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Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Sean Bonyun
202-225-3761
March 31, 2009

House Passes Upton Cough Syrup Bill – Rep. Calls Upon Senate to Swiftly Act
Measure will ban the bulk sale of cough syrup ingredient commonly abused by kids which has resulted in deaths across the country

WASHINGTON, DC – Four weeks after being introduced, the United States House of Representatives today approved Congressman Fred Upton's (R-St. Joseph) bipartisan legislation to crack down on the bulk sale of dextromethorphan (DXM), an ingredient of cough syrup that kids are abusing to get high. Upton and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) introduced the Dextromethorphan Distribution Act of 2009 (H.R. 1259) to help prevent the abuse of the drug by making it illegal to distribute unfinished DXM to a person or company not previously registered with the FDA, or registered or licensed clinics, compounding pharmacists, pharmacies and researchers. The measure, which passed the House by a vote of 407 to 8, now awaits consideration in the Senate.

"The deadly reality is that our teens think that it's safe to get high off of DXM because it is a common ingredient in cough syrup – the passage of the DXM bill in the House is an important step in shattering that myth," said Upton. "This is too important an issue not to get done – kids' lives literally hang in the balance and I urge the Senate to swiftly follow suit. This commonsense piece of legislation will put an end to the bulk sale of DXM over the Internet, and keep our kids safe from the dangers of this type of drug abuse."

"Four years ago, two teenagers in my district died after overdosing on DXM they purchased online," said Larsen. "Kids today continue to have easy access to large quantities of this dangerous drug. Banning the bulk sale of DXM on the Internet is a commonsense step that will save lives."

Larsen and Upton's bipartisan legislation passed the House in both the 109th Congress (December 2006) and the 110th Congress (October 2007) but failed to clear the Senate. The Dextromethorphan Distribution Act of 2009 is supported by the American Pharmacists Association, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

"Today the House of Representatives took an important step toward controlling the bulk supply of dextromethorphan and we urge the Senate to do the same," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the nonprofit Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "This legislation will help reduce the abuse of DXM, a dangerous behavior that 2.4 million teens report engaging in during their lifetime. The work of policymakers, combined with the efforts of concerned parents communicating the risks of DXM abuse to their kids, will have a significant positive impact on this issue."

DXM is a non-narcotic cough suppressant used in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines. While medicines containing DXM are used safely by millions of Americans each year, when taken in extremely large quantities, DXM produces a hallucinogenic high and can cause brain damage, seizures and death. Studies have shown that teenagers are obtaining unfinished DXM to get high by consuming large amounts of the powder or mixing it with alcohol, and research indicates that abuse of DXM has increased sharply in recent years. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America last month announced the findings of its 20th annual teen study which revealed that nearly 7 percent, or 1.7 million, teens have used cough medicines to get high in the past year.

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