Sudafed Police: Nanny State Happenings

The New York Times reports:

Faced with a surging methamphetamine problem, a number of states are weighing contentious bills this spring that would require a doctor’s prescription for popular decongestants like Sudafed.

The drugs contain pseudoephedrine, the crucial ingredient in methamphetamine, and the police say past efforts to keep them out of the hands of meth cooks have failed. Here in Tennessee, the police seized nearly 2,100 meth labs last year — a 45 percent increase over 2009 and more than any other state.

“It’s a no-brainer,” said Thomas N. Farmer, director of the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force, who is pushing for a prescription-only law along with most other law enforcement officials here. “This has got to be the next step.”

But the proposals have met with stiff resistance from drug makers and pharmacy groups, who say the measures would place an undue burden on cold and allergy sufferers. They are promoting other bills that would help the police monitor pseudoephedrine sales with interstate electronic tracking.

The Nanny State could cost you more money.