Michigan lawmakers introduced a bill last week that they say would help curb the methamphetamine problem by making it illegal for anyone convicted of a meth-related crime to purchase medicines containing pseudoephedrine without a prescription.

The proposed bill, if passed into law, would bring to life the Michigan Meth Registry, which would make it virtually impossible for anyone with a criminal record stemming from cooking, selling, or possessing methamphetamine to walk into their local drug store and purchase a over-the-counter cold or allergy medicine, like Sudafed.

Medication containing pseudoephedrine, commonly found in drugs like Sudafed, is a key element in manufacturing methamphetamine, especially for those backyard chemists lacking working knowledge of anhydrous ammonia, or Walter Whites’ secret ingredient – Methylamine.

A law limiting the amount of pseudoephedrine a person can purchase is already on the books as of last year. Under this law, pharmacy clerks are required to scan the driver’s license of anyone wishing to purchase medication containing pseudoephedrine. Those that reach their purchase limit are blocked, and probably put on a police surveillance list. If the meth registry becomes law, anyone with a meth-related conviction would be blocked as well.

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