By Lori EhdeEffective July 1, a new Minnesota law will restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine products.Because pseudoephedrine is a primary ingredient for producing methamphetamines, lawmakers and the pharmaceutical industry are hoping the restriction will serve as a deterrent in meth production.According to the law, oNo more than two packages or six total grams of pseudoephedrine products can be sold in a single over-the-counter transaction.oPackages must not contain more than a total of three grams of one or more of these meth precursor drugs.oNon-liquid products must be sold in blister packs, where each blister contains no more than two dosage units.The new law requires that stores display these products behind a check-out counter where the public is not permitted, and it must be offered for sale by a licensed pharmacist, registered technician or a pharmacy clerk.The buyer must:oProvide a photo identification showing date of birth. (The purchaser must be 18 years old or older.)oSign a written or electronic document detailing the date of the sale, name of the buyer and the amount of the drug sold. (A prescription is not needed.)Sales are limited to six grams of a precursor product in a 30-day period.Lewis Family Drug chief pharmacist Craig Hohn said he’s pleased with the legislation."I really think it’s a positive," he said. "For our customer service staff, it will eliminate the theft potential, and it will eliminate problems at the counter. There have always been the what-ifs about whether or not we should be selling pseudoephedrines to certain individuals. It will take the guesswork out of that part of it."Hohn said it will put additional responsibilities on the pharmacy staff, but he doesn’t anticipate problems."It will be a matter of us retraining the customers. There will be signage directing them to pharmacy for those products, and there will be some education about how much and how often they can buy it."Considering initial legislation had restricted all products containing pseudoephedrine, Hohn said he’s pleased that some products will still be available on retail shelves."That would have really restricted access, especially in rural communities where pharmacies aren’t open late or on weekends," Hohn said."Now you can still walk into a store after hours and pick up a cold product for your child."The new law doesn’t apply to pediatric products, products in gel capsules or liquid form or to products where pseudoephedrine constitutes less than one percent of its total weight.
