Electronic Records To Help Pharmacies Track Potential Meth Dealers SPRINGFIELD, IL (wsiu) - Electronic log books haven't helped U.S. pharmacies deal with requirements to track potential meth dealers, but a new measure before Congress might.
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) which would loosen restrictions on those electronic records. Durbin says if pharmacies can scan the product for that information, it'll take less time for staff.
Durbin says pharmacies have always been allowed to keep electronic records, but the parameters were too cumbersome and actually made it harder and more time-consuming, than it needed to be. He says if this change is fully passed, the process will be easier.
Another part of his bill would set up a pilot project with John A. Logan College in Carterville and six Southern Illinois counties. With $100,000 in federal funding, the college would develop a database that would much more quickly track who's buying pseudoephedrines.
Counties to be included in a proposed pilot program, that's slated to start Oct. 1, are Williamson, Franklin, Jackson, Johnson, Saline, and Union.
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