Suffer from allergies? A new Tennessee bill could make it easier to buy Sudafed again

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The spring blossoms may be beautiful, but it comes at a cost for all of us with allergies and sinus issues. For years, we've gotten used to some extra hurdles when it comes to buying cold and allergy medication. But now, that could be changing.

Years ago, the Tennessee General Assembly passed laws that severely limited the amount of Sudafed and other nasal decongestants. That's because an ingredient, pseudophedrine, is also a critical ingredient to make meth.

"It’s very effective, but it is a bit of a headache sometimes, no pun intended," said Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntington.

Sen. Stevens wants to nearly double the amount of pseudophendrine you can purchase over the course of a year.

"The bill would increase the allowable purchases over a year from 28.8 grams to 48.2 grams, which is essentially a six month supply," he said.

It's not that Tennessee no longer has a meth addiction problem. That's still very much an issue. It's just that meth production has changed dramatically.

"The meth labs are dramatically reduced, and that is because it’s coming across the border from Mexico," said Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield.

"They have flooded our market with cheap meth and so it’s more expensive to make it — so people don’t, you can buy it on the street," said Sen. Stevens.

Now that Sudafed isn't really the problem anymore, lawmakers don't want to stand in the way of those who actually need it.

"We don’t want to punish Tennesseans who have colds and allergies by not being able to further purchase an amount of this very effective, safe, legal over the counter drug," said Stevens.

The bill passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and will head to the Senate floor soon.

The bill has a few more stops in the House before it reaches the floor in that chamber.