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Bill would require prescription for cold meds

PEORIA - Legislation proposed by a state senator would require anyone with a cold to get a doctor's prescription to buy medicine containing pseudoephedrine.

The bill, sponsored by Peoria Democrat Sen. Dave Koehler, would impact any cold and flu drug with pseudoephedrine, a necessary ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamine, according to a report by The (Peoria) Journal-Star.

State law already requires any drug containing pseudoephedrine to be kept behind pharmacy counters. Stores record the IDs of people who buy the medicine and there are limits on how much can be purchased.

"We think it's going to be a game changer in Illinois for meth," said Pekin police Chief Greg Nelson. "Pseudoephedrine is the only required ingredient to make meth."

Two other states - Oregon and Mississippi - require prescriptions for the medicine.

But the proposal is expected to face resistance in Illinois, especially from drug manufacturers and retailers, officials said.

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