BILL AIMS TO CURB COUGH-SYRUP ABUSE

WASHINGTON -- A bill seeking to stop an ingredient in cough syrups
from being diverted to deadly street drugs overwhelmingly passed the
House on Tuesday. The bill, introduced by Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. and
Rick Larsen, D-Wash., would make it illegal to distribute bulk forms
of dextromethorphan, a cough-suppressant found in cough medicines, to
businesses or people who aren't registered with the Food and Drug
Administration. The bill passed 407 to eight.

Dextromethorphan, or DXM, is commonly found in cough medicines that
are available over the counter at pharmacies, meaning consumers don't
need a prescription to buy the product. When DXM is consumed in high
amounts, it has hallucinogenic effects.

Similar bills passed the House in 2006 and 2007, but none have passed
the Senate. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Vice President Joe
Biden, then a senator, in 2007 introduced a bill that would ban the
sale of products containing DXM to anyone under 18.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., introduced a bill similar to Rep. Upton's
in the Senate last year. A spokesman for Sen. Murray said she hasn't
decided whether she will introduce the bill again this year. Abuse of
over-the-counter products has received much attention in recent years.
In 2006, the government began requiring cold medicines containing the
active ingredient pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed, be sold only
behind the counter and in limited quantities as the products were used
to make the drug methamphetamine.