Big Pharm trumps law enforcement in Idaho

My fellow Idahoans love to get tough on crime, but not at the expense of making a buck retailing over-the-counter Sudafed:

Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry, a retired Idaho State Police officer who sponsored a bill to remove most pseudoephedrine products from drugstore shelves, is dismayed at how lawmakers dismantled his bill so that it barely resembles his hard-line effort to get the stuff out of the hands of criminals. To make it more difficult for meth cooks to get the primary ingredient, Wills and a Nampa physician worked on legislation that would have forced pharmacists to regulate sales of the drug.

Instead, ...the Senate approved a bill that would merely require Idaho's 850 retailers to send the state copies of pseudoephedrine purchases. Then the Idaho State Police could study the receipts to see if sales seem too high with certain wholesalers.

...(P)ressure from the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacists and retailers prompted Wills' peers in the House as well as senators to begin tinkering with Wills' proposal. Ultimately, senators opted for what they are calling a "voluntary" effort on the part of retailers to get a better handle on criminals getting the drug from stores.