WELLINGTON, Feb. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- The New Zealand government has decided not to ban common cold or flu medicines on pharmacy shelves in the country, New Zealand Press Association reported Friday.

    Pseudoephedrine, a major ingredient in many medicines, not onlysoothes cough and cold but also is used in the manufacture of the illegal drug methamphetamine (speed), which was reclassified as a Class A drug last year.

    Some pharmacies in the country have adopted a voluntary ban on pseudoephedrine-based medicines. Last year Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton told the Health Select Committee he would consider a national ban.

    However, Anderton said in a statement Thursday that the Health Ministry had advised against such a ban and he was prepared - for now - to follow the advice.

    "Health officials have advised ministers that an outright ban now on cold and cough potions containing the ingredient pseudoephedrine risked doing more harm in the long term than any good it might do in the immediate future," he said.

    Anderton hoped that other steps taken by police, the Governmentand pharmacies would stem medicines being used to make speed.

    "An outright ban now might have an initial impact on methamphetamine production, but it would also be likely to lead toincreasing illicit importation and use of other ingredients in methamphetamine manufacture by hard drug importation rings," Anderton said.

    "Ministers will continue to monitor the situation to see if this issue needs to be revisited in the future if other governmentactions and programs do not have enough effect on the country's serious methamphetamine problem," he said. Enditem