Missouri bill seeks lower limit for cold medicine - WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and Radio

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri lawmaker wants to further limit the amount of a popular cold and allergy medicine people can buy each month but still allow most consumers to buy it without a prescription.

House Republican Stanley Cox, of Sedalia, has introduced legislation on sales of pseudoephedrine, a decongestant that's also a key ingredient in methamphetamine.

Missouri already caps purchases of medicines containing pseudoephedrine at 9 grams every 30 days. Stores have to keep the medicines behind counters and keep records of individual purchases.

The House bill would limit consumers to 7.5 grams of pseudoephedrine a month and 60 grams a year.

Cox says it's an alternative to requiring prescriptions for pseudoephedrine, although the bill would require prescriptions from people convicted of drug felonies. Many Missouri cities have enacted local prescription requirements.