine-free formulations of some other brands.

In addition, doctors would be allowed to dispense prescriptions for
pseudoephedrine products over the phone, and consumers could get up
to five refills in a six-month period.

The House also passed a companion measure providing money for drug
treatment, and the Senate approved two other bills aimed at attacking
meth. Altogether, the measures provide $7.1 million for treatment,
tougher sentences and related programs.

Rep. Gary Hansen, D-Portland, said the measures do "pathetically
little for drug treatment," particularly in light of what he said
were $28 million in cuts to treatment programs paid for through the
Oregon Health Plan.