Walgreens agrees to settlement with state of Oklahoma

Wednesday, July 27th 2005, 12:49 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Walgreen drug store chain will pay more than $1-million to settle claims that it broke state and federal laws on the sale of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine.

Illinois-based Walgreen will pay $1.3-million to state and federal agencies and spend another million dollars to monitor sales of the cold medicines.

Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient in making methamphetamine and state law requires it be sold only in pharmacies to people who sign for it and provide a photo ID and limits the amount a person can buy.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics says as many as 50 of Walgreen's 65 stores in Oklahoma may have violated the law.

The company was also accused of breaking a federal law prohibiting the distribution of supplies that can be used to make a controlled substance.