Senator Casey Introduced Legislation to Prevent Abuse of Cough Syrup

United States Senator Bob Casey today introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent the abuse of cough syrup to get high, a particularly worrisome trend among teens. The active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines dextromethorphan (DXM) is safe when taken as recommended, but five percent of teenagers report having intentionally taken large doses of DXM for effects that include hallucinations. Across Pennsylvania, emergency rooms have seen an increase in overdoses of DXM.