The Colorado Senate is now considering a bill that would make all drugs containing pseudo ephedrine unavailable over the counter. Currently, some restrictions on the sale and purchase of this drug already exist – including a minimum age for purchase, and a limit on the amount of the drug an individual can purchase.

Drugs containing pseudo ephedrine are sought after as precursors for the manufacture of methamphetamine.  While this drug is typically available in drugs aiming to address cold and flu symptoms, it can be used to create the highly addictive drug.

The Bill aims to restrict the ability of methamphetamine “cooks” to manufacture the drug.  However, it could also have the effect of making it more difficult for some in need of pseudo ephedrine for legal purposes to obtain the drug – given that they would need a prescription.

Opponents to the bill have argued that a more effective means of targeting the cooks would be to create a statewide database tracking pseudo ephedrine purchases.