Wait, Pay, Cough: FDA Seeks To Limit Consumer Access to Cough Medicine
by Kerri ToloczkoFive years ago when Congress was considering a requirement that nasal decongestants be placed behind the counter to combat their use in methamphetamine production, I was one of many policy analysts who argued against this restriction.
I believed it would do little to curb meth use, make the purchase of cold products by law-abiding citizens time consuming and inconvenient, and shift methamphetamine production to Mexican drug cartels.
Since the bill passed, seizures of domestic labs dropped while meth use rose, and consumers now wait behind prescription customers just to buy cold pills. Mexican drug cartels increased in power and violence while becoming the primary supplier of methamphetamine to the U.S.
Unfortunately, I was correct on all counts. Yet here we go again.
Government is limited in its ability to fight the war on drugs, leading bureaucrats to pick low hanging fruit. To fight abuse of marijuana, prescription drugs, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and over-the-counter drugs, it must find producers, identify distributors and catch users – all of whom operate in the shadows.
Cough medicine on the other hand, is easy. There it is, in plain sight, on store shelves.
In an effort to pass a ridiculous regulation and then declare a victory in the drug war, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering a rule that would require a physician’s prescription for your favorite off-the-shelf cough medicine.
Yes, I know; I can’t believe it either.
In a recent survey conducted by the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, high school teachers and police officers were asked to identify substances they believed put young people most at risk. The order of the drugs listed in the paragraph above mirrors the order of their concern.
After alcohol as the number one problem, Marijuana was chosen second by 69% of police and 51% of teachers. Twenty-seven percent of police and 15% of teachers considered illegally obtained prescription drugs the greatest danger.
After alcohol, tobacco, inhalants and seven other categories of drugs, cough medicine came in dead last – and barely that. No police officers and only one percent of teachers listed it as having a serious negative impact on youth.
A 2008 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on cough medicine abuse found that in a one year period, only 1.7% of people aged 12 – 25 used it to get high.
Another critical HHS finding was of those who admitted to illicit use of cough medicine at least once, 82% considered themselves “lifetime” marijuana users while nearly half admitted regular use of LSD or Ecstasy. Clearly, the majority of those who abused cough medicine were already at-risk youth with existing drug problems.
The active ingredient in cough syrup is the suppressant Dextromethorphan, often referred to as “DXM” or “DM.” It has been used safely and effectively since 1958. Adverse reactions are rare.
If you are coughing, the recommended dose of DXM will help you stop. If used as a recreational drug, chugging an entire bottle can bring on hallucinations and a dissociative state.
My daughter, a chronic cougher, always says “coughing makes you cough.” Indeed it does.
Under new regulations being considered by the FDA at an upcoming September 14th hearing, if you develop a cough, you must go to the doctor, wait, then pay for an unnecessary visit for the same cough formula you’ve been using for years.
If you do not have time or money for a doctor visit, your untreated minor cough could lead to bronchitis, pneumonia or pleurisy – and increased healthcare costs for the patient and/or system.
And will insurance cover it? At what cost now that the insurance bureaucracy is added to the equation?
Drug abuse ruins the lives of users and breaks the hearts of those who love them. It locks too many in a vicious cycle of poverty and can result in premature death. But relegating cough medicine to behind the counter under any circumstances is like swatting a fly with a mailbox – it’s a foolish overreach to a minor problem.
Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have co-sponsored the Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act, which simply requires the purchase of cough medicine be restricted to consumers over age 18. As retailers already ID for tobacco products, this would be an easy lift for them. It’s a solution that makes sense and fits the problem.
What government should do is provide educational materials for teachers, parents and police explaining the dangers and signs of recreational cough medicine use. It can’t mandate locks on family medicine cabinets, so as always, the best enforcement starts at home.
The FDA should heed the lesson learned from placing decongestants behind the counter: Some unintended consequences are foreseeable and the fallout from the fix can be worse than the original problem.
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164 Comments
Liberal Logic……
Problem with Guns, and the Constitution allows Guns?…. take the Bullets away.
Problem with Kids taking things that their Parents should not allow them to take, in this case Cough Syrup?…. well, take the Cough Syrup away.
The problem is Liberals.
Liberals need to be forced out of Government, at all levels of Government, Local, State, and Federal.
Then, and only then, will the Nation start to right itself.
