It is the most wonderful time of the year:  The time for allergies, colds and the flu to make their valiant entrance into our lives yet again.

The recovery process might not be so quick and easy from these common ailments if Missouri follows the fifteen other states who have taken on further anti-meth restrictions. If passed, the legislation threatens the over-the-counter distribution of more than a dozen popular cold medications.

The theory behind this particular and oft-discussed type of legislation is an ingredient called pseudoephedrine which can be found in products like Sudafed and Claritin-D. Pseudoephedrine has also been found to be a key ingredient in the production of methamphetamines, a process that legislatures have long attempted to crack down on to little or no avail.

Ingredients ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine have also been found in the medications and are used in making methamphetamines.

Previously, limits had been placed on the amount of any medication containing the ingredient that could be bought by an individual, but this law promises even more stringent regulations including the shift into medication available by prescription-only.

In 2005, a law was passed that required all those buying certain cold medication behind the counters of pharmacies to present photo ID and sign a log to monitor the amount of cold medication they were purchasing over a period of time.  Eventually, authorities realized that consumers would go to multiple stores to obtain the medication, nullifying the entire process.

If the law is passed through in an effort to minimize the number of meth labs, the legislature can expect to be sorely disappointed in the results.

As seen in the above case, even if their supply is cut off, chances are that an alternative lies somewhere. Chances are even higher that meth producers will find these alternatives and utilize them to the best of their ability.

This regulation may slow down the number of busts on meth labs at the onset, but it does not take long for one to find another way to maintain their livelihood, which is exactly what these producers will do. Granted, the permanent effect will likely be a slight drop in the production of the drug, could it really considered to be worth it? Probably not.

Further, who will be most unnecessarily inconvenienced by this new legislation? Us. We are the people who are not making a living off producing and selling illicit drugs or addicted to substances beyond our control, but the people who are literally sick of their noses sounding like faucets and throats subjecting them to voices trapped in puberty.

While Missouri has not officially picked up the legislation for debate, states across the United States have passed the bill and more are considering it.

In creating prescription-only cold medicine, the risk is run for an inefficient health system as well. If people are forced to get prescriptions to treat the most common of illnesses, doctor offices will be flooded with people wanting nothing more than to get their Allegra but forced to take time out of their days and that of their doctors to be “properly diagnosed” with the common cold.

The addition of doctors and actual pharmacists to the equation will, you guessed it, likely raise the prices of these common products, another obvious downfall of the legislation. While some discussions of the legislation have said that doctors will not require patients to come in every time they want a prescription medication for a cold, the added effort remains to procure the prescription.

The effort, itself, is obviously not enough to properly combat this legislation, but the fact that the effort should be so unnecessary is where the real rebuttal lies.

Since there is no conceivable reason that every day, law-abiding citizens should change their way of life so drastically to adapt to this new method of procuring the most basic of medical remedies.

The passing of this bill would ultimately be futile. It will have little impact, if any on those it is supposed to be targeting, and will prove to be more of a hindrance for the majority of citizens who actually want to use the medication for its intended purpose.

To institute a sort of Aristotelian thought, putting the crimes of the few above the basic needs of the many would be a ridiculous step for Missouri legislature to impart.

Basically, if you are allergic to anything or plan on ever catching the common cold, you should probably stock up on supplies now.

Stephanie Mueller is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.