PARKERSBURG - Delegate Tom Azinger, R-Wood, plans to make another attempt at seeking passage of a bill in the West Virginia Legislature that would require a prescription to purchase medications containing pseudoephedrine, one of the main ingredients in the manufacture of crystal methamphetamine.
Azinger talked about the problems caused by meth and its manufacture during Monday's weekly meeting of the Parkersburg Rotary Club at the Blennerhassett Hotel.
Azinger and the late House delegate Larry Border of Wood County worked during the 2011 legislative session on the proposed bill, which went on to defeat. Azinger wants to work again during the 2012 session to seek passage of the measure.
"I'm a strong proponent of it," he said of the pseudoephedrine bill. "There's a lot of support for it. Meth is the most addictive drug on the planet. Anything we can do to cut down on it or get rid of it, I'm for it," Azinger said.
The proposed bill would require a prescription for 15 common cold and allergy medications containing pseudoephedrine and other chemical precursors of methamphetamine.
It passed the House 77-23, but was defeated in the state Senate by a tie of 16-16 during the 2011 session.
Azinger said Border, a longtime pharmacist, composed the legislation and he and his family believed so strongly in the issue, his obituary in June spoke about his support for the bill and urged his fellow delegates to support it.
Azinger believes it is an issue of protecting residents from the devastating effects of meth addiction.
The two states with similar legislation saw a reduction in the number of meth labs reported, he said. In Portland, Ore., the number of meth lab busts dropped from 334 to 13 the following year, while Mississippi saw a 75 percent reduction in meth labs, Azinger said.
State Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha, attended Monday's Rotary meeting in support of Azinger's push for the bill.
A physician, Foster said pseudoephedrine is used in about 15 of the 100 or so cold medications available over the counter.
The bill would inconvenience a small number of people and there would be little if any increased costs to individuals or the system, Foster said.
