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House panel passes pharmacist discretion bill

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Pharmacists are one step closer to gaining the authority to require a prescription for certain cold medicines as the Indiana House explores proposals to undermine methamphetamine cooks.

With no opposition, the measure passed the House Public Health Committee on Wednesday.

The bill is a stripped-down version of a prescription-only mandate for pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient for meth production. Under the revised proposal, people who have rapport with pharmacies will be able to buy pseudoephedrine medicine.

For those who the pharmacy is not familiar with, pharmacists may recommend tamper-resistant products or a limited amount of pseudoephedrine. If a customer refuses both of those options, the pharmacists can request a proof of prescription.

The committee also passed a bill to ban drug offenders from buying pseudoephedrine medicine without a prescription.