Cracking Down on Pseudoephedrine Sales

Pharmacies across America have begun to crack down on the sales of pseudoephedrine products due to the use of the production of the illegal drug methamphetamine. Laws have been made by the government in order to solve lessen the problem of methamphetamine being manufactured with pseudoephedrine. One law is “the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005, [which] has been incorporated into the Patriot Act signed by President Bush on March 9, 2006. The act bans over-the-counter sales of cold medicines that contain the ingredient pseudoephedrine, [and sales are]…limited to behind the counter. The amount of pseudoephedrine that an individual can purchase each month is [also] limited” (FDA). At the pharmacy where I work, for example, we are required by law to keep a log of all pseudoephedrine sales (pictured above). The log contains the buyer’s name, address, and license number. We also write down the brand of medicine that contains pseudoephedrine and the quantity bought.

There have also been laws set that restrict buyers of pseudoephedrine to only purchasing a maximum amount of 2400 mg. For example the “Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act (MAPA) limits the thresholds of pseudoephedrine drug products to 9 gram single transactions with the package size not to exceed 3 grams” (DEA). This makes the purchases of large amounts of pseudoephedrine more difficult. The less pseudoephedrine bought, the less methamphetamine manufactured. At least this was the goal of the laws.

However, drug users have found ways around the system. At major chains, such as Wal-mart and Walgreen’s, logs are computerized into a network containing pseudoephedrine logs. This makes keeping track of buyers’ records of pseudoephedrine purchases much easier and stricter. The downfall comes from small pharmacy chains, like where I work. Handwritten logs cannot be plugged into the network that easily keeps track of suspicious sales. Plus, the state never bothers to check the logs; we are just required to keep them for a few years. Our two pseudoephedrine logs have been sitting in the same drawer since 2006. So, it is very easy for drug abusers to come in and purchase pseudoephedrine products more often. However, our pharmacy opted to discontinue the sale of Sudafed 24 Hour—the most commonly bought product intended for manufacturing methamphetamine due to its high dosage of pseudoephedrine. Suspicious drug abuses do not come in as much anymore, and the request for Sudafed 24 Hour has become very rare.

Regulations have been set by the government across the United States, but the system’s flaws have made it easy for methamphetamine producers to find a back door. Sales have slightly decreased, but what is the future of pseudoephedrine products? I will discuss this topic in my next and final blog entry.

Works Cited:

Drug Enforcement Administration. http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/brochures/pseudo/pseudo_notice.htm

United States Food and Drug Administration. <http://www.fda.gov/CDER/news/methamphetamine.htm>

Pseudoephedrine's Illegal Circulation

Pseudoephedrine is helpful in curing colds, but drug addicts and dealers have begun using it for illegal purposes. “Meth cooks are using sniffle pills to manufacture methamphetamine,” also known as meth (Roosevelt). Pills containing pseudoephedrine have been circulated into the drug market for use; it is the main ingredient in meth. “This new breed of lab,” as described by Drug Enforcement Administration agent Dennis Wichern, “is using pseudoephedrine that can be [easily] bought at retail stores.” He goes on to describe his surprise at the use of this over-the-counter drug in methamphetamine. Pseudoephedrine’s easy-access has helped contribute to the expansion and availability of methamphetamine in the illegal drug circuit.

Drug traffickers buy pseudoephedrine, but how is it processed in able to make illegal drugs? The “‘pseudo’ is extracted from the cold pills, and cooked with other chemicals like iodine and anhydrous ammonia…over high heat” (Jefferson). The resulting compound is methamphetamine. This recipe can be found in how-to articles circulating the Internet. The use of pseudoephedrine for the manufacturing of meth is becoming increasingly popular, so drug retailers have begun placing pseudoephedrine products behind the counter. Government laws have also been enacted in order to solve the escalating problem. These actions have been taken in order to lessen pseudoephedrine’s illegal uses. I will discuss the legal actions taken in my next blog entry.

Works Cited:

Jefferson, David J. “America’s Most Dangerous Drug.” Newsweek 8 Aug. 2005

Roosevelt, Margot. “The Cold-Pill Crackdown.” Time 30 Jan. 2005.

Wichern, Dennis. “The War on Meth.” Newsweek 31 Jul. 2005.