THERE'S ONLY ONE OPTION FOLKS, AND THAT'S TO STOMP OUT OBAMANOMICS, ENSLAVEMENT AND BANKRUPTCY:
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
http://i27.tinypic.com/34rj0uv.jpg
So the government can't control meth' factories, so the rest of us have to suffer because of their ineffectiveness?
Put those who cough in line to see a doctor under this obamacare will be a big fat joke…. the waiting line will probably be months out. By that time, the cough will develop into something worse, you'll be dead, if lucky it will be gone.
Don't you just love where we are heading?
I live in the state of VA where the pollen count is high from March until September. I wouldn't be able to live here if it weren't for allergy medicines and anti-histamines.
I have to stand in line at the Pharm counter and give them my DL to purchase Sudafed. I am only allowed to buy one box of Sudafed a month. If I were to attempt to buy more than one box, it will flag the police and I will be arrested. It ticks me off that as a law abiding citizen, I am punished yet again when I have done nothing wrong.
How soon before they make Sudafed a prescription or just out right illegal?
*cough*coughassclowns*cough*cough
I am waiting for governmental instructions on how to wipe my ass. Think I am kidding, hmmmmmmm…. it might be called the Sheryl Crowe law. Sometime soon, the bathroom police will be stationed to make sure you use one paper, governmenatlly instructions on how to wipe your butt after use, only one flush per day, and fecal examination to make sure you did not eat anything on Michelle's bad food list.
Make a new law. Worry about the consequences later. Then you can always make another new law to make up for the problem with the first one, and on and on it goes.
If they would put as much effort in the catching of drug dealers, us common folk wouldn't have to be monitored so closely…oh, wait! Big Brother…GET OUT OF MY LIFE!!!
Welcome to death care! I'm sure we all can sleep much better tonight knowing that the liberals will take good care of us…..they know what's best. Will they blow our noses too?
Liberals do not wipe….. they go green.
The Liberals believe that there are too many trees cut down for just for toilet paper.
Why does it not surprise me to see little dicky durbin's name attached to something so freakin idiotic?!
you get 'em dicky, first the carp, then the little cough syrup druggies, yee haw!
how about they just issue bubble suits, with tracking devices, they could eradicate every known personal decision to mankind and track us down like dogs to boot – ut oh, better not mention boot – get it off my throat!
That explains why they use their left hands. ; )
"Problem with Guns…. take the Bullets away.
Problem with ……………….Cough Syrup, take the Cough Syrup away.
The problem is Liberals."
So let's follow their logic and take the liberals away………….in handcuffs and straitjackets.
And some think the same crew of libs can run the entire health system better than it is run now? Get ready for the pain folks unless you elect a cure this Nov. and in 2012.
And this will lower heath care costs how? Oh, right, we don't have to pay to visit the doctor, just get in line and he'll see you at your funeral….
Isn't that just like the problem with prescription drugs? Take one and it produces a side effect. So you get another for the side effect. That combination causes another side effect, get two more to control that. So big pharma gets rich, and we get dead.
Tissue and TP will be outlawed soon too. Gotta save more trees.
We could just use some Korans to wipe our noses with! I'm from the Midwest where the farmer's blow is popular — not that I would do that……yuck!
Also explains why they smell like šhit.
Great! We are already going to have a doctor shortage once obamacare takes effects, and then we will have to wait for a prescription for cough medicine every time we have a cold? Can you imagine how busy the doctor's phones will be and the pharmacies. Another loony nanny state idea. Those who want to abuse a substance will find some substance to abuse. If the cough medicine isn't available, they will find something new – crayons, markers, cinnamon – who know what they will find. Soon everything will have to be by prescription only – aspirin, cough drops, etc. That is what happens when you don't expect people to have any self-control or common sense or to suffer the consequences of their own bad choices.
So once again, law abiding citizens get screwed because drug addicts can't control themselves.
I'm starting to feel like a big lib. While I think that the prescription thing is stupid, teenagers abusing Coricidin and other cold medicines is a huge problem. Limiting purchases to those over 18 might not be such a bad idea. Yes, they can still shoplift it, but the same thing can be said about alcohol.
If Liberals had any honor they would just jump off the cliff, without trying to force the rest of the Nation off with them.
But, Liberals are without honor.
this is, quite possibly, THE most asinine thing I have seen from this administration.
and that's quite an accomplishment!
And we wonder why health care costs are so high.
LOL….Thanks for saying that for me. ; )
Isn't there a push to LEGALIZE pot? Won't that promote laziness, cause munchies [which may lead to obesity], cancer [think cigarettes], make people cough [hence this article]. This is just insane.
"Liberal governance…….Stealing freedoms from Americans, one day at a time…………."
Can I offer a little variant to this idea? The problem is not "liberal governance." The problem is CENTRALIZED GOVERNANCE. It matters very little whether we have a liberal central government or a conservative central government. The fact is that we are NOT supposed to have a central, command and control national government.
In our next elections, I'm not interested in exchanging a malignant dictator for a benevolent dictator. What I'll be looking for is a "deconstructionist," ready and willing to transfer the power of domestic policy back to the States, and to the People. And I am still calling this Radical Americanism.
We could also use our bills and tax papers.
It's all about control of the population, and not one damn thing to do with drug abuse.
Speaking about hacking and coughing, isn't it just about a year now, that we were ALL supposed to die from the Swine Flu? I wonder if Sebilius will give us an update……………
Feds cant stop drugs, so they pick an item that will have a negligent effect on drugs, but a terribly negative affect on law abiding citizens.
Lets extrapolate… Feds can't stop everyone from eating french fries and gaining weight. So maybe they should require a doctor's note for anyone wanting to buy french fries. OR… Feds can't stop people from growing pot in the woods. So maybe they should require federal licensing to purchase any planting accessories from nurseries.
The logic for this cough medicine bill is just down right stupid.
What about the "Carp Czar" appointment yesterday? We have so much to choose from ….LOL
Drink plenty of green tea (with antioxidants- for your immune system ). You'll be surprised how much better you feel during the cold winter months. And use honey instead of sugar. Beats cough syrup anyway.
"It's all about control of the population"
It's also about the FDA justifying their existence. Oh, they don't do much about a half billion tainted eggs, but they sure can go after cough syrup.
NO. Legalize pot, criminalize cough syrup. That makes things even.
Drug abusers will find substances, no matter what. Do not steal the rights of we, law abiding citizens, to buy cough or cold medicine! Don't punish U.S!
Instead, give drug addicts the rehab that they need. They are sick and, usually have chemical brain imbalances. They may need their dopamine, serotonin, nor-epinephrine, and epinephrine balanced. They need professional help, but
don't take away the Freedoms of th Majority of Americans who have "colds" or have children who have colds. The same goes for decongestants. It's futile to block our access to great otc meds because addicts abuse them.
If this continues there will be nothing left on the shelves in the Pharmacy. It's like putting out a fire with a teaspoon of water. Doesn't work.
SSSHHHHHH. They are cooking up the next big scare. They are just waiting for a good "sky is falling" moment to launch it.
Seriously, if Sebilius is for it, then I am against it.
they made pot illegal to aid DuPont in selling their product, does Barry have cartel friends?
It's just another example of the govt herding us all into a large corral called the nanny state where the idiots have control of every aspect of our daily lives. The reasoning is that they know so much better than we do. Hurry up Nov.
illegal aliens, turn your back, but cough medicine, book 'em. will cough drops be far behind? next will be asprin, followed by rubbing alcohol, and q-tips. so next time i get a minor paper cut, i will need to go to the doctor, and get a prescription for a band-aid. this ruling, will also have no effect on healthcare costs, as the tooth fairy, and unicorns will now pay this extra cost.
You call that a news conference!^%^$# . . . .
September 10, 2010
Dear Motor Mouth Obama,
Do they pay you by the word or the screw up? If I were you I would go for the screw up, you are really racking those up by the bushel. You do realize you will be paid $400,000 per year no matter what you do? Why not just put a sock in it? There isn’t a problem that you haven’t made worse by either making a decision, signing a bill, or talking about it. I got it. You and Bloomberg should get on that jet, and go to lake Como and hang at the Villa De Este, Clooney can provide the entertainment.
Your news conference today was about as genuine as an “Al Gore Massage.” Who do you think you are fooling? You had 22 months to do the right thing; now you think that by talking about doing the right thing, we are all just going to forget that you screwed the pooch, and my friend, not in a small way. Baby, Carters got nothing on you brother. I would not be surprised if you installed solar panels on the White House – just keep the damned things away from the anti-plane and missile batteries – that would be more than stupid – but par for the course for your administration.
