Stop Meth! Make Pseudoephedrine Prescription-only in West Virginia.

In January of this year, West Virginia lawmakers chose to implement a pseudoephedrine (PSE) tracking system known as the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) used to log sales in 25 states. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) were the underwriters who recommended the system that was intended to be a solution to the rising meth epidemic in the mountain state. 

Surprisingly last year, CHPA spent more than any other health care organization to date on lobbyists. They spent their money to defeat bills that would make pseudeophdrine prescription-only. 

NPLEx is supposed to block customers from buying pseudoephedrine once they reach the limit set by state law. Police can also access this real-time sales database to look for suspicious purchases. 

However, West Virginia State Police report this system doesn't work because meth cooks are paying other people to buy pseudoephedrine or they use fake ID's to make illegal purchases. They call people who make illegal PSE purchases for meth cooks, Smurfs. No labs have been busted due to the NPLEx system and only 2 criminals have been detained. 

By June, over 236,000 boxes of pseudoephedrine were sold here in WV. Most sales occurred in Kanawha County. 

 At the current pace West Virginia will see a record breaking number of meth lab busts this year, so far over 332 have been reported. Almost double what was reported last year. Kanawha County currently sets the highest record for number of busts at over 100. St. Albans and Sissonsville are fighting for the #1 meth town. Once great little towns to live in people are now leaving in droves. Streets are littered with boarded up contaminated houses waiting to be cleaned or condemned for demolition.  

I would know because I once lived in an apartment building on Main Street in St. Albans and was rendered homeless due to my neighbors meth lab. My family and I were left out on the street and simply told to find someplace to go. We left that day with nothing but the clothes on our backs. 

Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is the one irreplaceable ingredient, used to make meth. PSE is not an asthma or allergy medication. It is a nasal decongestant. A cold medication. Colds only last 3 to 5 days and do not require a doctor visit. WV cannot afford to continue allowing drug lobbyists to keep meth cooks in business. The health of our state is declining due to the meth epidemic.

But for drug lobbyists it comes down to money. Millions of dollars in annual sales they don't want to lose in West Virginia. Our Attorney General Patrick Morrisey should understand this better than anyone since he formerly worked as a Washington lobbyist for a billion-dollar medical industry. 

Contact Governor Earl Ray Tomblin Office Telephone: (304) 558-2000 or 1-888-438-2731 tell him to support a Prescription-only Pseudoephedrine Bill. Oregon and Mississippi have also adopted this bill and it has been proven to work dramatically reducing crime and eliminating meth labs almost 100%i! You can't argue with success rates like that! 

The money WV could save cleaning up meth labs, meth dumps, fostering meth orphans and decontaminating our towns could be used for rebuilding and creating jobs! Stop the PSE gravy train!  Help make West Virginia safe for families to live and work again.