From Reason.com (h/t Radley Balko's excellent The Agitator), the latest update on the policy issue that was recently voted "Policy Issue Most Likely To Turn Bearing Blog Into A Flaming Libertarian Site Devoted to Deregulation:"
The Wall Street Journal reports that "a nationwide resurgence in illegal methamphetamine labs" has caused state and federal legislators to re-examine the effectiveness of the Sudafed crackdown. They plan to do what prohibitionists always do in the face of failure: double down—in this case by requiring prescriptions for a cheap, safe, effective decongestant that not long ago was readily available in convenience stores across the land. That requirement will force doctors to police Americans' pseudoephedrine consumption…
Yes, you heard it: the feds (and some states; Oregon's already done it) want to turn Sudafed into a prescription-only drug, not because of safety concerns, but because making it difficult for us to get it has not worked to stop methamphetamine production, and even less to stop methamphetamine use.
Leaving aside the ridiculously bad timing of such an endeavor (we already spend HOW MUCH on health care? And you want to turn an effective self-treatment option, a well-beloved one measured in the dollars spent on pseudoephedrine every year, into one that requires a doctor's visit? Perhaps an emergency room visit, for the uninsured?)….
…aw, what the hell, I've ranted about this before, here's my post from 2007 about the stupid guidelines on children's "cold medications" that don't distinguish among the several different compounds commonly sold as "cold medications."
And can I just add to the comments on the Reason website…
"have you ever tried to breastfeed a baby who has a terrible head cold and can't breathe through her nose? It's awful. Bleeding awful, both for you and the baby. An effective decongestant can mean the difference between a sick baby who can't easily take in her only source of fluid and nutrition, and a baby who can do it easily. Believe me, saline spray does NOT do the trick.
(disclaimer: nursing mothers should be cautious taking decongestants because of anecdotal evidence that in some women it compromises milk supply)"
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