[iRizzen]

Despite the rising numbers in people hospitalized for misuse and abuse of substance dextromethorpan (DXM), the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee concluded that the risks do not outweigh the benefits and did not warrant restricting DXM under the Controlled Substances Act.
The Drug Enforcement Agency has requested the committee to evaluate DXM’s potential for abuse as well as the control or prevent abuse of the substance especially among teen agers who opt for cheap and accessible high.
High doses of DXM, an ingredient in cough medicines, can cause euphoria and hallucinations and have resulted in hospitalizations over the past years. Majority of cough medicines that include Robitussin DM and Tylenol Cough would have been classified under the least restrictive level of “dangerous drugs” had the panel voted in favor of restricting the use of DXM. Under such, schedule V medications can only be sold at pharmacies and not at convenience stores or supermarkets.
To prevent abuse, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), a trade group representing cough syrup manufactures said that cough medicines had a very low potential for abuse. It urged the federal government to pass laws currently before Congress that would introduce tougher restrictions on bulk sales of DXM as well as prohibiting the sale of cough medicines containing DXM to anyone under the age of 18.