With over 20 years of incrementally strict regulation of pseudoephedrine failing to prevent meth usage, states are again ratcheting up the regulatory burden, because, you know, this time it will work. I recently wrote about an Oregon district attorney who was calling on states to require prescriptions for over-the-counter allergy medicine containing pseudoephedrine, and now Missouri is heeding the call:
The Missouri governor and attorney general want to make Missouri the third state to require a doctor’s prescription to buy cold and allergy medicines that can be used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine.
Gov. Jay Nixon and Attorney General Chris Koster announced their support on Tuesday for legislation imposing a prescription mandate on medicines containing pseudoephedrine, which is sold under brands such as Sudafed,Claritin-D and Aleve Cold & Sinus.
Missouri for years has led the nation in busts of methamphetamine labs, even while enacting increasingly stricter laws.
This is an attempt to transfer welfare from allergy sufferers to meth addicts and their families. Unfortunately, I predict it will largely result in a permanent destruction of welfare for the former, and, at best, a temporary increase for the latter.
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Thursday ~ December 2nd, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Dominic Pazzula
Are there any hard data on how many metho labs actually get their pseudoephedrine in a retail store in the US? Broken down by state?
My hypothesis is that there is a large black market for pseudoephedrine coming in from offshore drug stores or even drug companies.
Thursday ~ December 2nd, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Niklas Blanchard
I’m sure the 16% (as of 2008) uninsured in Missouri are going to love the increased marginal cost, though. Not to mention people in general.
I wonder what will happen to meth prices and quality, though. Due to importation it could not move at all — which makes this law useless. On the other hand, price could rise while quality drops — which makes this law severely detrimental.
So at best, this law has nothing but negative marginal effects.
Saturday ~ December 4th, 2010 at 11:39 am
The war on allergy medicine continues… Part II « Modeled Behavior
[...] I last covered the war on allergy medicine, a D.A. from Oregon was writing in the New York Times telling us we need to make allergy medicines with pseudoephedrine require a [...]
Saturday ~ December 4th, 2010 at 11:39 am
The war on allergy medicine continues… Part II « Modeled Behavior
[...] on drugs | by Adam Ozimek When I last covered the war on allergy medicine, a D.A. from Oregon was writing in the New York Times telling us we need to make allergy medicines with pseudoephedrine require a [...]