Have you tried to buy Pseudoephedrine in the last few years? You know, Sudafed or Claritin-D or any of the other over-the-counter medicines for colds or allergies. Pseudoephedrine is an effective decongestant. It has been in use for many years. The problem is that it can also be used to produce methamphetamine, otherwise known as "meth". We've all heard about meth labs and how dangerous meth is and how it's abused etc. I agree meth use is a problem and it would be great if the problem could be eliminated.
Here's where my rant begins: The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 which was incorporated in the despicable Patriot Act signed into law by President Bush on March 9, 2006. The act banned the sale of the aforementioned products containing Pseudoephedrine over-the-counter. You don't need a prescription for them but you have to see the pharmacist to purchase these now. OK, so you figure that's a minor inconvenience, and it's no big deal that I can only buy these products at a place where there is someone on duty that can sell them to me. Well excuse me, that is a big deal but it gets worse, much worse! Not only do you have to visit with your friendly neighborhood pharmacist during the time his pharmacy department is open but you are also limited to buying 3.6 grams in one day and 9 grams in 30 days. This can be a problem. Take for instance, a very real world example that happened to me recently: I had a sinus infection and needed some Sudafed, my girlfriend has pretty bad allergies and takes Claritin-D daily and she needed some more. I was at the pharmacy filling a prescription for an antibiotic to treat my sinus infection and figured I'd pick up the other stuff we needed. I could not buy the Sudafed I needed and the Claritin-D my girlfriend needed as it exceeded the daily allowance set forth in the law. My girlfriend would now have to go out and buy her own Claritin-D. Additionally you need to present a driver license or other valid form of state ID and your purchase is logged in a log book or by computer. This is OUTRAGEOUS!! This made me feel like I was a criminal or had criminal intent. We both just have stuffy noses! 99.9% (I made this number up but you get the idea) of the population doesn't have a meth lab and just wants to clear their nostrils or sinuses. Why are we, the massive majority of the population, being forced to deal with an onerous law because some infinitesimal group of criminals wants to produce a drug that is illegal? Last I looked meth was illegal, last I looked making it was illegal shouldn't that be enough? Don't you think the criminals will always find a way to get what they want regardless of this or any other law? Trust me, they always do. Should the massive majority of the population be made to suffer because of a few bad people? I would argue no, we should not have to. That is the price of freedom and liberty. I'm sorry that bad things happen sometimes because we have a relatively free society but that is the price we must pay. It is, in my not so humble opinion, a price we must continue to pay. Let's enforce the drug laws already on the books, let's lock up the bad guys and keep them locked up. Let's let our lawmakers know that we are tired of stupid, poorly thought out feel good laws that do nothing to stop the bad guys but at the very least inconvenience us law abiding people and at the worst endanger us.
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