The Senate Appropriations Committee heard SB 536, authored by Sen. Young and Sen. Yoder, on methamphetamine. The bill provides that anyone convicted of a drug-related felony must get a prescription for pseudoephedrine or ephedrine for seven years after conviction. If methamphetamine labs are not reduced by this provision, then in 2020 a universal prescription for pseudoephedrine or ephedrine goes into effect. A representative of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association testified in opposition to the prescription only provision. The bill passed 7-6.
The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee also heard SB 536 authored by Sen. Young and Sen. Yoder on methamphetamine. The bill heard by the Committee combined two previously adopted amendments establishing reporting requirements for the purchase of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. The bill:
- requires courts to report drug related convictions to the State Police;
- requires the State Police to report drug related felonies to NPLEx for the purposes of controlling purchases by convicted drug felons;
- prohibits any convicted felony drug offender from purchasing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine for seven years without a prescription;
- requires the State Police to report the number of Methamphetamine labs discovered in calendar year 2019; and
- provides that if the number of methamphetamine laboratories discovered is greater than 400: (a) ephedrine and pseudoephedrine become Schedule IV controlled substances from 2020 until 2023; and (b) reporting requirements relating to the purchase of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, as well as certain provisions relating to retail sale, are suspended from 2020 to 2023.
A technical amendment was adopted by consent. The amended bill passed 7-1.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/536.