Bill Requiring Prescriptions for Cold Medicines Would Only Apply to Certain Convicts

by Brenna Angel, Kentucky Public RadioA Kentucky state lawmaker has pre-filed legislation that would require a prescription for cold and allergy medicines, but it would only apply to convicted meth offenders.Many over-the-counter cold remedies contain pseudoephedrine, an ingredient used to make meth. Democratic Representative Brent Yonts wants to create a block list for anyone convicted of meth-related crimes.“If they go in and try to buy at the local pharmacy, behind the counter, this system would instantaneously tell the pharmacist not to sell it," he says. “It punishes those who abuse the law and not the about 98 percent of the people who do not abuse the law regarding meth."Yonts’s bill would also reduce the maximum amount of pseudoephedrine that can be bought per person from 9 grams a month to 7.5 grams.Previous attempts to make all cold medicine prescription-only has failed in the General Assembly. Yonts says his proposal punishes meth users while allowing law-abiding citizens to easily get the medicine they need.