Oregon Ping
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Oregon Ping List.
Posted on 07/31/2005 5:04:23 AM PDT by oldfarmer
PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - A bill passed by lawmakers on Saturday would make Oregon the first U.S. state to require a doctor's prescription for cold medicines containing an ingredient that can be used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine.
"We hope this will reduce the supply" of meth, Democratic state Sen. Ginny Burdick told Reuters after the Senate passed the bill.
Oregon's House of Representatives approved the measure earlier this month and Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski was expected to sign it.
The bill has widespread support, but critics say it would hurt people without medical insurance who cannot afford to go to a doctor for a cold or an allergy.
Although much of the nation's meth supply is produced in large labs in Mexico, the addictive drug can be made in smaller labs with easily available equipment and ingredients, including cold or allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine.
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said recently that meth had surpassed marijuana as the drug posing the greatest danger to the nation's children
(Excerpt) Read more at today.reuters.com ...
Yes, well, isn't that what they're elected to do?
Isn't that the truth.
you got that right. Years ago when pseudoephedrine was made available OTC it was a huge financial relief for my family. Instead of having to run to the DR. everytime somebodies allergies acted up we could get the medicine from the drugstore and in most cases long before the allergy got out of control! No long waits to see the dr. or at the pharmacy, no raging allergies or sinusitis, no resulting sinus infections due to severity...those few have just made my life go back to the miserable side again!
There goes Sudafed, NyQuil, DayQuil, Advil Cold/Sinus, most Cold medicines....et al.
Bill is being fought by the ADA and dentists state wide.
In WV they just took these medicines off the shelves. You must ask the pharmicist for them. No perscription needed, but they are not in the open. I think it reduces the ability to acquire the quantity needed for meth production. At the rate they're busting these labs here, it should be easy to see if this works fairly quickly.
That sounds like a much better solution. I know it puts the pharmacist in a "cop" role, but better they assume some responsibility within their trade than put a financial burden on the rest of the public.
I brought the upcoming vote on this issue with a major "Tweaker". She said, "No problem, the cooks will just come up with another way to make it." It's a stupid law to appease the majority of ignorant tax payers. The State of Oregon bites the big one....
Can these things be ordered online?
If so, problem solved. Stock up.
I'd be madder than Heck if I had to go get a prescription every time I needed allergy medicine.
There should be some kind of committee in every state, made up of an anonymous citizen panel (to reduce special interest tampering) with access to specialized experts. This committee's sole purpose shall be to examine each new law passed by the legislature for the first five years after its enactment. They will examine the impact of the law, the cost of the law, whether or not the law had the desired impact, and any negative effects from the law. They can present their findings to the legislature in an advisory role. The findings should also be released to the public.
If after being confronted with a bad law, the legislature chooses not to act where action is demanded, then those with interest can take up the matter in the public sphere. Some smart politician will run on it. It's always fun to go after bad laws, and it just isn't done enough.
Five years from now, who will determine if this new law in Oregon will really have done anything to lower meth use? I believe that there will not be ONE fewer meth addict as a result of this legislation. Not ONE. It's going to cause a lot of hassle to a whole lot of people, most significantly, doctors and sick people. It's going to cost money. It's going to cause trouble for the health insurance companies too, who will have to approve these myriad new prescriptions like they approve all others. But who is going to stick around and watch this, and who is going to let the people know? Who holds the legislature responsible for a bad law?
As usual, people will eventually get used to all of the hassle, costs and prices will go up, and few will remember the cause of all the hassle.
Thus the anti-freedom Nazis must ruin it for everyone. A prescription for OVER THE DANGED COUNTER cold medicine? IT's bad enough that we now have to get the little tag from the medicine isle and take it to the pharmacy counter.
It's OTC for a reason -
I guess we need to start automatically burning down all meth houses and appartments. All those convicted of producing meth should be immediately sentenced to the firing squad (or to be hanged). I'm sick of this mess. I know there are those here who defend the "right" to illegal drugs - but anyone who thinks meth is A-OK for ANYONE should be shot as well. I have seen way too many lives destroyed by meth - and it's not because of the WOD - it's because the drug is that insidious.
It's time we take our rights back - and punish those who would cause us to loose those rights.
I have to ask the pharmacy for Actifed - the only thing that works on me when my allergies kick in - and if I have to go to a doctor to get a prescription, I'll most likely not go. I'm not about to pay $75-$100 for a 3-second consultation. This means I'll have to blow my nose more while driving - look OUT!!
This also means that folks would get sicker, as the waiting list to get into the doctor's would be longer, and of course insurance rates would go up since everybody's using it to get their prescriptions.
On the other hand, with folks feeling more awful than usual, they might stay home instead of going to work to infect all their co-workers.
This also means less street drug production, except that the criminals are like water - they always find a path. They'll simply find another source, and it will spawn a new business, which is black market OTC drug supplier. Yippee.
The cons are so far outweighing the pros.
yup , but Hey, I'll FReepmail ya my excursion into reality!! LOL!!
Oregon Ping
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Oregon Ping List.
BTTT!
The Tylenol killer makes my life far more miserable on a daily basis than any meth chemist.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.