LANSING (WKZO) — Senator Margaret O’Brien has introduced legislation that would make it a crime for anyone to solicit someone else to buy Psuedophedrine for the purposes of making meth.
It’s the next baby step in the ongoing effort to make it tougher to acquire one of the key ingredients of the illicit homemade drug.
O’Brien says “Meth production is positive for no one and ruins lives and families. I applaud the bipartisan efforts to protect lives as meth production is a serious issue in my community.”
Legislators have already enacted registries to limit how much of the cold medicine people can buy, and put it behind counters to restrict access and theft of the drug.
It’s even a crime if you get caught smurfing, that’s organizing a group to go out and buy quantities of ephedrine based medications.
Oregon and Mississippi have dramatically reduced, and nearly eliminated their meth problems by requiring that drugs containing pseudoephedrine be sold by prescription only.
Such proposals are fought by drug lobbyists because it would hurt sales.
Police agencies say until they make the raw material inaccessible, or change the formula so that it can no longer be used to make meth, the problem will persist.
O’Brien’s bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.
