Limiting access to cold and allergy medication
8.11.16– Allison Suhrer, The Colulmbia Star
As a public health major at the University of South Carolina, I have studied and researched the negative effects of meth on the community. However, I believe that lawmakers are addressing the meth problem the wrong way by targeting the sale of over-the-counter medicine to make it available by prescription only in South Carolina. Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is commonly found in cold and allergy medicine but is also an ingredient used by home meth cooks to produce the drug. The National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) has shown that it can effectively prevent criminals from accessing drugs that would be potentially used to make meth. In reality, the majority of the meth supply, over 90 percent, is actually coming fromMexico.
Limiting access to law-abiding consumers would have severe negative effects on the entire health industry. A new study by the Association of American Medical Colleges warns it will likely get worse which would lead to increases in wait times for doctors’ offices and decreases in access to a primary care physicians.
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