The state Senate appears poised to
approve one of the most talked about bills of this legislative session. A
final vote is scheduled Tuesday on the measure aimed at cutting down on meth
labs.
The most controversial part of the
bill is a provision that would require a doctor’s prescription to obtain cold
medicines that contain pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in making meth.
Senators turned down two proposed
amendments to the bill Monday while debating the pros and cons of the
legislation for more than an hour.
Senators said they know there is
opposition to the plan from both the pharmaceutical lobby and state residents
who don’t want to have to go to a doctor’s office to get a prescription for
medicine like Claritin D or Sudafed. But Logan County Sen. Art Kirkendoll said
lawmakers are being negligent if they don’t act.
“We already know what we are doing
is not working, how can we be like that?”
Currently, sales of medications
containing pseudoephedrine in West
Virginia
The Senate floor session begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday if the bill
passes it will be forwarded to the House of Delegates.
