CHPA Applauds West Virginia's Adoption of Real-Time, Stop-Sale Technology, an Effective Tool in the Fight Against Methamphetamine
WASHINGTON, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) today applauded the West Virginia Legislature for passing legislation requiring real-time, stop-sale technology to enable pharmacists to block illegal pseudoephedrine purchases right at the point of sale and provide law enforcement with valuable criminal data up to the minute. The legislation—Senate Bill 437—was authored by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and sponsored by Senate President Jeffery Kessler (D-Marshall) and Senator Mike Hall (R-Putnam). The measure will now head to Governor Tomblin's desk for his signature.
West Virginia now becomes the 19th state to require pharmacists and other retailers to be connected through the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEx) system. NPLEx is a proven tool in the fight against methamphetamine production that has blocked tens of thousands of illegal sales across the country. The system targets meth criminals while protecting law-abiding consumers' access to safe and effective medicines containing pseudoephedrine (PSE), such as Advil Cold & Sinus, Allegra-D, Claritin-D, Mucinex D, and Sudafed. NPLEx provides a secure, interconnected electronic logbook system that tracks and logs every PSE sale in every store at the precise moment it is happening. When a purchase is made, the system advises retailers when to refuse a sale based on an individual's purchase record elsewhere in the state and beyond its borders. The system also provides law enforcement officials with a new and effective tool in the fight against meth, and it is the only system that can block the illegal sale in real-time and across state lines.
"Governor Tomblin, Senators Kessler and Hall, and the West Virginia legislature are to be commended for choosing a proven method for curbing methamphetamine production that targets criminals and protects responsible consumers' access to popular and reliable cold and allergy medicines," said Scott M. Melville, president and chief executive officer of CHPA. "Once Governor Tomblin signs SB 437 into law, West Virginia will become the 19th state to implement real-time, stop-sale technology that gives law enforcement officials the upper hand against meth offenders. Passage of SB 437 is a significant victory for West Virginia citizens, employers, law enforcement officials and healthcare providers."
SOURCE The Consumer Healthcare Products Association
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