Jim KyleNASHVILLE - The Democratic leader of the state Senate is urging Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to veto his own legislation to limit the purchase of cold and allergy medicines used to make illegal methamphetamine.
Sen. Jim Kyle of Memphis on Monday said the bill passed by the Legislature did not go far enough to put a dent in makeshift meth labs around the state.
The bill awaiting the governor's signature would require a prescription to obtain more than 28.8 grams of pseudoephedrine per year, which is the equivalent of about five months' worth of the maximum dosage of medicines like Sudafed.
Haslam and the Senate had earlier supported a version of the bill that would have set a 14.4-gram annual limit but ultimately agreed to the House plan featuring the looser restrictions.