Selling Over The Counter Cough Medicine To Minors Banned

The government implemented a law that restricts minors from purchasing over the counter cough medicines that contain dextromethorphan in them. The law was formulated after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration observed that these cough medicines were associated with substance abuse in youngsters and related deaths of minors.

Recently, a considerable increase in the prevalence of substance abuse of dextromethorphan in California, Florida and Texas triggered the making and implementation of the law.

The corresponding senate bill 938 was sponsored by Doug Broxson, former State Representative, who is supposed to take charge as the State Senator later this week. The bill was passed last year and was implemented last Monday.

The law clearly states that all manufacturers, distributors and retailers are prohibited to sell cough medicines containing dextromethorphan to minors, under 18 years of age. Furthermore, anyone who purchases the drug and is below the age of 25 years is required to provide proof of identification, CBS Miami reported.

Doug Broxson, who was the perpetrator and advocate of the senate bill 938, said that, "What we were concentrated on were some of the deaths and the by-products, what some of the kids were doing in reconditioning this in a hypnagogic form."

"We were just trying to respond to a growing concern where our youths were misusing this product, and these kids are pretty creative on doing these things" he added.

The newly implemented law puts the responsibility on the clerk or vendor, who has to register each purchase of the substance and verify the ID of the buyer before selling it, so that the consumption of the substance is monitored at the point of sale itself, according to 10News.

All manufacturers, retailers and distributors are liable to $100 fine every time they sell the medicine to a minor. Furthermore, anyone found in possession of these over the counter cough medicines containing dextromethorphan, with the intent to distribute, will also be subject to a civil citation and a penalty of $100 for each violation.