PRESS RELEASE:

STATEHOUSE (Jan. 29, 2013) — State Sen. Carlin Yoder’s (R-Middlebury) bill to further strengthen anti-meth laws across Indiana passed the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law today by a vote of 10-0.

Senate Bill 496 would create tighter restrictions on ephedrine/pseudoephedrine — a key meth ingredient found in many over-the-counter decongestants. Yoder’s legislation:

·         Allows ephedrine/pseudoephedrine to be sold only at retailers participating in the National Precursor Log Exchange database, which tracks the sale of ephedrine/pseudoephedrine products.

·         Prohibits anyone convicted of a meth-related crime from possessing ephedrine/ pseudoephedrine without a prescription for seven years.

·         Increases the criminal penalty for a person who buys more than 10 grams of certain meth ingredients – including ephedrine/pseudoephedrine – with the intent to give them to another person for meth making.

·         Limits how much ephedrine/pseudoephedrine a person can buy in a one-year period without a prescription to 61.2 grams. (Current Indiana law already contains a one-day limit of 3.6 grams and a 30-day limit of 7.2 grams, but does not have a one-year limit.)

“Meth is a very serious problem throughout the state of Indiana,” Yoder said. “We must develop creative solutions in order to fight this dangerous drug. My bill is aimed at limiting access to ephedrine products for people convicted of meth-related crimes without burdening law-abiding Hoosier families.”

SB 496 now moves to the full Senate for further consideration.