What Getting Carded for Sudafed Says About the Drug War

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/what-getting-carded-sudafed-says-about-drug-war



If you’re coming down with a cold this winter and you stop by the local pharmacy to pick up some pseudoephedrine (commonly sold as Sudafed), you will get carded, but it has nothing to do with age. Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient in methamphetamine. And since 2006, pharmacies have been carding cold sufferers to track their purchases and ensure they do not buy more pseudoephedrine than is legally allowed (3.6 grams per day or 9 grams per month).

The law, however, has done more to inconvenience chronic cold sufferers than curb methamphetamine abuse. Regulating pseudoephedrine didn’t end meth production. It simply changed the game. So long as Americans are willing to take drugs to improve performance in an increasingly exhausting work culture, those without access to legal amphetamines like Adderall will use what is available. Just as some college kids take Adderall to study, some Americans who don't have access to psychiatrists will use meth to increase productivity.

Implemented in 2006, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 established restrictions and record-keeping mandates for pseudoephedrine purchases. Some states took the law even further, requiring prescriptions for and electronic tracking of pseudoephedrine purchases. Despite serious efforts to curb methamphetamine production, the results have been dismal.

After a short-lived decline in methamphetamine use following Sudafed legislation, use rates began trending upward again as Mexican traffickers and American manufacturers figured out how to meet lingering demand. While Mexico is increasing its share in the US meth market with high-purity, cheap methamphetamine, underground meth manufacturers in the U.S. are getting around the pseudoephedrine limits by adding new, dangerous chemicals to the mix -- battery acid included.

[liberal N proud]

1. Getting carded for Sudafed is like taking your shoes off at the airport

It is all for show and provides zero security.

[longship]

2. Security theater. It's just for show. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. "Security theater" = good meme. nt

[longship]

45. I only steal from the best.

I think that Bruce Schneier coined that term.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

69. Now you remind me, I think you are right. And Schneier is the best. nt

[AllyCat]

27. Perfect description of it.

[Mojorabbit]

51. Yep nt

[eShirl]

3. when are they going to end this pain-in-the-ass bullshit

should be no more inconvenient than buying aspirin

[modrepub]

4. Does Nothing

but allows industry to develop another customer data base to make profits off of.

[momsrule]

6. It has neaningful purpose....

Such laws as removing such drugs to a secured area and requiring pharmacy staff to bring it to you and require signature prevents my teens grand kids from hoarding the drug from the shelves of every drug store and running to their basement to cook it into meth. Furthermore, there are serious effects from using/ abusing Sudafed among other medications and should NOT be taken so lightly as I read in other comments. I find you misinformed. You think popping a pill solves your immediate problem. It doesn't, your problem is only masked temporarily. I blame advertisers and media for produciing a quick fix, drug induced, ignorant of self-help public.This from a RN and RPh. Trust me you can feel alert when your sooo tired; get some fresh air, a few deep breaths and 5minutes of jumping jacks followed by a large glass of water, same for headaches modified with less strenuous exercise; leg cramps- similar, add more water you're probably dehydrated. Get wise to what we've been sold for decades. You DO NOT need a chemical pill for each of your little sufferings You need to take a few minutes out to take care of yourself! Amen.

[Fumesucker]

8. Sudafed is used to combat nasal and sinus congestion more than it is used to feel "alert"

I've never really noticed that much of a difference in how I feel other than nasal and sinus congestion when I've taken Sudafed.

People these day often have to drag their asses to work when they really don't feel like it, Sudafed is one of those things that allows people to perform to the often unreasonable expectations of management.

Get a system that allows people to see the doctor and/or stay home and rest when they are sick and the demand for things like Sudafed will fall. We don't have that system now I doubt we will in my lifetime.

[ellie]

14. I take Sudafed for nasal congestion, period

Please tell me how to combat nasal congestion. Hint: jumping up and down and drinking water doesn't help.

[tridim]

17. Neti pot and saline solution.

It works much better than sudafed and it actually cleans out your entire sinus cavity. It also clears up clogged ear canals.

[eShirl]

19. That actually makes me feel worse for the rest of the day.

I still use it though when I have a head cold or something. But the sudafed actually relieves deep pressure and pain. Maybe I have a weird sinus anatomy or something, I don't know.

[AllyCat]

30. Research article I saw at the allergist a few years ago showed proof of this

My family swears by it. Don't like the feeling, but it's better than getting sick.

[tridim]

36. Yea, I still don't like the feeling either...

But I'm kind of used to it now.

The relief it provides is so worth it, and I do believe it actually prevents head colds from taking hold.

[siligut]

43. Using a nasal rinse helps to keep my nose from running in cold weather

That and fish oil capsules, as the problem also stems from watering eyes.

[Johonny]

24. you can take an OTC anti-histamine

They tend to make you sleepy though. You can also take OTC allergy medicine. If your drainage absolutely sucks like mine does. You can end up taking all three.

[eShirl]

15. so I have to suffer just so your teen's grandkids don't run around willy-nilly cooking meth

hey, let's ban sugar sources and yeast so they don't go cooking up moonshine in a basement still

[LisaLynne]

21. Who takes freaking sudafed to feel alert?

It knocks me out, but when I have sinus pressure so bad that I want to drill a hole in my face, yes, I will take it. I think your rant here was wildly misplaced.

[Occulus]

25. I get chronic sinus migraines

For some people, sinus trouble means a little congestion and stuffiness, some pressure, and a bit of pain. For me, it means a screaming, thrashing sinus migraine, akin to having an icepick pressed slowely through my cheekbone. The pain is completely incapacitating. They sometimes cause me to pass out, and are so bad my doctor certified me for a lifetime FMLA condition.

The one time I tried sudafed for it, it not only stopped the migraine but actually prevented the next one. Nothing else, no other drug or pain releiver, has ever done that. Because of these laws, I can't buy enough to keep me at work every day in the fall and spring. Not by a long shot.

So, I have to suffer incapacitating pain just so your family doesn't have to parent their kids. Where do i send the bill for my lost wages? I only ask because your family obviously owes me money and I want them to pay the fuck up!

[sweetloukillbot]

33. I worked in a drug store before sales were limited.

We couldn't keep Sudafed or any of its many variations on the shelves. The meth cookers would come in and buy every package as soon as it hit the shelves. We couldn't keep it in stock because it was all going to make meth. So, by having to spend an extra two minutes signing for it at the pharmacy counter, you are actually able to buy it now.

[eShirl]

37. it's the waiting in line for 20-40 minutes to get to the counter that I don't like

what with the aches and pains of everything else that's wrong with me besides the sinus headaches

[blue neen]

42. Yep.

Agreed. +1.

[Kolesar]

5. I remember when pseudoephedrine was sold in 500 count bottles for the meth-lab market

Why else were the drug makers packaging them in huge bottles except to support the drug racket?
For a summer camp for super-allergic city kids?

[pipoman]

10. Yep

I remember mail order pure pseudoephedrine "mini white crosses" in huge bottles were readily available and cheap in the 1980's. At the time I had hardly heard of meth and didn't know they were being sold for meth production.

[Mariana]

20. In the early 1980's it was still fairly easy to get amphetamines

that were manufactured for pharmaceutical use. They tended to be less powerful than meth and, no doubt about it, relatively safer to use. Meth was well known to be bad news. Where I lived, lots of people used various amphetamines, but very few used meth, and those who did were thought of the same way as heroin users - burnouts, dead enders.

[momsrule]

60. Hellooo!

Large bottles are shipped to pharmacies and to dispensaries, e.g. military bases, to he dispensed in small quantities as per doctor's orders. THEY ARE NOT SHIPPED TO METH LABS!!!

[Kolesar]

66. I bought big bottles of pseudoephedrine over the counter at Walgreen's

My allotment was out of date before I used half of them. The meth makers bought their bottles and put them to immediate use.

[Swede Atlanta]

7. But you can purchase a Bushmaster over the Internet with nothing more than

your credit card.

we are a very sick society that would make purchasing something to help with a cold more difficult or cumbersome than purchasing an assault weapon.

[pipoman]

9. No you can't.

[Remmah2]

39. Maybe he's thinking of these.

[nc4bo]

12. +1. North Carolina is thinking about it too.

Some jackarse legislaters in NC are floating a trial balloon to require a prescription to purchase cold medicine.

http://indieregister.com/2012/12/20/nc-lawmakers-consider-prescription-for-cold-meds/

But state lawmakers are considering tighter controls on pseudoephedrine. A state House committee recommended this week that the full General Assembly vote on a proposal to require prescriptions for medications containing the drug.

<snip>

The restrictions initially cut the number of North Carolina meth lab busts in half, according to the state Department of Justice. But officials say meth is now on the rise as manufacturers switch to “one-pot” meth labs that require less pseudoephedrine to make the illegal drug.

<snip>

Making everyone with a stuffy nose see a doctor in order to buy decongestant doesn’t make medical sense. Under this proposed new law, urgent care clinics and doctor’s offices could be overrun with folks who just need Sudafed and bedrest.

It also drives up the cost of health care, since even patients with good health insurance would have to meet co-pay requirements for the unnecessary doctor visits.

[mrdmk]

56. I really doubt that 'Meth Labs' are going to the local pharmacy to get pseudoephedrine

Like their guns, they buy this stuff in the underground market!

This type of reaction by certain politicians gives government a bad name...

[sweetloukillbot]

57. I worked in a drug store in the 90s when Sudafed was not kept in the pharmacy

People would walk in on Wednesdays, the day we got our shipments, and buy 20 boxes of Sudafed at a time. Every week like clockwork. We all knew what they were doing, but we couldn't refuse the sale.
Why would they buy from an underground market when they could walk into a drugstore and get it in bulk for cheaper?

[Remmah2]

23. So the NRA is offering mail order service now?

Who'd of thunk.

[NutmegYankee]

63. You can't have a weapon shipped to your home.

It has to go to a Federal Firearms Licensed Dealer (like a local gun store) who then confirms that you have undergone the required background checks and other rules for compliance in your location, such as permits. They then collect their $25 fee and hand it over.

[greiner3]

11. About a month ago;

I was carded (I'm 56) for buying spray paint at Home Depot.

I tried to make light of this with the 'orange' bibbed guy.

But his response was 'them high school kids actually use this to get HIGH!

This was before Newton and even then I wanted to ask him if there were any local 'spray paint shows.'

[gkhouston]

40. Yeah, that happened to me, too.

Fortunately, I had a clerk with a sense of humor, so when I said, "Well, I wasn't planning on huffing this stuff, but if the repair goes badly, all bets are off," she thought it was funny.

[marmar]

16. k/r

[dotymed]

18. I went to pick-up a prescription last night.

A man in front of me was attempting to buy sudafed. He had to show his drivers license. His license was "dog-eared." The lady told him that since his license was not pristine, she could not sell it to him. It could have been altered. He was very calm about it all. Kind of like he was used to this. He may have wanted to buy it for meth, IDK. If That happened to me, I would have at least asked to speak to the pharmacist. Maybe he was embarrassed and didn't want to be thought of as displaying "drug seeking behavior."
I know that this pharmacy has, on several occasions, refused to refill my prescription, saying that it was a day early. I had the dated bottle at home and knew this was not the case. The medication was for pain, I have chronic back problems that I refuse surgery for (another story). I used to date a pharmacist. Any questioning of their accuracy is usually attributed to "drug seeking behavior." Such perceived behavior is noted and often reported to your Dr. I would rather suffer one day, than potentially be labeled an addict and probably taken off my meds. IMO, this is just another control mechanism (threat) to keep us in line.
Tennessee just passed another law about pain meds. In order to get some pain relief, a person is scrutinized and tested and made to feel like an addict. I have refused stronger meds (before all of these new laws) because I want to be clear-headed. I would prefer to suffer some pain than be a zombie. I have stopped the pain meds before and was barely ambulatory.
My point..we are far from being a free society. Todays Amerika is what I was taught the USSR was like when I was young...

[RKP5637]

31. Yep!!! "Todays America is what I was taught the USSR was like when I was young..." Many

times I feel in the US we're approaching / living / or getting damn close to what I remember as a kid about what Russia was supposed to be like and often I feel we're on the edge of Nazi Germany with some of the other crap. We border a very scrutinized state with often ridiculous zero-tolerance ... and labeling of people. ... and often the supposed fixes are nothing more than harassment. And those that don't see what's going on are those that would wander through life with anything, always clueless.

[Remmah2]

22. It may save the life of just one child. nt

nt

[Occulus]

26. So?

That means I have to pass out from pain in my face?

No, thanks. I'll let this mysterious child's parents take the risk. Not my kid, not my problem, definitely not my responsibility.

[Remmah2]

28. Plenty of 24 hour pharmacies. nt

nt

[Romulox]

35. "Let them eat cake!"

You're a REAL humanitarian.

[eShirl]

38. That's a great all-purpose justification.

If nothing else works, "But what about the children??!!"

[RKP5637]

29. ... because in the US we treat symptoms, not root causes, so we muck along in the same old ruts. n/t

[Tippy]

32. I had to go to the WM Pharmacy yesterday to pick up my meds...

Last edited Fri Jan 4, 2013, 03:40 PM - Edit history (1)

While there I asked for Sudafed...Well the song and dance began....I told the lady I had been taking Sudafed for years I was not nor never have been a meth maker..."But we have to do this" I was told....Told her they can take their Sudafed and shove it...Then in a very loud angry voice I exclaimed I have been taking the drug for years for head congesiton...And today It is easier to buy a gun to blow up little children then to buy Sudafed for a stuffy head...I told them you have your properties wrong..Wal Mart should sell sudafed not guns..I am tired of being treated like a criminal so no more sudafed..I blame Wall Mart and our county Sheriff..I hope that fool gets a head cold...

[blue neen]

47. The lady that you yelled at "in a very loud angry voice"....

she is just doing her job. She didn't make the law. If that employee would have complied with your demands, she would have lost her job, not to mention what would have happened to the pharmacy.

You have a right to complain, but maybe next time you could direct your complaints to the people who actually passed the law.

[Tippy]

54. I really did not make myself clear when I wrote the post..I did tell her I did not blame her

She was just doing her job...I really felt the need to say or do something... the fact I was loud I wanted Wal Mart to know I spend a lot of money in the Pharmany and I thought they were being disrespectful to me as a customer...going thought the motions trying to make their point is plain stupid..Did you know we are now carding the generic sudafed, which has no sudofedrin in them...

[blue neen]

58. Really?

Quote: "I thought they were being disrespectful to me as a customer". Hmmm. Disrespectful---what an interesting and ironic word.

Please explain how they were "going thought (through?) the motions trying to make their point." What point?

A federal law is just that---a federal law. The pharmacy absolutely must abide by the terms of selling Sudafed and it's generic forms (yeah, the generics do have "sudofedrin" in them).

[zappaman]

48. Did you get anything to help with your anger issues?

Or have you enrolled in anger management classes?
I hope you get the help you need!

[NutmegYankee]

62. I don't think he has anger issues.

Most people are a little grumpy and not at their best when they are miserable and ill. All part of the human condition.

[Tippy]

70. Thank you

[cthulu2016]

55. Like yourself, I have found that yelling at wage slaves is the most effective way

to get federal laws changed.

[Romulox]

34. As always, this site is lousy with crappy Drug Warriors. "Think of the children!"

[jwirr]

41. Especially when you are 71 years old!

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

44. Just wait until you have to get a prescription filled for Ritalin

Ritalin is a Class II. I am fingerprinted, my driver's license is scanned, I have to present a brand new Rx in person each month and I have to bring it on the right day (when the previous one expires), or it won't get filled.

Ritalin is a stimulant (sort of like speed), highly abused by the college/high school crowd and those who don't need it (it is used for ADHD and narcolepsy).

However, I don't complain. I have seen and worked with way too many meth addicts and their poor kids, some of whom went to great lengths to purchase and shoplift every box of Sudafed or similar pseudoephedrines to cook their crap.

I have also seen how many normal kids are being prescribed ritalin not because of ADHD but simply for being kids.

[Fumesucker]

50. Ritalin has the exact opposite effect if you are not ADHD, it makes jumpy kids worse not better

So prescribing Ritalin for a non ADHD child will have them running around like wild things, that would seem to be pretty obvious even to the most clueless.

[deafskeptic]

61. Yep.

When I took Ritalin, my coworkers didn't believe me when I told them it's not a downer. I no longer take it due to high blood pressure.

[frylock]

46. i was carded while buying mucinex last week..

Mucinex ffs! I guess because of the dextromethorphan, but I don't think you can make purple drank with it.

[RockaFowler]

49. Yep - Aleve-D too

It took me 20 minutes to get it because of all of the paperwork involved in getting it. I just had a sinus headache.

Also, look behind the pharmacy counter - all of the "banned" drugs are there. Anything with a "D" after it is a big no-no I guess.

[sweetloukillbot]

59. Wow - what paperwork?

When I've bought it, I've had to show my driver's license and sign a book. Really incovenient to show something that is in my wallet and sign my name.

[Stargleamer]

52. Me? I just get the kind Walt White makes. . .

none of this cheap, low-quality junk. Give me the blue, clear kind Walt makes any day!

[Comrade Grumpy]

53. Generic name for these laws: Mexican Methamphetamine Market Share Enhancement Act

Those industrial cooks down in Mexico say "gracias" to legislatures that hinder their competition.

[davidpdx]

64. It is interesting how available stuff is OTC in the US compared to other countries

Here in South Korea you have to physically go up to a pharmacist and ask for something (even Tylenol). They don't sell it at regular stores only pharmacies and very few of the pharmacies are open 24 hours a day or on Sunday (it actually use to be even worse when I first got here). It is annoying as hell. When I can find the good stuff (western meds) I usually keep some on hand.

I know that my home state of Oregon has heavy regulations on pseudeophedrine.

[NutmegYankee]

65. Why don't they just ban the stuff?

And I say this half jokingly only because I myself cannot take it because I'm allergic to it. I have to resort to taking antihistamines (which have some good non-drowsy forms available).

I realize that other people find it very useful - I am just amused at the tendency of some on DU to want to ban things solely because they don't see a personal need for it.

[AngryOldDem]

67. There's also some moves afoot to make stuff like that prescription only.

Which makes NO sense, given the current state of health care. If people can't afford to see a doctor for the big things, what makes the law think they will go see the doc over a cold?

My stance is, fuck this. I'll suffer with the cold rather than go through this bullshit.

[PatSeg]

68. Buying OTC asthma medication

has become extremely difficult as well because it contains ephedrine. Bronkaid and Primatene tablets usually work better for me than most prescription medications, with fewer side effects. Very few pharmacies even carry them anymore so I have to order them online and provide them with a copy of my driver's license.

When I moved, my shipping address didn't match my driver's license so I couldn't buy it until I got a new license. It is so frustrating because I actually use it for its intended purpose, but because someone abuses it, I have to jump through hoops.