WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and RadioProposed law in Missouri to fight meth by limiting cold pills purchases

MARION COUNTY, Mo. (WGEM) --Newly proposed legislation targeting meth makers in Missouri would limit the amount of cold medicine you can buy. That's because pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in cold medication, is also the main ingredient for meth.

Right now the limit is 9 grams per month of medication containing pseudoephedrine. Some lawmakers want to cut that to 7.5 grams. Their hope is to make pseudoephedrine more difficult for meth makers to get ahold of.

Law enforcement in Missouri can already track how much pseudoephedrine a person buys.

That is to make sure people aren't buying it in illegal quantities.

"We are out following up on it on a daily basis, checking our logs at different pharmacies, grocery stores, Wal-Mart, things of that nature where you can buy pseudoephedrine," said Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Shinn.

But still, the Marion County Sheriff's Office deals with meth cases every day that use pseudoephedrine as the main ingredient.

To get more than the 9 gram monthly limit, meth makers recruit family and friends to buy boxes of pseudoephedrine for them.

Some lawmakers say cutting the limit to 7.5 grams would help curb the drug problem, without impacting the honest citizen.

"If someone would have a serious cold you wouldn't take nine grams of pseudoephedrine so that is plenty for the normal citizen that would need it for a cold," said Sheriff Shinn.

Last year, the Missouri House passed a bill that would have required a prescription for anyone to buy pseudoephedrine but that didn't pass the Senate.

Lawmakers hope this one will.

"I do approve of them regulating it but not making you have to go to the doctor and get it. It would be expensive for me to pay the doctor's visit and then go pay for the prescription," said Missouri resident Lisa White.

"You don't need just to be able to walk in and get there are too many kids getting it," said Missouri resident Bill Cooperider.

The new bill has not yet been referred to a committee, it should be by next week.

At that point, a public hearing will be scheduled.

State Reps. Stanley Cox, R-Sedalia and Chris Carter, D-St. Louis introduced the legislation. Meth Bill HB1328 also:

-Creates a prescription only restriction for PSE products for anyone with a drug related criminal record

-Allows a pharmacist to deny the sale of PSE products at their discretion

-Reduces the allowable annual purchase limit of products containing PSE from 108g to 75g, including purchases in other states.