As local pharmacists take their own stand against meth and won’t wait for the government to stop the meth makers, some are requiring a prescription for pseudoephedrine. The medicine is used as a main ingredient to make meth.
"I know most of my customers and the one's that I am losing, if it helps one child that's in the situation that is making meth than it is worth it,” says Inola Drug Owner Drew Turner.
He owns the only pharmacy in Inola and also owns Catoosa Family Pharmacy and Elliot Plaza Pharmacy in Pryor.
Beggs Pharmacy in Pryor is also on board. Turner tells FOX23 News the other independent pharmacy in Pryor, The Cross, wants to do the same. The spokesperson for The Cross tells FOX23 News since the mayor told him the proposed ordinance is expected to be approved within the next month, he will phase in a prescription for pseudoephedrine within 30 days. He says he is calling the doctors of patients that already take medication with pseudo in them so that he can have a script on hand for when the change is made, to make it easier on his customers.
FOX23’s Abbie Alford reports on an alternative pharmacist recommend you might purchase the next time you get a bad cold.
Claritin-D, Advil, generic store-brand pseudoephedrine, everyone has their own allergy or cold medication they stand by when they are not feeling good.
"A lot of people think when they buy this stuff, anti-histamines, decongestants it will somehow knock the cold out quicker. You are just treating the symptoms,” says Turner.
The pharmacist says there are plenty of options that don’t require a prescription and work just as well.
"I've taken decongestants like pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine and yes it will help for like three to four hours but when I use Afrin [nasal spray] I mean I can breath for like ten hours,” says Turner.
"Instead of throwing them a box of pseudoephedrine and let them go out the door we need to talk to people about those conditions anyway,” says Turner.
Since lawmakers failed to approve a similar bill that requires a script of nasal decongestant Claremore man David Starkey, Gelcapsstopmeth.com, has been on a crusade for cities to pass an ordinance requiring a prescription for the key ingredient to make meth but exclude gel tabs.
Turner's customers are in full support of his efforts to stop meth.
"If you don't like it you can go somewhere else,” says Inola resident Clint Russell.
The mayor of Pryor tells FOX23 News he has changed his proposed ordinance to include a prescription for all pseudoephedrine sales and not excludes gel tabs.
Since lawmakers failed to pass a similar law Holdenville, Choteau, Wagoner and McAlester have passed local ordinances requiring a script for pseudoephedrine that excludes gel tabs.
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBN) reports in December 2007 there were 87,456 pseudo sales, in December 2008-108,389,
(see attached table 2010 Green Country Pseudoephedrine Sales statistics from OBN including Catoosa, Inola, Coweta, Glenpool, Kellyville, Beggs)
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