Letter: Don't require prescription for pseudoephedrine

With spring now in full swing, allergies are flaring up across our great state. This time of year, thousands of Missourians rely on nonprescription cold and allergy products just to get through their busy days without having to visit a doctor.

Prior to getting surgery to correct my allergic reactions, I was one of those allergy-miserable Missourians. I knew it was bad to have allergies in Missouri, and my concerns were confirmed when I saw that The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America came out with their 2015 Spring Allergy Capitals report, which listed both St. Louis and Kansas City. These rankings underscore the importance of Missourians having access to common, pseudoephedrine-based products such as Sudafed and Zyrtec-D.

Unfortunately, there are some bad characters who are misusing this medicine to make methamphetamine. Because of this, some lawmakers have tried to pass laws making pseudoephedrine available only with a prescription. We have already passed laws that are working in the fight against meth, such as joining the National Precursor Log Exchange — a real-time, stop-sale system that ensures criminals are not illegally purchasing pseudoephedrine. Laws like these ensure that allergy sufferers are not being punished for the crimes of these few criminals. This system is working. Let's not mess it up with unnecessary legislation that only prevents our law-abiding neighbors from living out their days with simple allergy relief.

Dave Myers lives in Oldfield.