Statements On Introduced Bills And Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Grassley):

S. 1383. A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to prevent the abuse of dextromethorphan, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. DURBIN. I rise to introduce the Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act of 2009. This legislation will help prevent the dangerous abuse by minors of cough medicines containing the ingredient dextromethorphan, and will also help education and prevention efforts regarding teen abuse of prescription and nonprescription drugs. I am pleased to be joined by my colleague Senator Grassley of Iowa in sponsoring this legislation, and I look forward to working with him to see it enacted into law.

Dextromethorphan, or DXM, is a cough suppressant commonly found in over-the-counter cold medicines. These medicines are safe and effective when taken in their recommended dosage, but when consumed in large amounts, medicines containing DXM can produce a hallucinogenic high. Teens who abuse cough medicines often refer to the practice as ``Robotripping,'' a term derived from the cough medicine Robitussin which contains DXM. When abused, cold medicines containing DXM can cause a variety of harmful physical effects, including disorientation, impaired physical coordination, abdominal pain, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and seizures. However, medicines containing DXM are legal, inexpensive, and sold at retail stores and over the Internet.

Studies show that teenagers are abusing cough medicines at an alarming rate. A recent study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America revealed that about 7 percent of teens--or 1.7 million--reported abusing cough medicine in the year 2008. This study also found high rates of teen abuse of other prescription drugs, with 2.5 million teens reporting having abused a prescription pain reliever in 2008. Experts say that cough syrup and prescription drug abuse is significantly underreported.

The Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act would take significant steps to reduce and prevent teen abuse of DXM and other over-the-counter drugs. First, the bill prohibits the sale of products containing DXM to a buyer who is under 18 years old. Several major retailers, including Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and Giant, have already voluntarily agreed not to sell products that contain DXM to purchasers who are under 18, and their retail clerks check IDs to verify the purchaser's age. The legislation would codify these voluntary steps, and would also direct the Justice Department to promulgate regulations ensuring that Internet sales of DXM-containing products comply with these age restrictions. Notably, the legislation prohibits the sale to minors of any product containing DXM, including not just over-the-counter cough medicines but also products containing DXM in its raw, unfinished form. This is important since the abuse of unfinished DXM products has been responsible for several deaths in my home State of Illinois and elsewhere.

Second, this legislation would fund prevention and educational programs
to combat over-the-counter and prescription drug abuse. The bill authorizes the Director of National Drug Control Policy to provide money for the creation of a nationwide education campaign directed at teens and their parents regarding the prevention of abuse of prescription and nonprescription drugs. It also authorizes grants to communities for over-the-counter drug abuse awareness and prevention efforts, and provides increased funding to the National Community Anti-drug Coalition Institute to provide training and technical assistance to boost those community-level efforts.

I am pleased that drug manufacturers and drug prevention groups have joined together in support of this legislation. The bill is supported by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.

Restricting access by minors to DXM-containing products and increasing awareness for teens and their parents of the potential harms of cough syrup and other over-the-counter drugs will help combat the high rates of teen abuse of these products. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD

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