Washington, MO Council Passes Anti-Meth Law [VIDEO]

Following a presentation by Sgt. Jason Grellner of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department Narcotics Enforcement Unit and Dr. Andrew Zupan, a pediatrician in Washington, Missouri, the Washington City Council voted 6-2 to pass an ordinance limiting the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine-containing products in the City of Washington.  The law is the first of its kind for Missouri municipalities.

The ordinance prohibits the sale of products containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine without a valid prescription written by a Missouri licensed physician and filled by a Missouri licensed pharmacist.

Tim Overschmidt and John Rhodes voted against the ordinance.  Rhodes voiced concerns over the legality of a municipality passing the ordinance.

The vote makes Washington, Missouri the first city in Missouri to pass an ordinance with such restrictions on the sale of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine-containing products -- Grellner and Zupan expressed hope that Washington, Missouri's action would encourage other communities to take similar action.

Check out City Council member Guy Midkiff's blog on WashMo.com for a recent post on the ordinance:  Pseudoephedrine & Meth Ordinance.

Video of portions of the presentation by Grellner and Zupan is included below:

Video of comments from Council Members can be seen in the video below.