Dextromethorphan Distribution Act of 2009; By: Cesar Najera

Dextromethorphan Distribution Act of 2009
The Dextromethorphan Distribution Act of 2009 is a bill that was introduced the third day of March in 2009, it was primarily sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton and co-sponsored by Reps: (Bono Mack, Mary), (Gordon, Bart), (Ehlers, Vernon J.), and (Larsen, Rick). The Dextromethorphan Distribution act is also referred to as H.R. 1259. This act would prohibit anyone who is not a licensed pharmacist, a person who is authorized to work with pharmaceuticals in distribution or manufacture, and anyone else who is not authorized in any way by the Secretary of Health and Human Services from distributing unfinished dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan is the active ingredients contained in many over the counter cough medicines the most common being Robitussin. The drug has become subject to being abused in recent years especially by teenagers and young adults. Unfinished dextromethorphan is dextromethorphan that is not already in a finished dosage form such as in powder form. Exclusions from the above prohibitions would be common carriers which are defined as being persons, who are involved in the transportation of the general population by means of aircraft, vessels, or vehicles from one place in the United States to another place in the United States. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that to implement H.R. 1259 would cost about a million dollars during 2010 and about eleven million dollars from 2010-2014. To enact this bill could affect direct spending and revenues of the federal government however the estimate of the effects appears to not have any drastic significance. The government will also be collecting fines from those who have been convicted of having violated the bill. The fines collected would be recorded as revenues and then deposited in the Crime Victims Fund. The CBO does not expect to gain any significant sums from the fines because of the small number of cases that are likely to have anything to do with a violation of the bill. H.R. 1259 effect on the private sector would involve a verification process that would cause additional work for sellers but the cost would not be significant. The bill would not have any direct effects on local, state, and tribal government as there are no intergovernmental laws to be enacted along with this bill. As of the first of April in 2009 this bill has been read twice in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.