Pubdate: Wed, 04 Jan 2006
Source: Herald, The (WA)
Copyright: 2006 The Daily Herald Co.
Contact:  http://www.heraldnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190
Author: Scott Morris
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

NEW STATE LAW ON COLD MEDICINES COULD BREACH CONSUMERS' PRIVACY

Snohomish County pharmacies are struggling to comply with a new state 
law that limits access to cold medicines that also can be used to 
make methamphetamine.

One side effect of the law is likely to be some sacrifice of 
individual privacy.

Pharmacies are now required to ask for identification and keep 
logbooks with the names of people who buy cold medicines with certain 
ingredients.

However, reporters for The Herald found that some pharmacies required 
customers buying cold medicine to sign the logbooks, which is against 
state Board of Pharmacy policy, while others brought the logbooks to 
the counter, which unintentionally allowed the reporters to see who 
else had purchased cold medicine before them.

Sandra Ellington of Snohomish was surprised when a reporter contacted 
her and inquired about her purchase.

"That's a little odd," Ellington said.

Bruce Ramsay of Sultan was also a bit surprised at how easily The 
Herald learned that his wife, Kelly, had recently purchased cold medicine.

Ramsay and Ellington each said they could see both sides of the 
privacy issues raised by the new law. Ramsay works for the state 
Department of Corrections, and his wife works at a pharmacy.

"I hope that Big Brother, if you will, is not looking at this to do 
other things. I've got to believe they're going to be using this data 
to do good things," Ramsay said.

Ellington had a similar attitude.

"I'm not really wild that anybody in town could get my name," she 
said. "But it's not like my (credit card) number was on it."

The state Board of Pharmacy last week began publicizing its 
regulations for documenting cold-medicine sales. While it wants the 
names of people who buy the drugs, it doesn't want pharmacies to 
require people to sign a logbook.

Local health care providers say they are looking to a federal medical 
privacy law for guidance.

Group Health Cooperative and the Everett Clinic said they take steps 
to ensure that records for the cold medicine they sell remains behind 
the pharmacy counter.

The federal privacy law "does require that access to log sheets be 
restricted," said Kirk Williamson, a spokesman for Group Health.

"We decided we'll treat it the same way we would treat any other 
prescription drug," he said. "If you buy it from us, it goes into our 
prescription record-keeping system."

At the Everett Clinic, there's no public log kept of the purchases, 
"so there's no way someone can see what anyone else is getting," 
spokeswoman Catherine Russell said.

The information is kept behind the counter, she said.

For Ramsay, sacrificing some privacy is worth it to fight methamphetamine use.

"I think there is potential for abuse in any arena," Ramsay said. 
"But I'm a realist. In the event we restrict access, (meth 
manufacturers) will just find another ingredient. But we've got to 
minimize their access."

Ellington agreed that meth use is a problem. The solution, for her, 
is trickier.

"We definitely need to come up with some kind of plan," Ellington 
said. "I don't know if this is the one."

Reporter Sharon Salyer contributed to this story.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman