Senator Mae Beavers Responds to New Economic Study on Prescription Legislation for Pseudoephedrine

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Tennessee State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) today issued the following statement in response to the recently released economic impact study conducted by Dr. Martin Kennedy of Informa Economics. The study found that a statewide prescription mandate for medicine containing pseudoephedrine could bring substantial additional costs to the state of Tennessee and its residents.

"Dr. Kennedy's study underscores what many in the Tennessee legislature have long known about prescription legislation for pseudoephedrine - it imposes major burdens and additional costs on the law-abiding residents of our state," said Beavers. "The study also brings to light the true cost that such a policy would impose on the state in terms of additional Medicare and Medicaid payments, lost sales tax revenues and lost productivity for employers."

"A prescription mandate for pseudoephedrine is a costly and ineffective approach to dealing with Tennessee's meth problem. With direct costs estimated at over $44 million dollars and indirect costs substantially higher, such a proposal would need to guarantee positive results to even be considered. Yet there is no guarantee that a prescription requirement would truly address the real sources of the overall meth problem since it does nothing to deal with the near-constant flow of meth from outside of Tennessee, or the necessary treatment of those who suffer from serious drug addiction. State leaders need to focus on balanced policies that don't burden law-abiding Tennessee families if they are going to make real progress in this fight." 

SOURCE Tennessee State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet)