July 14, 2005
Bombs and Cough Medicine
We can walk in a store and buy bomb making materials off the shelf but we have to be monitored when purchasing cough medicine for our children.
I was shocked. Living in the 'Heartland', walking into the drug store, and staring at the empty shelves that used to have bottles and boxes of medicine on them.
My first thought was that the store was out of medicine.
How could that happen? It is summer. Most people don't get colds in the summer.
Being the semi-ignorant person I am, I first thought the tags were simply for re-stocking a product that was 'sold out'.
Upon closer examination I realized the tags hanging there were there for me to decide on what I needed and go get it from the pharmacist.
I realized it was due to the meth problem facing our Nation. I'm not completely ignorant on the subject.
"Another drug law that destroys freedoms."
Because of a bunch of morons who decided to make an illegal drug out of my child's medicine... I had to stand there looking at a wall full of tags that virtually were identical. It was already hard enough to find the correct medicine when it was bottles and boxes. Now I am sorting through tags. It takes me 2 or 3 times as long to find what I need. Ticks me off.
I take the tag to the pharmacy and ask the girl working there why the medicine has to be purchased this way. She says, 'I'm not sure. I think people make stuff like meth out of it.'
Boy, was I impressed with her response!
I am now being inconvenienced and she 'thinks' people make illegal drugs with the cough medicine. Nice.
Homemade Explosives
Note: This website says ...
"Before this subject is explored a word of warning; This article is for information or entertainment purposes only, explosive chemicals are very dangerous and should be handled carefully, never lose sight of the fact that the careless handling of explosive devices could easily result burns, dismemberment or even death to the handler."
I am waiting for the tags in the grocery store when I go to purchase sugar. I would definitely be put on a 'watch list' with the amount we use. I may purchase 4 or 5 - 5lb. packages of sugar at a time if it on sale that week. Since I purchase Ivory soap I am expecting a tag for it also. It has no added perfumes or chemicals so I would be on another 'watch list' since I purchase multi-packs and not one bar at a time.
I don't like the idea of everything being 'tagged'. I don't like that the majority of us, law abiding citizens, can't go to the store and purchase cough medicine without feeling like criminals.
What's next? and Where will it end?
I think it’s funny that when its someone else getting inconvenienced (Christmas displays, easter displays etc.) you’re all too quick to dismis them. But when there is change made to the way you have to buy your cold medication, it’s some sort of crisis. If moving cold medician behind the counter slows the rate of meth. development, I say go for it, it’s a small price to pay.
Posted by: Justin at July 14, 2005 01:44 PMI don’t like being excluded from a speech by my President because I didn’t sign a loyalty oath to him. Where does it end?
Posted by: American Pundit at July 14, 2005 01:55 PMI kind of have to agree with Justin, sure it’s a pain but still a small price to pay.
Since you brought up the subject and this is an issue to you, what alternative solution do you offer?
Posted by: Kevin at July 14, 2005 01:57 PM“I think it’s funny that when its someone else getting inconvenienced (Christmas displays, easter displays etc.) you’re all too quick to dismis them.”
What? Someone was ‘inconvenienced’ by a Christmas display? Maybe ‘insulted’.
I wasn’t buying a Christmas display.
My point was that it is easier to blow someone up than make meth. Yes. The meth epidemic should be stopped but why not at the register? It’s not like they took my name - yet. I paid with CASH. If I wanted to make it bad enough I could just have a couple friends buy the medicine for me or travel to more than one store.
The inconvenience is not stopping the production of the drug.
Dawn,
I don’t think stopping it at the cash register would work. I don’t think too many of the people who make meth are going to spend the time to pay for it.
Dawn -
I was referencing this article you posted:
http://www.watchblog.com/republicans/archives/2004/12/index.html
Posted by: justin at July 14, 2005 02:48 PMI can’t beleive this is important enough to you that you wrote an article about it.
I understand the inconvience, but that is all it is, an inconvience; a drug made from legal products gets you really high, and it is extremely dangerous for your body; on top of that it is most popular with teenagers, who have no leagal way of getting high. if they can steal some stuff from walgreens to get wasted there is nothing we can do to stop them.
sorry to say I think you have the wrong side on this issue.
Posted by: martiniwitz at July 14, 2005 03:05 PMDawn,
I agree with you on the inconvenience factor 100% and I understand your frustration.
Obviously people have discovered that some of the same ingredients in products we buy “off the shelf” for colds, etc. when used in connection with other ingredients and/or in high doses unto itself produces results in the same effect as “street drugs”.
Also buying “legal” drugs, cold medicines, allergy stuff and so on to make more powerful drugs keeps the person “under the radar”. Unfortunately you and I have to pay a penalty for being law abiding citizens.
In this instance I have to believe it’s a good thing.
Now, the chemicals needed to make bombs and such can be legally bought by anyone because those items have useful purposes and are not purchased in near the volume (in terms of number of sales). Since this issue has now been highlighted, steps need to be taken to deal with those items in a similar fashion.
Posted by: steve smith at July 14, 2005 04:14 PMDawn~
I hear ya girl! These kids are more than likely getting it from the medicine cabinets at home anyways! Just a side note: but most of your opposition here are men that don’t have to haul a gaggle of children to the store w/ them!:)HEE HEE(A discussion I had often w/ my ex)!
One thing that astounds me is when they put the ingredients(for meth) on T.V.?????
On the radio yesterday they were telling all of America that stores are having problems w/ shoplifters getting past the security checks by wrapping the merchandise in tin foil!! I was like…..well if all teenagers didn’t know that trick before they cetainly do now.
Traci,
Do you get carded for your Sudafed as well as your beer and cigs.
Posted by: steve smith at July 14, 2005 05:00 PMsteve smith~
You crack me up….you will never get over the fact that I am 30 and still get carded will you?:)
I’m quite sure that I would though, but fortunately the harshest cold medicine I take is a cough drop!As for beer, minor incidents, only because I only drink once in a blue moon, but my biggest downfall are my cigs(newport box)…I can’t control myself, I’ll admit it….I’M A CHAIN SMOKER!!!!Thank god I live in a one horse town w/ one store, so I only had to be carded once by each employee!
Posted by: Traci at July 14, 2005 06:06 PMI’m sorry Dawn, but you are completely wrong about the availability of the bomb-making materials. In chemistry there is a concept known as limiting factor or reagent. You can have all the sugar you want, but you can’t make a bomb without the limiting reagent, potassium permanganate. If anybody out there can find it in their drugstore, let me know. I think the site you posted has extremely DATED information.
As a chem teacher I can tell you that the availability of these reagents used to make explosives has been strictly limited in the last 3 years.
IMO restricting access to Meth and explosive reagents is one of the best places to control criminal activity, and I’m surprised a conservative blog would be complaining about it. I mean, where’s your sense of sacrifice for the common good?
Posted by: Loren at July 14, 2005 10:32 PMDawn
Great points. It’s amazing how people are so willing to ignore the personal freedom and privacy issues associated with them. Instead, they would rather make it political and take pot shots.
You know, condoms are a pretty handy thing to have around when making some drugs. Maybe we should support an effort to force people to fill background info in order to buy these, and make them available only behind the counter. I bet some people would wake up then.
Again, thanks for trying to keep people informed. Sadly, most are still sleeping. Great post!
And Loren, I could have the materials to make an explosive device within 24 hours if I wanted.
It really IS that simple.
And I wouldn’t have to wait in any line to do so.
Sacrifice for the common good?
It’s the sacrifice of common sense that is the real concern.
Feel good laws are worthless.
kctim,
You’re going to have to be more specific than that. Are you going to buy them at the drug store where Dawn is having so much trouble? If you are buying them on the internet, why don’t you just give Dawn the same advise to buy her cold meds there too?
Oh, and thanks for making the point for all liberals: allow the Patriot Act to expire, because it’s amazing how people are so willing to ignore the personal freedom and privacy issues associated with them.
Posted by: Loren at July 15, 2005 04:29 PMi cant believe you would rather teenagers killing them self’s then waiting an extra 10 minutes for some cough syrup get a grip what’s more important sorry for your inconvienence
Posted by: robert at July 16, 2005 05:38 PMAre you going to buy them at the drug store where Dawn is having so much trouble?
When I was 15 (in 1979), the drug store was the place a friend and I bought our potassium nitrate(“saltpeter”) used in our mailbox demolitions “chemistry experiments”— there was even one time when another customer (obviously “chemically aware”)was outraged that we were permitted to buy it!
