Report: Arkansas House passes pharmacist-only PSE bill

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas House on Wednesday passed a bill that would restrict the behind-the-counter sale of pseudoephedrine to pharmacists only. In other words, pharmacy technicians no longer would be allowed to sell products containing PSE.

The measure by state Sen. Percy Malone passed 60-31, according to published reports.

The bill is a victory of sorts, as the Arkansas Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Tuesday spent several hours debating whether or not PSE should be sold only with a prescription, as proposed by a bill put forth by Rep. Marshall Wright, D-Ark., 51st District.

The bill also mandates that pharmacists are to decide whether the customer has a medical need for the drug.

According to reports, law enforcement was split on the issue — some suggested a prescription-only status would be a crucial tool to eliminate methamphetamine production. Others suggested the current state tracking system helped investigators identify potential meth cooks and addicts. A prescription requirement would eliminate that ability, they argued.

The bill goes to Gov. Mike Beebe.

Click here to check out what this PSE bill means for Arkansas.