New rules affect access to cold medicines

Cold sufferers will have to ask to get a little relief.

New rules have restricted access to cold medications often used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. However, cold sufferers are only minimally inconvenienced -- so far.

When Oregon Governor Kulongoski looked for a solution to the rapidly rising methamphetamine (meth) production and use problem in Oregon he asked for restrictions on the sale of products that contain pseudoephedrine -- including many over-the-counter cold remedies.

Pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines, is a primary ingredient in meth production. Unlike drugs like heroin and cocaine, meth is a "make-it-yourself" drug that can be manufactured by amateurs using everyday ingredients found on grocery store shelves.

Kulongoski asked that all cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine be restricted and purchasers be required to provide identification and a signature to purchase them. Pharmacy and grocery store managers cringed at the thought of mounting piles of paperwork.

Responsibility for administering the program was given to the Oregon Board of Pharmacy which, on October 13, voted to adopt a temporary administrative rule that restricts the sale of non-prescription decongestant medications containing pseudoephedrine.

The rule became effective November 15.

Products that contain pseudoephedrine as the only active ingredient can be sold only from the prescription area of a pharmacy. Restrictions apply only to products in solid form.

Pseudoephedrine products containing a combination of active ingredients can only be sold from a secured area in a pharmacy or non-prescription drug outlet. The secured area must not be accessible to customers without the assistance of an employee.

Sisters Drug Co. owner Tim Muir pointed out that the dozen items he had moved behind the prescription counter were available over-the-counter in the liquid form with no restrictions. According to Muir, the items secured behind the counter require showing photo identification issued by a governmental agency or school but no information needs to be recorded.

Muir said that this is a six-month plan and he expects further restrictions after that time, possibly to include recording information about purchasers of restricted items.

Ray's Food Place manager Jeff McDonald has received a memo from corporate headquarters listing four categories of affected products. Those products restricted to licensed pharmacies will no longer be available. Those requiring control by store personnel will be locked in a glass-fronted cabinet, to be handled only by designated store employees.

McDonald said that Ray's is experiencing a delay in getting the needed security cabinets. The combination of short notice and an apparent run on the available supply of cabinets is creating a delay in complying with the new rules.

Meanwhile the Oregon Grocers Association has been working with law enforcement and the governor's office to craft legislation that locks up meth distributors. Proposed legislation includes heavier penalties for the manufacture, sale, possession and use of meth.

Legislation would also provide retailers liability protection for good-faith reporting of suspicious meth-lab related purchases and would provide adequate funding for regional meth enforcement teams, a forensic meth team and prosecution.

Methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that dramatically affects the central nervous system.

The drug is made easily in clandestine laboratories. It goes by many names, including speed, meth, ice, crystal, crank and glass. After an initial "rush," there is typically a state of high agitation that in some individuals can lead to violent behavior.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff Les Stiles, meth is involved in 80 percent of all property crimes and a high percentage of domestic violence and child abuse cases in Central Oregon.

Oregon is following the lead of a similar program in Oklahoma, where the number of meth labs has dropped sharply.