In order to do that, the committee wants local pharmacists to consult with customers and determine their reasons for purchasing pseudoephedrine-based cold medicines, such as Sudafed, said Harry Webb, owner of Webb’s Family Pharmacy. Lawmakers, businesspersons, law enforcement and educators joined Webb to create the Fulton County Citizen Action Committee… The strategy is based off a 2011 Arkansas law that says pharmacists must make a “professional determination” of a patient’s medical need in order to sell the drugs…
Mississippi also passed a law in 2010 to require cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine be dispensed by prescription. The state’s reported meth labs dropped from 914 labs seized in 2010 to just two in 2014.
“The simple solution is just getting the pharmacists involved in the transaction to know the patient who’s asking for it and then to make a determination if they’re using it for a legitimate reason,” Webb said.
Webb said the committee has reached out to local pharmacies and received positive feedback, including CVS, Kroger, Wal-Mart and Walgreens. All of the stores will take action to start to legitimize sales in the county.
Pharmacists at Webb’s two Fulton County stores already restrict sales of drugs such as Sudafed to only regular pharmacy customers.
All Things Chronic 