Washington, Mo., government votes to move PSE products to Rx-only

WASHINGTON, Mo. Retailers and suppliers are again facing disparate legislation around the sale of pseudoephedrine products as more state (and now local) governments consider switching PSE products to prescription-only from their current behind-the-counter status.

Local city council for Washington, Mo., in Franklin County last week voted that PSE products can only be sold by prescription within city limits by a vote of six in favor and two opposed.

The motion was passed following a brief presentation by Sgt. Jason Grellner, commander of the Franklin County Narcotics Enforcement Unit, and Andrew Zupan, a pediatrician in favor of the switch.

The state of California is considering similar legislation; Senate bill No. 484 passed through the Senate last month but failed to pass out of an Assembly Public Safety committee as amended on June 30, though the committee will be revisiting the piece of legislation.

According to published reports, the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri is considering legal action if the city ordinance is not repealed. “It sets a dangerous precedent,” Tony Rothert, legal director for the Missouri chapter of the ACLU told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday. “Here it’s just allergies, but next time it could be something more, like birth control.”