Iowa bill to track meds purchases passes House

DES MOINES, Iowa House File 2265, which would create an electronic system to track the purchase of products containing pseudoephedrine, passed the Iowa House on Monday and has been forwarded to that state’s Senate.

If the bill passes, retailers would be obligated to use the electronic system to instantly check the photo identification of people buying PSE-containing cough and cold products. The system would prevent the practice of “smurfing,” by which drug abusers in search of PSE products acquire the maximum amount of product they can buy at one store, only to buy more at another store down the road.

According to a report in the Des Moines Register, House File 2265 would set up a pseudoephedrine advisory council to help the Iowa Board of Pharmacy implement an electronic monitoring system.

The local daily also noted that the proposal does not allocate money to help the state set up the system, a cost estimated at around $230,000. In addition, depending upon what type of system is ultimately adopted, retailers could be charged a fee of as much as 10 cents per transaction and also be obligated to purchase a $900 device per store to scan identification cards, the paper added.