WTF? I just had to show ID to buy Nyquil!

[SeattleGirl]

Went down to the drugstore to pick up some stuff, including Nyquil. The cashier is ringing up my purchases, when she asks me for ID. "ID? For what?" I asked. She held up the Nyquil, and said "For this." And she enters my ID info into the freaking cash register. I asked her when THIS started; she said last month. What the hell is next? Giving a DNA sample to buy aspirin?

Anyone else run into this?

[grace0418]

1. Yep. Everywhere in Chicago.

People use it to make Meth somehow. So they think they'll somehow crack down if they id everyone buying cough syrup. How? I have no idea.

[SeattleGirl]

3. To make meth?????? I know they use allergy meds, but Nyquil?

I've never heard of that. Not that I know the nuances of making meth, but Nyquil? And if that's so, why don't they lock it up in the pharmacy like the do the allergy meds?

[grace0418]

5. I don't know. It doesn't seem possible that this plan

could work. It's just another way to hassle people.

[SeattleGirl]

8. That's how it seems to me too. I'm all for shutting down meth

labs -- the drug totally destroys people, and the labs themselves are dangerous. But come on -- like the other cashier told me, this ID thing doesn't work. The people making meth just figure out ways around it.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

37. I've always been for legalizing drugs personally. They wouldn't

completely destroy peoples lives if they were legal. They wouldn't have to spend all of their funds (most of the price is just because it's illegal, and the sellers have to make profit for the risk), the more meth labs would disappear because they wouldn't be necessary because of the affordibility of substances. It also saves the rest of us alot of tax dollars and jails wouldn't be overflowing. Of course, this will never happen, because everyone thinks that they know whats good for me better than I do :eyes:

[LynneSin]

53. Actually - you're absolutely dead wrong on that account

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1474799&mesg_id=1474799

First, there is pseudoephridine in Nyquil; however, they are suppose to be changing the ingredients. Therefore it has to be behind the counter.

Remember, this isn't going to crack down on the superlabs that probably get mass shipments of the drug from out of the country. But anyone can, with a few household ingredients can setup their own Meth lab and cook their own meth. And if you're a tweaker hooked on meth, your addiction is growing to the point that it's more cost effective to make your own.

Now, here's this tweaked-out crankhead cooking meth using such fun ingredients like Amomnia setting up a meth lab in their home. WHich btw, not only are these sites highly explosive BUT the residue from cooking meth will make the home a superfund site and practically unlivable. Course if you're hooked on meth - none of this matters to you.

The above link I just posted in GD today. Bush is trying to take credit, but these programs are all state/local enacted - federal government has no regulations on where pseudoephrine products can be sold.

However, the information you're claiming is wrong. THese programs are working because there has been a major decrease in these homemade labs.

From the article:

Meth lab seizures declined from 17,562 in 2004 to 12,185 last year, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration's El Paso Intelligence Center, which compiles information on clandestine laboratories seized within the United States.

The drop was steepest in the Western and central western regions of the country, particularly states that were among the first and hardest hit by meth abuse and the dangerous makeshift labs where the drug is made from pseudoephedrine — found in many store-bought cold medicines — and household chemicals.

Oklahoma, for example, saw a drop of 68 percent, while lab busts in Montana fell by 66 percent and Oregon declined 60 percent. Missouri, which leads the nation in lab seizures, saw a 22 percent decline.

Those states are among at least 37 states with laws that restrict the sale of cold medications in an effort to starve meth manufacturers of their key ingredient. The federal Combat Meth Act, signed into law in March, will enforce similar restrictions across the country by Sept. 30.

In the drug test findings, Quest Diagnostics Inc. said its data showed workplace meth use fell 31 percent since 2005 and 45 percent since a peak in 2004. The Teterboro, N.J.-based company analyzed nearly 7.5 million drug tests in 2005 and about 3 million tests from January to May 2006.

So suck it up and show your ID - it's a policy that is actually working but probably because the Bush regime didn't have anything to do with it.

[SteppingRazor]

47. Used to be true, but no longer...

meth labs use pseudoephedrine as one of the main ingredients in meth. Nyquil used to have pseudoephedrine, but no longer does. This is a prime example of business being one step ahead of the law.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. Yes...they use that to make meth.

With the new meth laws, it's getting harder to buy stuff. It's not that big of a deal. Takes an extra few minutes.
Duckie

[SeattleGirl]

4. A cashier at another store told me that this ID crap doesn't stop

them. They just have someone else get the stuff for them. She said it's nothing but a big joke.

[grace0418]

6. Sure seems like one.

The war on drugs is such a farce anyway.

[SeattleGirl]

10. I know. It has been from the start.

But I guess the government wants to look like they're doing something, even if it is pretty much ineffective.

[Telly Savalas]

24. The new formula of Nyquil doesn't have pseudoephedrine in it.

So unless the old formula is still on the shelf, there's no reason to apply anti-meth practices to it.

It does contain dextromethorophan which supposedly gives one a buzz if enough is injested. I knew some people in college who were recreational Robitussin users. I question the safety of that though.

[SeattleGirl]

26. I hadn't heard that. I know lots of the allergy meds have different

formulas now, so you don't have to ask for them from the pharmacist. Next time I have to get some Nyquil, I'll look to see if it says anything about a new formula (this bottle doesn't).

[Telly Savalas]

33. I checked the webpage out of curiousity

http://vicks.com/products/nyquil_liquid.shtml

Just look at the ingredients on the bottle to see if there's psuedoephedrine. This "new formula" they're advertising might be so new that that old stuff is still available.

By the way this is not an endorsement of Nyquil. Our family buys almost all our OTC medications in the generic store brand. It's exactly the same pharmacologically, but much cheaper.

[SeattleGirl]

34. Thanks for checking on that, Telly.

I usually get the generic also; they were out of it.

[gkdmaths]

7. stoner!

kidding :hi:

[SeattleGirl]

11. Far out!

Howdy neighbor! :hi:

[gkdmaths]

27. I actually think it's being regulated

because nyquil itself is often abused. In highschool it was called "robo-frying' indicating the popularity of robitussin (sp?).

Of the active ingredients of nyquil, one is tylenol (which itself isnt regulated). Another is Unisom (which as far as I know isn't regulated) and the third, Dextromethorphan hydrobromide, is a rather huge molecule with respect to methamphetamine. Dextromethorphan does contain a methylated amine, you'd really have to bang on the molecule with a hammer to get to it and there are easier sources for it anyway. It would be easier to cleave the methylamine of Unisom at the ether, but you can buy pure unisom OTC, I think.

:shrug:

Did that make any sense?

Edit to add that I very well could be wrong, Im a chemical chemist, not a kitchen chemist, so I really dunno.

[SeattleGirl]

30. I've known bottom-of-the-barrel alcoholics who will drink

Nyquil, rubbing alcohol, etc., whatever they can get their hands on.

[bigwillq]

9. I think it's because of Meth

All OTC medication containing products that could be used to make Meth are locked up here in CT.

[SeattleGirl]

13. Yeah, we've had the allergy meds the meth users like locked up

for quite some time, but the Nyquil was just sitting there on the shelf in the "Cold and Flu" aisle. That's why I was so stunned when the cashier asked me for ID. Plus, this is the first I'd heard that the meth makers are using Nyquil. You know, they will just figure out something else to use, and they will continue doing it (the meth makers, I mean). I wonder -- are stores going to start locking everything behind glass? Bars? Wire mesh?

[OhioBlue]

12. A couple of months ago

I had to show ID and have my information logged into a binder for buying Claritin D - since then I think they have figured out that it isn't necessary, because they haven't done it since. It could be that this pharmacy and/or clerk are just unfamiliar with the law.
:shrug:

[SeattleGirl]

15. She seemed sure of herself. It's' just ridiculous.

I used to work with drug addicts and alcoholics for a number of years, and believe me, if they want something bad enough, they WILL figure out a way to get it.

[Ava]

14. yeah... it's that way here too

i couldn't get cold medicine when i was sick because i don't have an ID. my mom had to go get it for me :shrug:

i wanted to tell the lady at the counter "can you not see the snot dripping from my nose!" :rofl:

ok.. sorry i grossed ya'll out! :P

[SeattleGirl]

17. Hmm, she probably would have thought it was from you using coke

and ruining your nose! :rofl:

[Floogeldy]

16. Welcome to the DRUG WAR.

I knew we would all become involved, sooner or later. }(

[SeattleGirl]

19. Yeah. I can't wait to see what's next on the list.

Like I said in a post above, next thing you know, we'll have to give a DNA sample to buy aspirin!

[Dangerously Amused]

18. SG! They're on to you, GF!

Don't panic!

Quick, act casual... Okay, your emergency suitcase is packed, right? Good. Uh...


...The dancing duck flies at midnight by that one place where we went that time. And ixnay on the eyequil-nay. Got it?



So, uh... see you later...

[SeattleGirl]

21. Roger that, DA

The duck is ready for take off.

[Oeditpus Rex]

20. But, SG

Isn't it worth it? I mean, haven't you noticed that the Methamphetamine Scourge is virtually gone?

:eyes:

Enough of this crap. Got yer radio/teevee on? :evilgrin:



Edit: GODDAMMIT! :grr:

[SeattleGirl]

22. Oh yeah, meth has all but been wiped out by people like you

and me showing ID to buy fuggin' cold medicine. Sheesh.

And yes, I have the TV on. DID YOU SEE THAT TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY BELTRE???????? :evilgrin:

[Oeditpus Rex]

28. I rarely get to see the Dodgers

They're on Fox Sports West 2, which we can't even get up here unless we buy the Total Sports Package or whateverthefuckit'scalled. :grr:

But I heard it. Whaddya think my edit was about? :grr: :grr:

[SeattleGirl]

31. Actually, your guys have tied it up, thanks mostly to our pitcher and

catcher doing a Keystone Cops act. Freakin' A!

[Oeditpus Rex]

36. The way Vinny described it

it sounded like Harold Lloyd in "Safety Last." :rofl:

[greatauntoftriplets]

23. We have had similar laws in Illinois for some time.

You must not only show ID to buy things like Nyquil, but they are kept in the pharmacist area and so you must ask for them. Farmers also cannot keep fertilizer hidden in barns or any outbuildings, but in plain sight where they can be seen by authorities.

Meth is an enormous problem in cities, and especially in rural areas.

[SeattleGirl]

25. Oh, I know meth is a huge problem. It just caught me by

surprise that I had to show ID for Nyquil, as I never had to before, AND it wasn't kept behind the pharmacy counter like the allergy meds are. It was just right out on the shelf. Doesn't make sense.

[greatauntoftriplets]

29. It was well reported here when the law kicked in...

And I know about the farmers and fertilizers because I have a friend who lives in a small town in western Illinois.

If it is a Washington state law where you are, the press did a bad job of reporting. I haven't read anything about a national law on this...and since your law seems to be different than ours, I can only assume it is a state law.

Oh well, shit happens. Don't get me started on what doesn't make sense in this life.... :hi:

[SeattleGirl]

32. They were really good at reporting the change regarding allergy

meds, but I have not heard anything about Nyquil. It would be nice if they would have put that message out there so I'm not standing at the register without a clue.

And I know what you mean -- I can do a heck of a rant on "what doesn't make sense in this life".

Hope you are doing well. :hi:

[greatauntoftriplets]

35. I am all right...

but 7/7 is fast approaching. :cry:

Also hope that you are well.

[LiviaOlivia]

38. Here in Oregon you now need a Rx for Nyquil

Make a hot toddy with some good Irish. It's better for you.

[SeattleGirl]

39. A prescription?

Did they raise the price too?

[LiviaOlivia]

40. pseudoephedrine was made a controlled substance in Oregon last year

Posted 8/16/2005 6:45 PM Updated 8/17/2005 11:57 PM
Ore. to fight meth by putting cold drugs behind counter

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed legislation Tuesday that will make Oregon the first state to require prescriptions for everyday cold and allergy medications that can be converted into methamphetamine.

The requirement applies to any medication containing pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in making meth.

~snip~

The bill sailed though both houses of the Legislature, opposed by only a handful of lawmakers who cited the inconvenience for their constituents. Patients will be allowed up to five refills in a six-month period.....

~snip~

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-08-16-oregon-meth_x.htm

[KeepItReal]

41. They wanted to be sure you weren't sippin on some Sizzurp!

ha ha!

[SeattleGirl]

58. LOL!

:P

[hfojvt]

42. that's only because you look like you're

under 21

[SeattleGirl]

59. Oh yeah.

:rofl:

[electricmonk]

43. I got carded for Amp Energy drink

And another time got carded for razor blades, the type used in utility knives. Even the cashier was surprised by that one. I guess certain things are programmed in to require IDs before the sale can be completed and that popped up and the cashier thought it was a mistake so she scanned them again and it popped up again. Crazy world.

