Letters To The Editor
5.25.16–Elle Olszewsk, Wilcox Progressive
Living with spring allergies has conditioned me to dread the end of winter. Each year, itchy, swollen, red eyes, super-congested sinuses, breathing difficulties, and a leaking nose consume my life for two to three months.
The only remedy that treats my symptoms enough to lead a relatively normal life is over-the-counter allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Worryingly, a few groups in my home state of Alabama are trying to limit my access to pseudoephedrine due to a few criminals.
This proposal is deeply concerning for people living with allergies in a state like Alabama. Recently, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released their 2016 worst cities for spring allergies and the results ranked Birmingham as one of the 50 worst.
Allergy sufferers need fast and easy over-the-counter access to a medicine that makes our lives bearable in the spring. I understand the need to be aggressive when tackling illegal meth production but a prescription requirement will do much more harm to law-abiding people with genuine medical needs for these drugs than it would ever do to prevent criminals from obtaining them.
Current pseudoephedrine monitoring laws are working. I strongly discourage our representatives from considering any proposals that would further burden the thousands of cold and allergy sufferers in Alabama.
Sincerely,
Elle Olszewsk