Teh One Who Knocks
09-21-2011, 06:26 PM
By Peter Smith | Old Dominion Watchdog
ALEXANDRIA — Virginia lawmakers on a Crime Commission Panel came out against a plan aimed at curbing meth-use that could have Virginians with too much allergy medication in their medicine cabinets facing stiffer penalties than those who possess “date rape” drugs.
A proposed law, sponsored by state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Martinsville, would re-classify household allergy medicines, such as Claritin-D and Sudafed, as Schedule III controlled substances — on par with addictive painkillers, such as Vicodin, and one step above Rohypnol, a powerful sleeping pill sometimes used by rapists to knock out their victims.
Roscoe’s law aims to crack down on those who use pseudoephedrine in allergy medications to cook up methamphetamine, or meth. The proposed classification would move the nasal decongestants behind the counter, available only to those with a prescription from a doctor.
Lawmakers on the panel greeted Reynolds’ proposal with skepticism.
“I certainly have some concerns, reservations about making a drug, that is this common and has none of the other characteristics of prescription drugs, prescription,” said Delegate Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, who chairs the commission.
The Crime Commission Panel instead is looking at ways to monitor sales of the allergy medication electronically to help law enforcement battle local meth cooks.
The Commission expressed interest in the National Precursor Log Exchange, or NPLEx, an electronic tracking system used in states with long histories of meth abuse, such as Tennessee and Indiana. The system tracks the sale of Sudafed and other allergy medicines using bar codes and a nationwide purchaser database.
The only inconvenience to the customer would be handing over identification to a store clerk, who would then enter his information into the log. The service is provided free to state governments that pass laws cracking down on methamphetamine use and distribution.
ALEXANDRIA — Virginia lawmakers on a Crime Commission Panel came out against a plan aimed at curbing meth-use that could have Virginians with too much allergy medication in their medicine cabinets facing stiffer penalties than those who possess “date rape” drugs.
A proposed law, sponsored by state Sen. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Martinsville, would re-classify household allergy medicines, such as Claritin-D and Sudafed, as Schedule III controlled substances — on par with addictive painkillers, such as Vicodin, and one step above Rohypnol, a powerful sleeping pill sometimes used by rapists to knock out their victims.
Roscoe’s law aims to crack down on those who use pseudoephedrine in allergy medications to cook up methamphetamine, or meth. The proposed classification would move the nasal decongestants behind the counter, available only to those with a prescription from a doctor.
Lawmakers on the panel greeted Reynolds’ proposal with skepticism.
“I certainly have some concerns, reservations about making a drug, that is this common and has none of the other characteristics of prescription drugs, prescription,” said Delegate Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, who chairs the commission.
The Crime Commission Panel instead is looking at ways to monitor sales of the allergy medication electronically to help law enforcement battle local meth cooks.
The Commission expressed interest in the National Precursor Log Exchange, or NPLEx, an electronic tracking system used in states with long histories of meth abuse, such as Tennessee and Indiana. The system tracks the sale of Sudafed and other allergy medicines using bar codes and a nationwide purchaser database.
The only inconvenience to the customer would be handing over identification to a store clerk, who would then enter his information into the log. The service is provided free to state governments that pass laws cracking down on methamphetamine use and distribution.