CHPA Applauds Alabama Senate's Passage of Anti-Meth Bill

News provided by

Consumer Healthcare Products Association

Apr 20, 2012, 10:40 ET

Legislation Would Strengthen Alabama's Real-Time, Stop-Sale System

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) today applauded the Alabama State Senate for passing House Bill 363, a bill that significantly improves Alabama's methamphetamine enforcement laws by implementing a drug offender registry, stricter penalties for meth-related crime and enhancements to the state's real-time, stop-sale technology.

That system, called the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx), successfully blocked the sale of more than 19,500 boxes of pseudoephedrine (PSE) in the first quarter of 2012. By adopting a drug offender registry, the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center will maintain electronic records of individuals convicted of felony drug charges and synch that data with the NPLEx system. NPLEx--much like a declined credit card transaction--would instantly block the sale for any individual on the drug offender registry for up to ten years.

The legislation, which was sponsored by Rep. Blaine Galliher and Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, must now be signed by Governor Robert Bentley in order to become law.

"Members of the Alabama State Senate and House recognize that making significant strides against meth production and protecting responsible consumers' access to affordable, quality healthcare do not have to be mutually exclusive goals," said Scott Melville, president and CEO of CHPA. "Now more than ever, with the spring allergy season at its peak, tens of thousands of Alabamans rely on safe and effective nonprescription medicines to get through their busy days. HB 363 will allow these law-abiding citizens to continue to purchase those medicines and provide law enforcement officials with better tools to stop meth crime at its source. Representative Blaine Galliher and Senator Bill Holtzclaw have demonstrated consistent leadership this session to ensure that this reasonable legislation will become law."

SOURCE Consumer Healthcare Products Association