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AJC.com > Legislature > Georgia Beat > Archives > 2005 > March > 22 > Entry
Legislature votes to take pseudoephedrine off shelves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In an effort to fight spiraling methamphetamine abuse rates, popular cold and sinus remedies such as Sudafed and Claritin soon will be sold only from behind the counter at drug stores and other retail shops statewide.
The state Senate voted 53-0 on Tuesday in favor of House Bill 216, a proposal that would take drugs whose main ingredient is pseudoephedrine off the shelf.
“We have a problem,� said Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga). “And the problem in rural Georgia is methamphetamine. It’s a plague in our community. And if you don’t have it in your community, it’s coming soon.�
The bill also would require pseudoephedrine products to be sold in blister packaging. Retailers will be prohibited from selling more than three packages of drugs such as Sudafed in a single sale.
“I’m excited about the passage of this bill because of the impact it will have in protecting the families and communities of this state,� said state Rep. Jay Neal (R-LaFayette), the sponsor of the House bill.
The bill now goes before Gov. Sonny Perdue to be signed into law. The law would go into effect on July 1, except in counties where pseudoephedrine sales already are regulated. In Douglas County, for example, a local ordinance that is more restrictive than HB 216 is in effect. Those counties have until Jan. 1, 2006 to meet the statewide standard.
Some legislators had proposed more restrictive bills, such as a measure that would require only licensed pharmacists or pharmacy technicians to sell the products. Mullis said HB 216 strikes the right balance between meeting the needs of Georgians who legitimately need a cold remedy and “drug dealers who are manufacturing this terrible product.”
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