The manufacturing of methamphetamine is really getting out of hand due to the easy access of pseudoephedrine products. More drastic steps are being made concerning pseudoephedrine sales in order to combat the problem. There have been suggests made about “replacing the nasal decongestant pseudoephedrine (PDE) with phenylephrine (PE) as a means of controlling the illicit production of methamphetamine” (cat.inist). Extensive research has been done on this substitution; a lot of pharmaceutical researchers believed that this would be a great solution. However, phenylephrine has been found to be a poor substitute for pseudoephedrine in cold medicines. So, this has not turned out to be a successful solution to combating the abuse of pseudoephedrine products.
There have also been steps made to “modernize record keeping for the sale of over-the-counter pseudoephedrine products by replacing the current manual log with an electronic log...[There is] no central repository for the logs, so individuals could visit different pharmacies and retailers, thereby avoiding the limits set in statute” (Hawaii.gov). Pharmacies are beginning to log sales on a computer in order to network sales at different pharmacies through the Internet. This is having a significant effect on pseudoephedrine sales by cutting down its number of sales. Now, buyers of this product cannot as easily purchase pseudoephedrine. Methamphetamine manufacturers are having a more difficult time buying large amounts of the product; they can no longer drive around purchasing pseudoephedrine at every store in town.
Pseudoephedrine sales have been cut down drastically due to research and restrictions made for pharmacies. Through my research and experiences of working at a pharmacy, I have observed a drop in pseudoephedrine sales once the laws were properly enforced. I believe a majority of the abuse problem has come from pharmacies not enforcing the laws strictly. Loop holes for methamphetamine producers can easily be found when pharmacies do not choose to follow the rules. I also believe that even though pseudoephedrine sales have dropped, methamphetamine producers will always find a way to make the product. Thus, government needs to continue to develop and strictly enforce laws on pseudoephedrine sales.
Works Cited:
Cat.inist. <http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18488205>
Hawaii Government. <http://hawaii.gov/ltgov/news/releases/2008%20News%20Releases /june/governor-lingle-signs-bills-to-combat-illegal-drug>
Monday, December 1, 2008
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