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Oregon Lawmakers To Vote On Pseudoephedrine Measure

David Steves
/
Earthfix

The Oregon House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a bill that would make it easier to buy certain cold medicines without a prescription.

  

Pseudoephedrine is an ingredient found in many popular medications used by people with allergies. It can also be used to manufacture meth, which is why in 2005, Oregon lawmakers decided to require a prescription to buy pseudoephedrine products. Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer, said only one other state followed suit, and that state recently changed course. 

“Mississippi just passed the exact same legislation as this, which then makes Oregon the last state in the nation to require a prescription for a common cold and allergy medication,” he said during public testimony earlier this month.

Even though House Bill 2648 would waive the requirement for a prescription, the product would be kept behind the counter and purchases would be entered into a national database to ensure that someone can’t buy large quantities by going from store to store, or state to state.

 
Attempts to pass similar legislation in previous sessions have been unsuccessful. 

Chris Lehman has been reporting on Oregon issues since 2006. He joined the KLCC news department in December 2018 and became News Director in March 2023. Chris was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. His public broadcasting career includes stops in Louisiana and Illinois. Chris has filed for national programs including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”
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