This is one drug law I agree with: Sell pseudoephedrine behind the counter

[LynneSin]

http://www.salon.com/mwt/wire/2005/05/01/pseudoephedrine/index.html

Group wants restricted sales of certain drugs, including Sudafed, Nyquil


- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Lou Kesten

May 1, 2005 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- An association representing more than 36,000 pharmacies is issuing guidelines for possible federal legislation to restrict sales of cold medications containing a substance often used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine -- or "speed.''

Pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in a number of over-the-counter drugs like Sudafed, NyQuil and Sinutab, can be extracted by boiling down the cold medicines; toxic chemicals are then used to turn the substance into highly concentrated meth.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores, moving to avoid a hodgepodge of state laws, is calling for an overarching federal law that would require that such products be kept behind the pharmacy counter and sold only by a licensed pharmacist or pharmacy personnel.

<<<more - requires subscription to SALON but you can watch a quick ad to read the rest>>>

I totally agree with this particular law because these meth labs and their addicts are some of the most heinious human beings out there. I'm a big fan of Nyquil and I know that I don't want the hassle of a prescription, but if this stuff is sold behind the counter (without a prescription) and limited to how much can be sold at one time, then maybe we can help cut down on meth production.

[wakeme2008]

1. Here

:evilgrin:

[sendero]

2. As much as it pains me...

... I agree. That is the easiest and least-intrusive way to slow down the meth disaster.

That crap is pure evil, ruining lives all over the country. A slow deterioration of health, especially mental and dental, a party that always ends badly.

Not only that, but it's not remotely like pseudoephedrine is a drug with no viable substitutes/replacements.

[LynneSin]

3. You know what I find amusing...

....White folks living in the suburb & rural areas are so quickly to vilify the urban area and the use of crack. Yet maybe they should be more worried about their own neighborhoods and all the meth use being done. If ever there was a family values drug it's crank - everytime I read or watch something about meth, it seems the whole family is doing it. Mom & Dad will get the kids hooked on the crap.

[sendero]

4. You are right...

... and from what I've seen, meth is every bit as destructive as crack. It's just a lot slower.

[amazona]

33. i've known plenty of white rural/suburban crack addicts

One of my former friends, her whole claim to fame was that she and her husband (an ex police officer with law enforcement contacts -- you know -- "evidence" rooms) took credit for introducing the first crack house into their rural community.

Just because white people don't get arrested for smoking crack, don't assume they don't smoke it. The penalties for crack possession and dealing are so draconian that law enforcement officers, some of whom have indulged on occasion themselves or have family members with the problem, are reluctant to arrest people they identity with for minor possession or dealing. At least that's my observation in my tiny corner of the world.

Meth has been around a long time. Exploding meth labs have been around a long time, as have exploding crack houses. I once lived across the street from a crack house that burned three times in probably less than 18 months. I don't need the government giving people even more incentive to think of new and different ways to cook precursors and drugs. I wish they'd legalize the stuff, sell it cheaply even if it be over the counter, and stop putting the rest of us at risk for having our houses burned down.

But "crack versus crank" is a false comparison. The person who smokes crack will smoke crank just fine and vice versa. When cocaine was super cheap, cheap, cheap, then meth was not so fashionable. When there starts to be harsh penalties and interruption of supply, then it's back to manufacturing the speed. It's the same people doing it, you're just playing whack-a-mole and kidding yourself that you're making a difference.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[LynneSin]

42. And there are also minorities that indulge in crank

But trends have meth seems to be in the rural areas and crack in the urban areas.

ANd yes, there are crack houses in the burbs and sticks. I use to date a guy who came from a very well-to-do family and just happen to be crackhead (although I didn't find out right away because he was such a 'clean white boy'). We broke up after the night I had to drive him to the local crack trailer where he could get a hit and buy some supplies. Needless to say that was all it took in my book.

I did run into him 2 years later the night before he was heading down to rehab in Florida. He said I was the only girl he ever dated that gave a shit about his drug use and getting out of it but it took getting busted and facing jail time for him to finally do something about it. I've always wondered how he's doing today and hope he made it.

[BlueIris]

5. Yeah...

I can't come up with a good reason to think this is a bad idea right now. And they've already taken all that stuff of the shelves of every retailer in my state I've been to recently.

