Sales ban on P pills

Codral, Sudafed and Nurofen cold and flu pills which all contain pseudoephedrine - a key ingredient in the manufacture of the illegal drug P. Photo / Martin Sykes.

Over-the-counter sales of cold tablets containing the methamphetamine precursors ephedrine and pseudoephedrine will be banned under a bill given its first reading in Parliament last night.

Drugmakers use the pills for the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine, and the bill aims to make it harder for them to obtain supplies by making the pills available only with a doctor's prescription.

The Government said last October it was "going to war" on methamphetamine, known as P, and the move is part of its strategy.