INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosiers soon may have some difficulty buying most types of cold medicine, but state lawmakers believe the hassle is worth it to reduce the availability of a key ingredient in methamphetamine.
The Legislature is putting the finishing touches on Senate Bill 80 before sending it to Gov. Mike Pence for his signature or veto.
The measure authorizes pharmacists to determine, through review of customer records and in-person consultation, whether purchasers of over-the-counter medicines containing pseudoephedrine have a legitimate need for the product.
A pharmacist who suspects the buyer may use the medicine to manufacture meth would be permitted to deny the sale and is protected from civil liability arising from that denial.
The legislation was sponsored by state Sens. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, Earline Rogers, D-Gary; and state Reps. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, and Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso.
Indiana leads the nation in meth lab discoveries, accounting for nearly 16 percent of the U.S. total in 2014, despite comprising only 2 percent of the country's population, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.
A related proposal,
House Bill 1157, would prohibit any person convicted of a felony involving meth from ever purchasing drugs containing pseudoephedrine without a prescription. It was sponsored by state Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, and Randolph.
Other proposed new laws expected to soon advance to the governor's desk include:
Work zones — Senate Bill 248, sponsored by state Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, and Soliday, automatically suspends for 60 days the driver's license of a motorist caught speeding through a work zone twice in one year, in addition to any other fines, suspensions or penalties imposed on the driver.
Police dogs — House Enrolled Act 1374 allows the cremated remains of a police dog or service animal to be interred or scattered in or near the grave of the animal's deceased owner. It was sponsored by state Reps. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte; state Sens. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, Jim Arnold, D-LaPorte, Lawson and Randolph.
School water — Senate Bill 93, sponsored by state Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond, state Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, Rogers and Randolph, mandates every Indiana school have a safe, drinkable water supply. It also requires biennial testing of school building water for excessive lead contamination.
Disability support — Senate Bill 11, sponsored by state Reps. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, Bill Fine, R-Munster, Charbonneau and Randolph, creates the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program allowing individuals to contribute to tax-exempt savings accounts for the medical needs of disabled Hoosiers.