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New Cough Medicine Laws To Stop Minors
January 2, 2017
A new law took effect Sunday in Florida that prohibits people under 18 years old from buying certain over-the-counter cough medicines.
SB 938 prohibits the sale of cough medicines containing the synthetically produced dextromethorphan to people under 18 years of age and requires identification from those presumed to be under 25.
Dextromethorphan is found in many cough medicines, including Robitussin, Alka Seltzer Plus, Tylenol Cough & Cold and Vicks NyQuil.
The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, and former Rep. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, was proposed after reports of teenagers using cough medicine to get cheap highs. Broxson has since been elected to the Senate.
Side effects of such intoxication, according to a Senate staff analysis, include loss of coordination, slurred speech, sweating, hypertension and involuntary spasmodic movement of the eyeballs.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers reported six deaths in 2014 related to dextromethorphan use.
The law doesn’t require stores to alter placement of the products but prevents local governments from imposing their own restrictions.
Comments
2 Responses to “New Cough Medicine Laws To Stop Minors”
@KM, DXM is no joke, I know several people ruining themselves on it. I even know someone in rehab because of it. It is an addictive and dangerous high. This law was needed just as they did with Sudafed years ago. Will it stop all abuse? No, but if it keeps it out of the hands of one person or keeps one person from killing themselves from it, it is worth it. Now if the states and government would get on the ball and outright ban kratom imports and in energy supplements.
More laws on top of more laws. Won’t be long and we wont be able to do anything without breaking a law. Its like they make up dumb stuff just to keep a job.