[vi5]

6. Let's be realistic here....

I'm not against this decision since I don't see what harm it could do. But is it really anything more than a feel good finger in the dam?

I mean last I checked drugs like cocain, heroin, and myriad hallucinogens are actually illegal and yet that has done nothing to curb their influx into our society. Does anyone honestly believe that simply taking one of the over the counter ingredients in meth and having you have to ask someone for it is really going to do anything to stop people who want to get it to make this stuff?

I don't know, maybe I'm just a cynic.

[sendero]

7. In general...

... I understand what you are saying. Here's why I think this is a good idea.

Drugs like cocaine, heroin and the like are expensive. Meth is very cheap, and that is at the root of its popularity IMHO. The availability of pseudoephedrine has been substantially curtailed in some areas of the country, by stores refusing to sell more than a couple packages of cold medicine at a time.

This has helped slightly, but it's only a small roadblock - folks just drive around all day buying 2 here and 2 there and etc. Putting it behind the counter would simply rachet up the difficulty level a bit. It is not any kind of solution, but then it has little downside to implement.

If I were king for a day, I'd simply ban pseudoephedrine. It is a drug of limited uses, with several viable replacements. But, as much as Republicans "hate" drugs, they hate curtailing anyone's profits even more.

on edit: I really have to start previewing my posts :)

[LynneSin]

8. Meth is also made in the USA, unlike Cocaine/Herion products

Of course, the previous poster had a point that this is merely putting a "finger in the dam"

And to be honest, it'll just off-shore meth production.

Now I'm not sure how I feel, but I think ultimately this is still the right direction to move. Pseudoephedrine products like Sudafed wasn't always sold over the counter. I remember getting a prescription for it back in the early 80s and it was only just recently approved for OTC sale. I wonder the effects of making pseudoephedrine OTC has done on the abuse of Meth in this country?

[sendero]

9. Well...

... at least if it's manufactured elsewhere, we won't have people blowing up their house/trailer every other day.

Seriously, a couple years ago I was looking for a mobile home to put on some land I got in the Texoma (TX/OK border) area. We were up in OK just across the border, looking at used homes on a lot.

There was one where half the siding was gone and the rest was hanging off. I asked the salesman what happened to it. "Meth lab exploded next door".

Meth is a huge problem in rural north Texas and Oklahoma. I have other anecdotes. It is a real mess, and a serious problem. And the folks that get hooked on that crap seem to not realize that they are ruining their health, slowly but inexorably.

[vi5]

10. I don't disagree.....

Again, I don't think this is a bad move. I'd rather this than a law banning something that has perfectly legitimate uses, just to curtail something that will get made anyway, and for which the bigger issue is demand and usage. Like all drugs, the various laws and measures we pass will mean nothing until we address why we as a society tend to create a culture and economic climate where cheap fixes and chemical escapism run rampant.

[sendero]

13. I'll tell ya...

...philosophically, I agree with you 100%. I'm for gun rights. I generally think that drug laws are misguided. I rarely think that the rights of the many should be restricted because of the transgressions of the few.

In this case, I'm being inconsistent with my own core values, and I don't like that. I don't want to be a hypocrite, and personally I think that everyone has to be on guard against their own hypocrisy.

Here is my justification:

1) the restriction of the rights of others is basically no more than an inconvenience, "convenience" is not necessarily right. Background checks on gun purchases are "inconvenient", but I think they are justified even though I'm very pro gun rights.

2) Meth is a particularly insidious drug. One problem with it is that the ill effects of the drug often take years to really take hold. Users get lulled into thinking that they can handle it, everything is OK. I should mention that a close personal friend of mine ruined his life with this crap. The meltdown happened 16 years ago, he will never have his health back and the rest of his life is just now starting to recover.

3) Lots of these addicts cook the drugs with kids around, because they have to. Cooking this stuff is dangerous, explosions happen frequently and the remains of the chemicals used would practically qualify for Superfund cleanup.

I hate being inconsistent but in this case I have to let pragmatism win out over philosophy. Anything we can do to stem the growth of this scourge, within the constitution, is fair game to me.

[SmokingJacket]

28. Do you know of a good substitute for pseudoephedrine?

I use this stuff *a lot* because of chronic sinus pressure/headaches. It always works; I've tried a couple other things, but nothing I've found (and granted, I haven't looked too hard) works anywhere near as well.

I'd like to be prepared if they *do* ban this stuff. Obviously, for my own benefit I'd rather they didn't... but if it would make a difference in meth addiction I can see the point.

[LynneSin]

29. I can't see them banning this

As another poster mentioned, it's so fricking safe that pregnant women can use it.

[pschoeb]

34. Have you tried Bromelain?

It's an enzyme from pinapple, that if given in enteric-coated form(helps it pass through stomach) is supposed to help with sinus symptoms. This in combination with a good vitamin c supplement, to help with histamine reacions, might help you.

[SmokingJacket]

41. Will definitely look into it, thanks! nt

[Horse with no Name]

38. I don't think there is one

I spent thousands for years on prescription sinus medicine.
Allegra (not the 24 hour one) was the best I had used after they took all the ones with phenylpropanolamine off the the market.
However, for the ones of us who suffer from sinuses, pseudoephedrine is a lifesaver, which probably means they will take it off the market since it is cheap and replace it with an expensive prescription alternative.:(

[depakid]

50. Oregon is going require ID's and keep records

"...the governor announced that he has requested the Oregon Board of Pharmacy to enact an emergency administrative rule requiring the sales of Pseudoephedrine and Ephedrine to be conducted only behind a secured counter, such as the pharmacy counter at grocery stores. It will require purchasers to show identification and that vendors keep records of each sale. This temporary rule will be in effect for 180 days; the governor announced that he will work with legislators during the next legislative session to make the rule permanent."

Like I said- I support this- however reluctantly- and I really don't give a shit whether some of you are "inconvenienced" or not.

"In Oregon, Methamphetamine use is currently a factor in more than 85% of property and identity theft crimes, and is a major contributor to violent crimes. Methamphetamine use and production is also the single biggest factor that leads to the removal of Oregon children from their homes and placed in long-term foster care."

http://www.dhs.state.or.us/news/2004news/2004-1004.html

[LynneSin]

51. Now to me, that's overboard

I shouldn't have to be carded to buy OTC cold medicine but I don't mind going to the counter and asking for it. Hell, I hope Alka Seltzer Cold medicine doesn't fall into these categories because that's my cold medicine of choice!

[depakid]

52. The only effective way to deter purchases

is by taking ID and keeping records. Just keeping something behind the counter is a nuisance, but with enough people and enough stores, detemined cooks will get around that.

Personally, I think this should be a national law.

btw: it's only for ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products- which are the major meth precursors. It's not like the retailers would stand for this kind of thing with a whole range of products- but if you look at the externalities- not to mention what they probably lose to tweaker's shoplifting- it makes economic sense for them to do this with the major meth components.

[pnb]

11. Seems like overkill to me

Why not just limit the amount sold over the counter? No need to make it difficult for people who have allergies, colds, flu, etc., to get good medicine easily.

[LynneSin]

12. Shoplifting

Plus by selling it from behind the counter they can monitor the purchase of it more closely. I'm sure it won't be a hassle if I need a box of Sudefed to go to a counter and some is given to me. BUt if I'm buying a box or 2 of it everyday then this is something that can be monitored to find out if illegal activities are going on with the use of the product.

[pnb]

16. I may have misunderstood

I thought that "behind the counter" would mean a doctors visit and a prescription would be necessary. If that's not the case, than pretend I never misunderstood in the first place. :-)

[Peregrine]

37. Only have to ask for it

Behind the counter means that you will have to go the the counter to ask for it, no perscription.

[elehhhhna]

14. Will only stop the mom & pops--the black market in legal & illegal

drugs is huge already--the pseudoephedrine will just be jacked before it gets to the store. Vanity Fair (May) has a great article about the black market in chemo drugs that would curl your toes.

[RobinA]

15. Sounds Like

complete nonsense to me. Do we sell everything drug users use behind the counter? Somehow I doubt this will make a dent in meth manufacture. It's like making drug paraphenalia illegal. Yeah, I'm sure lots of people stopped smoking pot because you can't buy a bong anymore. It's a lucrative business and Americans are have nothing if not the entrepeneurial spirit. Where there's a dollar to be made, there's a way. Meanwhile, I have to jump through hoops to get sinus relief and the meth makers cook on.

[Coyote_Bandit]

17. They have started doing this in JOklahoma

and it has indeed helped to curb meth production at least somewhat. Problem is you can drive to any of the surrounding states and buy it OTC. Also, there has been a problem with one of the national chain stores here not monitoring the log sheet of purchases.

Logged and monitored behind the counter purchases of Sudafed without a prescription is probably the best way to deal with this problem. The drug itself when used properly is remarkably safe - I've even known pregnant women who were allowed to take it.

Personally, I think this is a pain in the rear. As a life long allergy sufferer I must say that Sudafed is the single most effective drug I have used to treat my symptoms. And, yes, it is very cost effective. I take no prescription meds and have not seen a doctor in nearly 8 years. That is what happens when you are unemployed.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

18. As a former meth addict...I take issue with your statement...

"...addicts are some of the most heinious human beings out there."

I spent 7 years of my life trying to get off the stuff, and except for 'possession' I never broke any laws when I was on it. I'm not lying, most of my family to this day has no idea what was going on, because I kept my job, and never went to jail. I know I was extremely lucky, this was 6 years ago now, and I will never go back.
Good people get hooked too.

As far as keeping it off the shelves, I'm all for it. drip, drip, drip.

[LynneSin]

20. There are always exceptions to the rule

and clearly you are one and I"m glad that you were able to get clean. However, overwhelmingly this drug is very destructive - I'm just glad you were able to get out of its grip

[MadHound]

19. Sorry, but this is simply a short term, feel good measure.

It will, perhaps, have an effect of lowering the consumption of meth in the short term. However meth is one of the ultimate in evolutionary drugs. Sooner rather than later some garage chemist will figure out how to extract pseudoephedrine from some other common substance. I went to the grocery store yesterday, and on my shopping list was to get some cold medicine for my wife. Well, per our new law, Sudafed was behind the counter. I walked down the aisle and found about a dozen other cold/flu remedies that contain psudoephedrine freely available to anybody.

And when this proves to be a bust, our you going to call for placing other meth ingriedients behind the counter, things like common kitchen matches, muratic acid(for cleaning pools) etc. etc. And even if you do, it won't make a difference in the long run, the garage chemists can come up with more recipies faster than you can ban otherwise innocous substances.

And the real kicker with this is that the more you force the chemists to change their formulas, the more dangerous the resulting product will be. Thus, meth labs could become even more of a volatile enviromental hazard, and the end product harms the user even more.

Rather, let us drop this farce of a Drug War, and legalize all drugs. Thus, you won't have to worry about the meth lab next door blowing up, the end product is cleaner and safer for the user, and judging by other countries that have legalized drugs, the usage rate will go down, after the initial euphoric period. Control it, yes, much like one does with alcohol. Tax it, by all means tax it up to the point where the cost won't promote another underground market. You can even use the proceeds to fund prevention and recovery programs. But all you are doing by keeping it illegal is ripping our Constitution to shreds, insuring that the user is suffering from the use of a bad product, and allowing the privleged few to make a butt load of money. The increasing use of forfeiture laws has insured that both politicians and police have a monetary stake in keeping the status quo. They have become as hooked on this illegit, illegal revenue stream as a tweaker on meth. As Malcomn X said, the police, criminals and politicians walk hand in hand in hand. Let us break this grip that is killing our society and legalize all drugs. Otherwise we will all suffer.

[LynneSin]

23. You have a point but...

it's more than just the drug itself that is destructive.

Let's say you and I are neighbors and we live in one of those neighborhoods where homes are practically right next to each other.

Your drug of choice is marijuana and in your closet is a hydroponicly grown marijuana plant. My choice is meth and in my kitchen where I'm cooking my own meth.

If your hydroponic system goes haywire - nothing really is harmed other than maybe a few dead plants. If my meth lab goes bad, not only is my house a goner but I'm probably taking your house and a few others with me.

Meth labs are very explosive and the bigger mass production facitilies are usually located on farms where there are no close neighbors and these folks are probably getting the Sudafed ship to them from a source outside of the pharmacies. But the problem is more and more meth labs are popping up in peoples homes since all of the ingrediants are easy to obtain.

And btw, the law would be to put all pseudoephedrine behind the counter, not just sudafed. If people want to kill themselves by smoking this stuff fine, but I know I wouldn't want to live next door to a meth lab

[MadHound]

36. Again, another reason to legalize it.

Having lived in a neighborhood with dueling(and I do mean dueling, up and down the street running gun battles) crack houses, I have always found the arguement that it would cut down on such residences to be ridiculous. If you ban pseudoephedrine the shelves, the meth chemists will either find a different source for pseudoephedrine, or a substitute for it. Meth can be cooked up in using an almost endless different variety of ingredients, and restricting one will mean replacement with another, possibly more dangerous ingredient. Meanwhile, the garage labs will continue to crank out the crank, and endanger people for miles around.

Legalizing all drugs will put the garage chemists out of business, and will confine such dangerous manufacture and distribution to factories that are equipped to handle it. Thus, under such a scenario, you as a tweaker and me as a pothead would both go down to the corner grocery to get our respective fixes, and no houses will be endangered.

[amazona]

35. agree with you

A friend had a "funny" story about a meth manufacturing process that somehow left the lab with a bunch of radioactive thorium. Of course, the university in question had no idea that after hours at the science lab their hard-working chemistry students were up to such antics. This was in the 70s. It really makes you wonder how many innocent students of the university got exposed to that stuff over the years.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[junkiebrewster]

21. this would almost work....

This would work, if the majority of meth was produced in the US. However, as it stands, most meth is made in labs in Mexico. This is more BS legislation that will be trumpted until the meth craze "ends." Which, of course, it never will. The media will just latch on to the "crack resurgance" or some such when meth no longer scares suburbanites into buying papers.

[bleedingheart]

22. After seeing my 17 year old cousin lose all his teeth and almost end up in

prison, I also think that this stuff should be sold from behind the counter.

Meth is a horrible drug.

[newportdadde]

24. Nice thought but I dont see it working instead...

Here in MO we sort of do this already you aren't allowed to buy but like two packages. I'll just get more BS hassle when I go to buy cold medicine. Its cool though, I love standing in line with a 15 month old who is going bonkers because he is bored and wants to walk around :lol: while everyone stares at me like I'm a horrible parent.

Before:

Newport got cold medicine and leaves. He feels better.

Meth makers goes in and gets cold medicine and makes illegal drugs.


After:

Newport stands in line, goes through BS hassle to get medicine.

Meth guy uses another product to make drugs.


Here is a crazy idea.. put down the speed gun and raid more meth labs and throw their ass in jail.

[Blue Diadem]

25. From what I understand they also need to do something with

the rural area ammonia tanks that are not secure. Recently there was case of someone attempting to steal some in the middle of the night to most likely manufacture meth. They either left the valve open or broke it because the odor was detected by a train engineer who was sitting in his stopped train quite a distance away.

[newportdadde]

27. Yep those tanks are unattended usually if a farmer has them out.

Saw them all the time growing up and my Dad would leave them out in the field for the next day if he wasn't done applying. I can't imagine trying to mess with that stuff though. If you have ever been around a full blast the face will damn near knock your ass on the ground its so strong. Takes your breath away.. nasty nasty stuff.

[Blue Diadem]

32. If I remember correctly, the first responders had problems

breathing. This was actually at an elevator/supply place. Last year I read about the police finding buried tanks of ammonia when they busted a meth lab, makes me wonder if they stole a farmer's tank.

[tyedyeto]

26. Will these new laws end with the monitoring of meth lab ingredients?

Where will the line be drawn? Alcohol, other OTC drugs, herbal remedies, etc?
I went to a Walgreen's to buy a pack of cigarettes a year or so ago. The clerk asked for my ID. I'm 52!! But no big deal, right?
Then the clerk wanted to scan my license! I said NO WAY. I will not be a part of some database somewhere that is going to monitor what I am ingesting into my body and that includes OTC drugs, alcohol, smokes or whatever.

[Horse with no Name]

39. They wanted to SCAN your ID?

Holy crap. Probably to enter it into a database so you can be denied health and/or life insurance for buying cigarettes.

[tyedyeto]

43. Yep....

that's when I left the store without purchasing anything!

[aeolian]

30. Great, so every kid with a cold will be "suspected" of making meth.

nice.

You're falling for the same logic of the rest of the drug war: "take it away and they won't want it."

What happens when pharmacists refuse to give out Pseudoephedrine because they're either ignorant or hyper-vigilant? I know it's just a cold medicine but still, things like this have a way of creeping...

[amazona]

31. well we can guarantee clerks get guns in their faces more often

I guess if you don't actually have to work in a place that sells drugs or precursors, more B.S. and more stuff behind the counter sounds like a good idea, since it won't be your face the gun is stuck in when the desperate drug addict robs the place.

I've known plenty of crack and meth addicts. Not one was stopped from using for a minute by the fact the stuff was illegal or the precursors were illegal. But I know at least two personally who got into distributing because they had the modest talent for chemistry needed and the precursors were harder to get and they saw a way to cash in. We've been making precursors more difficult to get for 20 years -- all it does is spur more research into alternative means of production. Methamphetamine is not the most complicated chemical going. You close one loophole, and you are just opening a different window of opportunity. Investigate for yourself. There are many pathways to manufacture this drug.

I honestly do not see the need to pass laws that, in effect, are price protection laws for the illegal drug industry.

I wouldn't use Nyquil on a bet, myself, but putting it behind the counter just because I don't like it is pretty ridiculous.

You ever notice how going to the post office to mail "in person" anything weighing over 16 ounces instead of being able to drop it in the mail as we used to be able to do stopped terrorists dead in their tracks? Yeah, me neither. Criminals will do their thing, and if you want to put more bodies at risk in their way, it bothers them not a bit.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[depakid]

40. I reluctantly have to agree as well

Meth is a scourge and it's qualitatively different than any other drug out there that's ever been out there.

Nothing- not coke, not absinthe, nor heroin even comes close to causing the immense personal and societal harm as this foul stuff.

I think the tradeoff is well worth it in this case.

[Mizmoon]

44. Last time we went down this road we got the rockefeller drug laws

Back in the 70s they were freaking out over heroin - it was taking over the nation - it was ruining EVERYTHING - something had to be done! And we got the Rockefeller drug laws, possibly the greatest offense to justice as I have ever personally seen.

Meth is bad. So is crack. But you cannot stop an adult from self-destructing if that's what they really want.

[LynneSin]

45. You're right but...

...we can do something about these methlabs popping up in neighborhoods that explode and take the neighbor homes with them. Hopefully by putting the drug behind the counter (but accessible to whomever asks for it) we can push the drug back to the manufactorers that are located on the farms where if they blow up no one else is killed in the process.

You don't ever want to find out your neighbor is cooking meth because that stuff is highly explosive!

[depakid]

47. Not to mention the kids who are poisoned and brain damaged

from being around the toxic fumes from their parents "labs" when they cook the stuff.

Plus, people who do a lot of meth physically need at least 8-10 months in some form of inpatient treatment- even jail- in order to get their dopamine pathways back in some modest form, because the meth just fries them. Anything less than that and they'll fall back into it, because they literally can't feel any pleasure (they have anhedonia) without the drug.

[dogday]

46. I don't like this

Pretty soon they will be regulating aspirin because of some such reason. Going down that road is dangerous to our personal freedoms.

[stevedeshazer]

48. That's quite a leap there

From having to go to the counter to buy Sudafed, to life in prison?

Mighty steep slippery slope you're describing there.

[TexasSissy]

49. Did you know that it is already limited? Why would selling it

behind the counter help?

I tried to buy three bottles of Nyquil several times during the last several years (different kinds, plus they were on sale). No can do. Restricted at Walgreen's and other places to two.

So what're they gonna do if it's behind the counter? Tell you that you look suspicious to them, so they're not gonna sell it to you? No way. That's an automatic discrimination lawsuit.

I see no advantage to anyone placing it behind the counter, except to make it less accessible to the general public. Can't get it if the pharmacist isn't there? Sorry. It is not an illegal substance. It should be available whenever the store is open. Just like glue (which druggies huff) and other substances that druggies use to get high.