Efforts to Reduce Pseudoephedrine Abuse Pseudoephedrine (PSE) is found in common cold, non-prescription medications. This ingredient has been used as part of the process for making methamphetamine (meth). PSE was easily obtained until a law was passed to control how obtainable it is. Although this law has caused PSE to be harder to obtain, it does not make it difficult to obtain resulting in meth still being created easily. There is a need to federally regulate the obtainability of PSE such as making it a prescription drug. Legal Efforts Towards Reducing PSE PSE is easily obtained through non-prescription methods but laws have been put into place to control how obtainable it is. Menon and Penn (2013) state that laws have been put into place to control PSE obtainability due to it easily being used to as an ingredient in the production of meth. Currently there are statutes and ordinances at federal, state, and local levels to limit access to PSE (Menon & Penn, 2013). Federally congress created the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA) (Menon & Penn, 2013). This act limits the sales of PSE containing products by placing them behind the counter at pharmacies (Menon & Penn, 2013). If a person were to want to obtain a non-prescription medication for a cold, he or she would still have to go to the pharmacy to obtain it. The CMEA sets limits both daily and during a 30-day period on amounts that can be purchased, requires customers to present photo identification, and requires sellers to maintain a logbook of sales and customer information (Menon & Penn, 2013). Freeman and Talbert (2012) state that logbooks must be kept for at least two years and record the time and date of sale, the name and quantity of product sold as we... ... middle of paper ... ... in the making and abuse of meth. Although if these laws and regulations did not exist, there could be a bigger epidemic of meth because it would be easier to obtain PSE and make meth. Works Cited Maxwell, J.C. & Brecht, M. (2011). Methamphetamine: Here We Go Again?. Addictive Behaviors, 36, 1168-1173. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3243901/ McKetin, R., Sutherland, R., Bright, D., & Norberg, M. A Systematic Review of Methamphetamine Precursor Regulations. Addiction, 6, 1911-1924. DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03582.x Menon, A., & Penn, M. (2013). Pseudoephedrine: Legal efforts to make it a prescription-only drug. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/phlp/docs/pseudo-brief112013.pdf Stomberg, C., & Sharma, A. (2012). Making cold medicine rx only did not reduce meth use. Retrieved from http://cascadepolicy.org/pdf/pub/Oregon_Meth_Law.pdf
Ephedrine is an over the counter herbal stimulant stemmed from the Chinese plant ma huang. The Chinese discovered this stimulant over two thousand years ago for the purpose of treating asthma, cold and flu symptoms, chills, lack of perspiration, headache, and edema. Ephedrine is presently found in herbal stimulants, prescription cold and flu remedies, and asthmatic aid products. Because it is a stimulant, ephedrine motivates thermogenesis in the body. This effect results in speeding up the heart rate causing the metabolism to expedite. Due to this increased metabolism, ephedrine can also be used as a weight loss supplement http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/ephedrine-final.htm
Various pharmaceutical companies are resisting the changes by lobbying against the legislation that requires a prescription. This was the second most disturbing part of the video to me because these companies care far more about money and profits than the wellbeing and safety of the American people. This documentary offers a plan of action to take in reducing the number of meth-related crimes and incidents in the United States. Other states should follow Oregon’s model by making legislation that requires.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, methamphetamine, or meth as it is often referred to, is considered the fastest-growing illicit drug in the United States. The consequences of usage are detrimental to families and employers, not to mention the increasing law enforcement burden of having to find and disband labs making it illegally. (CDC, 2005) Aside from the far-reaching implications of methamphetamine use on these entities, this paper explores the effect methamphetamine has on the structure and function of the human brain.
Brecher, Edward M. (1972) Licit and Illicit Drugs; The Consumers Union Report on narcotics, stimulants, depressants, inhalants, Hallucinogens, and marijuana- including caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. New York, 291-390
Drugs and Behavior, Rebecca Schilit and Edith Lisansky Gomberg, Page 62, SAGE Publications, Inc.- 1991
Drug use and abuse is as old as mankind itself. Human beings have always had a desire to eat or drink substances that make them feel relaxed, stimulated, or euphoric. Wine was used at least from the time of the early Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and medicinal use of marijuana has been dated to 2737 B.C. in China. But it was not until the nineteenth century that the active substances in drugs were extracted. There was a time in history when some of these newly discovered substances, such as morphine, laudanum, cocaine, were completely unregulated and prescribed freely by physicians for a wide variety of ailments.
“Meth, not even once” is a popular phrase that is associated with this drug. This drug has many known horrible effects associated with it, plus many effects more I am sure are going to be discovered over time. I am intending to cover the history, effects, the different categories of meth abuse, and the withdrawal effects of Methamphetamine in this paper, and what to do if you suspect someone you know is using meth.
Inciardi, Dr. James A., A Corrections-Based Continuum of Effective Drug Abuse Treatment. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Avialable: http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/contdrug.txt
Illicit drug use and the debate surrounding the various legal options available to the government in an effort to curtail it is nothing new to America. Since the enactment of the Harrison Narcotic Act in 1914 (Erowid) the public has struggled with how to effectively deal with this phenomena, from catching individual users to deciding what to do with those who are convicted (DEA). Complicating the issue further is the ever-expanding list of substances available for abuse. Some are concocted in basements or bathtubs by drug addicts themselves, some in the labs of multinational pharmaceutical companies, and still others are just old compounds waiting for society to discover them.
The legal prohibition on most psychoactive drugs has been in place in this country for the better part of a century. This policy of prohibition, however, has never been based on reason or careful consideration, but on the paranoia of a small segment of society and the indifferent willingness of the majority to accept this vocal minority’s claims without question. Outlawing any use of a particular drug is a violation of the basic freedom of individuals to act as they please in their private lives. However, even if one does not accept this belief, an objective analysis of the United States’ history of prohibition clearly shows that attempts to enforce this policy have done far more harm than good, and have utterly failed to control behavior in the intended manner.
“Office of National Drug Control Policy.” The White House. USA, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. .
"How Meth Destroys the Body." PBS.org. The Public Broadcasting Station, 17 May 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Everitt, B. Robbins, T. (1999) Drug addiction: bad habits add up. Macmillian Magazines, volume 389, pg 567-570.
For nearly 85 years, the government has prohibited pscychoactive drugs. American leaders attempted to do the same to alcohol with Prohibition in the 1920?s. In any society, drug use plays a part in the people?s culture. Whether it be a native taking hallucinogens for a religious ceremony, a destitute alcoholic drinking on a city street, or a group of teenagers smoking marijuana, drugs and alcohol have the same effects in any culture. The question of ?why do people use drugs? has been a dilemma which American medical experts and government leaders have fought to answer for years. Recently, many institutions and organizations have formed in order to fight the war on drugs and help diminish the percent of Americans who use dangerous drugs and excessive amounts of alcohol.
Office of the National Drug Control Policy. "National Survey on Drug Use and Health." May 2008. Print. 26 March 2014.