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Public concern over rule governing cold medicine
September 20, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A RULING that requires people buying cold medicine containing ephedrine to register their identities has been causing concern after it was put into effect earlier this month.
"It will be troublesome to buy medicine if you have a cold," said Liu Qianqian, who works in Hefei City, capital of east China's Anhui Province.
Ephedrine is commonly used in medicines to ease common cold symptoms, but it can also be extracted and used for producing methamphetamine hydrochloride, or crystal meth.
To crack down on illegal drug production, the State Food and Drug Administration requires that pharmacies check and register customers' identity cards and addresses when they purchase cold medicine.
The amount of each purchase is also being strictly limited.
"Cold medicine is a common medicine for everyone, but purchasing it for drug extraction is a few people's behavior," Host Xiaofeng posted on his microblog. "The government should not expect society to pay the price."
The regulation will not only inconvenience people who need the medicine but put their personal information at risk of being leaked, said Shanghai resident Sun Yuhua.
Earlier this year, a man in Chongqing was found to have extracted 23 kilograms of drugs from medicine bought from local pharmacies. Last year, two men were jailed for 15 years in east China's Jiangsu Province after producing 96 grams of crystal meth.
"It will be troublesome to buy medicine if you have a cold," said Liu Qianqian, who works in Hefei City, capital of east China's Anhui Province.
Ephedrine is commonly used in medicines to ease common cold symptoms, but it can also be extracted and used for producing methamphetamine hydrochloride, or crystal meth.
To crack down on illegal drug production, the State Food and Drug Administration requires that pharmacies check and register customers' identity cards and addresses when they purchase cold medicine.
The amount of each purchase is also being strictly limited.
"Cold medicine is a common medicine for everyone, but purchasing it for drug extraction is a few people's behavior," Host Xiaofeng posted on his microblog. "The government should not expect society to pay the price."
The regulation will not only inconvenience people who need the medicine but put their personal information at risk of being leaked, said Shanghai resident Sun Yuhua.
Earlier this year, a man in Chongqing was found to have extracted 23 kilograms of drugs from medicine bought from local pharmacies. Last year, two men were jailed for 15 years in east China's Jiangsu Province after producing 96 grams of crystal meth.
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