To The Editor:
Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is a common ingredient in cold and allergy medication that can be bought over-the-counter. It can also be used to manufacture meth, which concerns lawmakers.
Unfortunately, some of our lawmakers are not fully aware of the shortage of physicians in our state and by turning allergy medication into a prescription drug would only make everything worse. The Association of American Medical Colleges recently reported that physicians are drastically lower than what’s needed to ensure adequate treatment. A prescription requirement for PSE products would add another 23,000 doctor visits each year in our state, says Avalere Health who also studied the physician shortage.
As doctors face this growing concern, lawmakers are interested in turning over-the-counter cold and allergy medication into a prescription, which punishes responsible consumers. In addition, this measure is not friendly to our young people who are entering the workforce, because it places an unnecessary strain on their pocketbooks, requiring them to pay for expensive doctor’s visits for something as common as allergies. We need to maintain an environment that is conducive for our newly employed to establish and maintain financial stability.
Our legislators need to continue to enact strong and successful anti-meth legislation by catching criminals that make meth, not by punishing law-abiding citizens who purchase cold and allergy medicine to stay healthy.
Sincerely,
Mike Edwards
State Chairman, Oklahoma Federation of College Republicans
Chairman, Cleveland County Young Republicans
Disclaimer:
CapitolBeatOK welcomes letters to the editor. All submissions should be no more than 400 words and e-mailed to editor@capitolbeatok.com. Please include a contact phone number for verification purposes. All letters are subject to editing. Letters to the editor will remain posted for one week at the editor’s discretion.
CapitolBeatOK welcomes letters to the editor. All submissions should be no more than 400 words and e-mailed to editor@capitolbeatok.com. Please include a contact phone number for verification purposes. All letters are subject to editing. Letters to the editor will remain posted for one week at the editor’s discretion.