New Law Limits Sales of Some Cold Medications

Taking the war on methamphetamines to the local pharmacy, Covina has become the first city in Los Angeles County to outlaw large purchases of some medicines that contain one of the illicit drug’s key ingredients.

The City Council late Tuesday unanimously approved a law limiting the sale of many common cold and allergy medications containing pseudoephedrine and its sister compound ephedrine.

The city joins a handful of Southern California jurisdictions that have enacted similar laws targeting those who buy armfuls of cold medicines, then use them to make the drug known as meth, crank, speed or crystal.

Law enforcement officials say labs where the drug is made tend to be in homes and hotels, where they pose a threat to public safety because the chemicals are poisonous and explosive.

Covina’s new law, which is up for final approval in two weeks, prohibits customers from purchasing more than two 24-tablet packages of the medicines at any one time. In a concession to pharmacists and grocers, the council also agreed to allow the sale of 96-tablet economy packs that contain no more than 3 grams of the key ingredients.

Violators face a misdemeanor punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The law applies to both the seller and the buyer.