HIDE AWAY THE COLD PILLS?

When it comes to buying decongestants in Tennessee, will the
innocent citizens have to suffer a loss of privacy because of the
misdeeds of criminals?

Gov. Phil Bredesen's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse has been
studying ways to get pseudoephedrine out of the hands of meth
producers. Pseudoephedrine is the main ingredient in many popular
over-the-counter cold and allergy relief medicines. It's also the main
ingredient in the making of methamphetamine, a highly addictive
stimulant known as "poor man's crack" that attacks the central nervous
system.

One of the possibilities that the state Legislature might consider
next year is that a registry be set up so that whenever you buy the
cold pills, you would have to sign for them, and your name would be
put on file. If you purchase more pills than would be needed for
personal use, that could trigger a law enforcement inquiry.

Tennessee also may consider pursuing the course that Oklahoma has
taken -- that is, making pseudoephedrine equivalent to a controlled
substance that can be dispensed only by pharmacists. Exceptions would
be made for liquids and gel caps, which can't easily be converted to
meth.

This idea is not popular among pharmacists because they are afraid it
will put them on the front line of law enforcement and leave them
vulnerable to armed robbery. The Consumer Healthcare Products
Association in Washington also points out that if you need a cold pill
during hours when the pharmacy isn't open, you may be out of luck.

Plus, there's also the matter of limited space behind the counter and
the fact that there are some 300 varieties of cold and sinus
medications.

Task force member Doug Wilson, a Rite Aid pharmacist from Rockwood in
Roane County, sensibly suggested pulling from shelves only the
products used by the illegal meth makers, rather than removing them
all.

Surely, the Legislature can strike a compromise between the need to
curtail meth production and the rights of honest citizens to buy their
cold pills without jumping through too many regulatory hoops.