Cold Pill Access Cut

Major drug stores across the country are putting over-the-counter cold medications out of reach of customers and limiting quantities sold to stem their use in creating methamphetamines.

The rampant theft of cold, sinus, and allergy medicines has caused retailers to put them behind counters. It is hoped this new practice will help. Until now, it’s been relatively easy for illegal meth manufacturing labs to extract the stimulant pseudoephedrine from the legally sold cold remedies.

Many police departments have been asking for such a change for a long time.

Methamphetamine is the fastest growing drug problem in the country,” says Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who plans to seek legislation that would limit the sale of products with pseudoephedrine.