Senate Passes Cold Medicine Legislation

The Indiana Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would require Hoosiers with drug related offenses to obtain a prescription before purchasing cold and allergy medicine. The authors say it’s the next step in the fight to reduce methamphetamine production.

The bill calls for the state’s courts and police to update the electronic database pharmacies use to track sales of over-the-counter of cold and allergy medication – which are precursors in the production of meth.

Under the bill, anyone convicted of felony drug crimes will need a prescription before they can purchase pseudoephedrine or ephedrine. Republican Sen. Mike Young of Indianapolis says this will help law enforcement bottleneck the meth business. 

“I’m not making meth, so why should I be burdened? But the people who have been and have been convicted of it, we need to cut them off from buying it," Young said.

The bill passed 47-3. It now moves to the House.