drdĒv
03-31-2007, 02:32 AM
Committee approves bill to help restrict drug found in cough medicines
A state Senate committee has approved a bill directing state health agencies to work with retailers to implement a program of voluntary restrictions on the sale of medications containing dextromethorphan.
A stronger version banning the sale of the substance known as D-X-M to anyone under age 18 passed a Senate committee earlier in the session. D-X-M is found in many common cough medicines.
Republican Senator Ron Justice of Chickasha says every major retail association has contacted him and expressed support for voluntary restrictions, as opposed to a ban on sales.
Officials say when taken in high dosages, dextromethorphan acts as a powerful hallucinogen that caused 12-thousand-584 emergency visits in the United States in 2004.
The Oklahoma Poison Control Center says D-X-M abuse is on the rise in Oklahoma. Last year, 14-point-7 percent of all reported intentional substance-abuse cases in Oklahoma were linked to D-X-M, compared to 11-point-6 percent in 2005.
The bill's next stop is on the Senate floor.
http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6306195
A state Senate committee has approved a bill directing state health agencies to work with retailers to implement a program of voluntary restrictions on the sale of medications containing dextromethorphan.
A stronger version banning the sale of the substance known as D-X-M to anyone under age 18 passed a Senate committee earlier in the session. D-X-M is found in many common cough medicines.
Republican Senator Ron Justice of Chickasha says every major retail association has contacted him and expressed support for voluntary restrictions, as opposed to a ban on sales.
Officials say when taken in high dosages, dextromethorphan acts as a powerful hallucinogen that caused 12-thousand-584 emergency visits in the United States in 2004.
The Oklahoma Poison Control Center says D-X-M abuse is on the rise in Oklahoma. Last year, 14-point-7 percent of all reported intentional substance-abuse cases in Oklahoma were linked to D-X-M, compared to 11-point-6 percent in 2005.
The bill's next stop is on the Senate floor.
http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6306195