Oklahoma restricts purchase of cold pills

updated 7:11 p.m. ET April 7, 2004

OKLAHOMA CITY - Gov. Brad Henry signed legislation Wednesday to ban some sales of several popular cold remedies used to make methamphetamine, barring the drugs from stores other than pharmacies.

The governor, surrounded by police and the families of three state troopers killed during meth investigations, said the law will reduce addictions and “the risk of law enforcement officers who endanger their lives every time they stop someone for speeding or walk into a house to dismantle a lab.”

The law bans retail-store sales of cold tablets containing pseudoephedrine, frequently found in decongestants. Those tablets, including brands such as Sudafed and Claritin-D, will be available in pharmacies but only to customers who present photo identification and sign for the medicine.

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Pseudoephedrine in gelatin capsules and liquid form will still be sold in stores because they cannot be used to make meth.

Other states, including Missouri and Iowa, have passed bills to restrict grocery and discount-store sales of pseudoephedrine products, including requiring them to be placed behind the counter or within sight of clerks.

But Oklahoma lawmakers believe they are the first to adopt such broad restrictions on sales.

Meth can be made with household ingredients using recipes widely available on the Internet. Authorities blame the ease of concocting the drug for increasing the number of meth labs confiscated by Oklahoma police from a handful a decade ago to 1,300 last year.

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