CHPA: Missouri voters oppose any proposal of a PSE prescription requirement

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Wednesday released the results of a recent poll of Missouri voters conducted by GS Strategy Group and supported by CHPA that found a clear majority of state residents oppose proposed legislation that would require a prescription for the purchase of pseudoephedrine. As many as 64% of respondents oppose the measure, and nearly 75% of respondents said it would at least be somewhat of an inconvenience to have to obtain a doctor's prescription before buying those medicines.

"This survey provides strong evidence that the vast majority of Missouri consumers prefer effective solutions to the meth problem that don't force law-abiding citizens to obtain a doctor's prescription for popular nonprescription medicines," stated Carlos Gutierrez, senior director and head of government affairs for CHPA. "During the current legislative session, it is likely that some Missouri lawmakers will once again push for a prescription requirement for popular cold and allergy medicines. The public, however, clearly favors more balanced policy solutions."

Gutierrez noted that Sen. David Sater (R-Mo.) and state Rep. Stanley Cox (R-Mo.) have introduced measures that would focus squarely on meth criminals. "One of the ideas advanced by Sen. Sater and Rep. Cox is the implementation of a meth-offender block list that would bar individuals convicted of drug felonies from purchasing pseudoephedrine-based cold and allergy medicines," he said. "Oklahoma adopted a meth-offender block list in 2012 and has experienced a 50% drop in meth-lab incidents since then."