Laws Restricting Sale of Common Cold Medicine Harms Patients
Methamphetamine (meth) abuse has become a concern of law enforcement agencies in recent years. In 2006, to stem the small scale production of methamphetamine by individuals, the federal government took the unprecedented action of forcing retail establishments to remove the common decongestant pseudoephedrine (a main ingredient in meth) from store shelves and restrict it to behind the counter. These regulations also required retail establishments to limit sales to small quantities and impose onerous recordkeeping on retailers. In addition, laws in 45 states imposed additional restrictions on the distribution and sale of pseudoephedrine.
Current methods to restrict sales are largely ineffective. Indeed, the average purity of methamphetamine increased 22% while price decreased 14% from 2006 to 2009, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This suggests that pseudoephedrine is easily accessed and the supply of meth is perhaps larger than the demand. During this time, seizures have largely remained flat at 6,344 kilograms annually.
Unfortunately, restrictions make it difficult for patients to access effective decongestants when needed.
I don’t think this is an easy question. There are externalities from the illegal use of this type of drug (unlike cocaine or marijuana). Therefore, what is needed is a cost-benefit analysis of alternative policies.
In this case, I thnk Devon is probably right. The cost to consumers is too high relative to any conceivable benefit.
Other evolving factors in the meth market are controlling the supplies of pseudoephedrine shipped in bulk from foreign countries, such as China and India. While the US has tightened monitoring on such bulk deliveries to the US, Mexico has evolved into a major lab base for the illicit manufacturing of meth.
There’s more from the latest DEA report here:
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/criminal-justice/combating-methamphetamine-trafficking-2011-report/
No kidding. You should try to get sudafed (the real stuff) when you’re traveling. If you happen to have gone past the time when the person behind the counter has gone home, you’re just SOL. Alternatively, you could pay for the (dramatically) less effective alternative that they put on the shelves, and hope for the placebo effect. Sadly that doesn’t work if you’re aware of it.
Most of the meth in the United States is produced in super labs in Mexico, with a few in California. There are also super labs in Indonesia and in China. Only a fraction is made by the small scale operators in rural areas.
Devon Herrick is quite right. The costs of these restrictions almost certainly outweigh the benefits by a significant multiple.
I wrote about this very topic last spring in the Sacramento Business Journal: http://tinyurl.com/429jbnp.
Hi, Devon Herrick
This is not a simple question. I think you are right in your opinion.
Hi, Devon Herrick
This is not a simple question. I think you are right in your opinion.
http://www.cambridgenannygroup.com/
If we didnt live in socialist state in this poor excuse of a country; and people took care of their own business u could buy all the cold medicine u need.
Really its a nice offer…..
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