Reposted from RightMichigan.com
Think of the children.
For Real. I am saying this.
When daddy or mommy are considering whether or not to go grab a bottle of Triminic, Flintstones gravel throat annihilator, or one of the wildly popular alternatives to give a some relief to little Suzie with the runny nose and scratchy pipes, the last thing they should have to concern themselves with is an appointment with the family doctor. A $7 bottle of cold medication that if Michigan state representative Matt Lori has his way could cost another $60-$100.
“No Suzie.. Suck it up, and take it like a man”
Lori, a Republican from Constantine wants to essentially move the counter of pharmacies out into the aisle a few more feet by making cold medicines which are now considered OTC (over the counter) “prescription only.”
“Lori, a former St. Joseph County sheriff, said he was prompted to seek the change because he is fed up with the massive cost to taxpayers methamphetamine has brought to Michigan.”
“Fed up with the cost … “When I saw this I about needed a big ol bottle of unbranded snot killer myself to deal with a minor choking issue.
Seriously Matt. Think long and hard about what you are proposing. Make this article inaccurate by reconsidering the costs you would be bringing to families that just want a little relief from their kid’s sneezing attacks or coughing. Parents would be fed up with the costs the first time they face this issue.
There may be some different answers, but this isn’t it. So I did some looking through Google
I found that:
Apparently Michigan is not alone with law enforcement types (Lori is a former ‘law enforcement type’) advocating this type of legislation.
Two months ago, Gallagher testified in front of the House Committee on Public Health in favor an alternative bill — one that would have required a doctor’s prescription to obtain pseudoephedrine, a common cold-medicine ingredient that’s also a key ingredient in meth.
This alternative bill described, is one that Lori apparently proposes.
That bill, which was also supported by state police and the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, failed to make it out of committee. A similar version also died in the Senate.
Alternative to the tracking plan proposed that is done at a point of sale:
Twelve states have passed laws to require retailers and pharmacists to use real-time statewide electronic sales systems that can block illegal pseudoephedrine (PSE) purchases and allow law enforcement to track down meth cooks. These systems process PSE sales much like a credit card transaction, declining sales that would put a purchaser over the legal limit, no matter where a previous purchase was made within the state.
Judging by the numbers, I swear it must be tough to be a cop and consider oneself truly conservative.
Bottom line is that this is all a bunch of garbage. There are bad guys out there that will take advantage of whatever is on the shelf at the local drugstore, 7-11, or sip-n-sav. If we keep allowing ourselves to be jockeyed around for our own safety, and played in a way that causes undue hardship then maybe we deserve what these guys put before us legislatively.
A properly managed tracking system would avoid the troubles of having to call the doc’s office, go get a prescription, and face the pitfalls of a new reality in health care.
Little Suzie just wants relief, not an answer to poor enforcement of drug controls.
