Stumbo says Senate PSE Bill Will Likely Remain Intact If It Passes

A proposal that limits the amount of pseudoephedrine consumers can buy in a month could make it out the state House of Representatives intact.The Senate passed a bill last week that would limit consumers to seven point two grams of pseudoephedrine every month, or roughly two boxes of cold medicine.Now, the bill has arrived in the House. House Speaker Greg Stumbo supports stricter legislation that would make PSE available by prescription only to crack down on meth abuse. But that proposal doesn’t have any hope of passing the Senate, so Stumbo says he hopes his chamber will pass the Senate’s bill.“I hope so. I mean I prefer a stronger version, but it’s obvious the Senate had problems with it. I expect that we’ll run into some difficulties over here, but we’ll give it our best shot,” he says.Groups like the Consumer Health Products Association have opposed the bill because they say it unfairly limits the amount of over –the-counter medicines asthma and allergy sufferers need.Stumbo says while that proposal may not be popular with everyone, it would be useless to change it now.“I would suspect that that’s the best bill they can get out of the Senate. And to change it would mean no bill. And it’s kind of like the UPIKE proposal, do you do nothing or do you do something. And I think we’re better off if we do something,” Stumbo says.Stumbo says he’s hopeful the Senate bill will pass his chamber this session.