[Reverend_Smitty]

50. What is in Amp?

I'll buy energy drinks on occasion and I've never been carded. Other than giving you a bit of a sugar buzz, I can't see what substance in them would cause them to be restricted...I thought they just had a lot of sugar, caffeine and B vitamins :shrug:

[SeattleGirl]

60. We've definitely fallen down the rabbit hole, haven't we.

:eyes:

[GalleryGod]

44. Lynnesin posted about this almost a year ago.

:shrug: :kick: :hippie:

[SeattleGirl]

61. Must have missed that.

Cashier said this just started here.

[NewWaveChick1981]

45. You have the meth heads to thank for that...

:( It's not enough that you have all the symptoms of a cold and are buying ONE bottle of Nyquil---many places are asking for ID now. :eyes:

[SeattleGirl]

62. The good eggs always have to pay for what the few bad apples do.

x(

[swag]

46. I know a cokehead who buys Nyquil by the bucketload.

I don't get the connection, but she snorts a ton of nasty coke and guzzles Nyquil on top of that.

It's always nice to get away from her.

[Jed Dilligan]

48. Ick

I'm imagining her teeth ten years down that road...

[swag]

49. Don't know if she will last that long,

but if she does, yes. Ick.

[LynneSin]

54. The Nyquil helps eases the edge you get from the Cocaine

:D

[SeattleGirl]

63. Oh my God, how GROSS!

:puke:

[Dukkha]

51. it's called smurfing

Smurfing and structuring are banking terms used to describe the splitting of a large financial transaction into multiple smaller transactions. This is done to evade scrutiny by regulators or law enforcement. Typically each of these smaller transactions is below some limit, above which financial institutions must file a report with a government agency. Criminal enterprises often send different couriers to make these transactions, and those couriers are known as smurfs in this context.

it also applies to buying medicine like nyquil and cold tablets with chemicals used in home meth labs. They buy the minimal amount and run to the next drug store and keep doing that until they have a decent amount to cook up meth. Smurf also refers to the blue color of the tablets.

[SeattleGirl]

64. I've heard of that. You know, I'm really not sure how effective

this ID thing is. Like the cashier told me, she doesn't think it works, because instead of one person buying a lot of the stuff, they have a lot of people buying a little, and still end up getting what they need.

[LynneSin]

52. And states that have inacted these policies are showing major decreases

in the number of homemade meth labs.

Trust me - take my ID, I don't have a care in the world. Because crank in the skankiest drug out there and these homemade labs are more than a nuisance - they are a superfund sight on the edge of explosion.

[SeattleGirl]

65. The labs are dangerous, no doubt about it.

It wasn't so much that I was mad; I just caught off guard. And I still don't get why the stuff is out in the open on the shelves, instead of behind the pharmacy counter like the allergy drugs, if they are going to get your ID on it also.

[LynneSin]

69. The more I read about the thread

the more I think is because Nyquil is used for a quick 'high' by kids. Heck HBO's "Big Love" showed the one daughter getting totally wasted on 2 bottles of liquid cold medicine.

I got hit once with needing cold meds when I was sick and not being able to get them. When I came home from the Sept 23rd protest I was amazingly sick. We had stopped in Target so I could get some cold meds - mainly Nyquil and some Alka-Seltzer Cold medicine - and not only was it all behind the counter but the pharmacist was out so there was no chance of me buying any. (I was hoping to get a head-start on medication so I wouldn't miss work).

Anyhow, cold medicine is now like Toilet Paper. I know what brand I like and I pick the stuff up when I noticed I'm getting low so I'm not completely out in a dire need.

[MissMillie]

55. It's not about your age

Stores have to keep track of who is buying how much of that stuff now, so that people can't make meth.

[SeattleGirl]

66. Yeah, there goes my lucrative side-business. OK, I kid.

If I were going to do drugs, meth wouldn't even be on the list. God, but that stuff is NASTY.

[dysfunctional press]

56. it's got a lot of alcohol in it...

more than wine or beer...check the label.

[SeattleGirl]

67. I know it does. I used to work in drug/alcohol treatment, and

some of the alcoholics we had who had really hit bottom were drinking Nyquil, mouthwash, rubbing alcohol, whatever they could get their hands on.

[Love Bug]

57. Happens when I buy Coricidin HBP

Coricidin HBP is formulated for people with hypertension therefore it HAS NO PSEUDOEPHIDRINE. However, my local Walgreens still keeps it behind the counter and you have to ask for it. Makes no sense to me at all.

[SeattleGirl]

68. Well, that's weird.

:crazy:

[Love Bug]

70. I guess Walgreens decided it would be easier to put all of their cold/

allergy remedies behind the counter rather than try to sort it all out. Pisses me off, tho.