So, motormouth, lets talk Hillary Clinton, the wickedest which from the east, I mean the south, no wait – the middle east. Where exactly does she come from? Who cares. If you fall into the 20’s you’ll be hearing her name soon enough. I hear she is growing her nails as we speak. If I were you I’d get ready for Crouching Tiger Hidden Backstabber part 2. You blew the economy because we spent and borrowed, you blew the war because you failed to see the strategic nature of it, you blew North Korea, then the North Koreans blew up a South Korean Destroyer killing 46 sailors, you blew the healthcare bill because instead of injecting the free market into it you duct taped government all over our bodies; and least I forget, you think that Global Warming and Climate change are real and present dangers that we should spend trillions to stop them. You know what; I think your crazy. Certifiable. At your nearest convenience you should report to Bethesda for a mental health evaluation. Why is it they give cops those stupid psych exams – but you – a guy with his finger on thermo nuclear weapons gets a pass? I think that is very unfair.
Time to get back to work, there is an illegal immigrant waiting for a meal that I have to pay for, and a federal prisoner wanting to get his freak on, and I wouldn’t want the condom dispenser to run dry. Have a great weekend Mr. President. Will it be Dom Perignon with the wife in some Chateau or will you be ordering in pizza, from Chicago?
Respectfully,
Joe Doakes
I feel the same way. Im furious that Im being treated like a criminal. I have some medical conditions that cause me to need decongestants. (Chronic sinus, allergies & asthma) The other decongestants dont work for me. There is no logic to treating citizens with penalties that belong to criminals when we have not committed a crime. I can not afford doctor appointments to be 'allowed' to buy cough medicine any time I get a cold! This government gone wild in its thirst for controlling citizens has to stop!
Well stated John. I can go along with that…..
I believe between Liberal and Progressive governance's, these two ideologies do believe in a centralized governance. It's happening before our very eyes. Conservative governance cannot be complete without a deconstructionist with the goals you've stated. That I do believe as well. Thanks
The FDA needs to do a better job of monitoring irreversible side effects, such as tardive dyskenesia, of meds that they've approved for market. They also need to study, for example, carnosine eye drops, and it's effects on the lens and cornea, for patients with beginning cataracts.What are the pros and cons. Should it be used in drops? by mouth?
They could also study and approve natural substances! for otc use to keep Americans safe in their choices in the drug store; like CoQ10 for cellular repair and enery, and chromium for diabetes, and Acai and Alpha lipoic acid, etc. for otc use for the safety of the American consumer.
I hope that they aren't only studying drugs that they are pressured to study, or that bring the greatest profits. They are supposed to be advocates for U.S! not only companies that profit from their approvals.
They should be studying ALL the drugs and natural antioxidants, and vitamins possible, for the good of America! They are a Federal organization so they have a duty to work on behalf of AMERICAN'S HEALTH, not just for drug manufcturers.
LOL……..opps why am I laughing? It might happen!
Did you read the bit about how the author agreed with the act that Durbin was co-sponsoring?
Well sure. obama doesn't cough, but he does smoke pot.
Don't believe me? Just try to give a better explanation for the poser's actions.
Its another way for the feds make sure you get that healt insurance, you can be watched much better because most people get colds
Obamacare learns from the economic stimulus, announces program of mass leeching
WASHINGTON – Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, announced today that Obamacare administrators will adopt the lessons learned from the success of the stimulus plan. Starting next year, the administration will begin a program to use newly-approved medical devices known as “leeches,” once in ubiquitous use by 19th-century doctors, to treat sickness, and cure disease.
Gibbs explained the program this way:
“It’s almost cliché to say: Money is the lifeblood of the economic ‘body’. But sometimes, the economy can suffer from an over-abundance of money. That’s where government comes in. The leech is a parasite, and lives off the blood of other organisms. Government needs a constant influx of its own money to survive, just like the leech does. So when the economy was in a bad way in 2008, the President’s stimulus plan began sucking the excess money out of the economy. I think the results speak for themselves – we’ve saved five gajillion jobs and counting.”
“So,” Gibbs continued, “in order to keep Americans from suffering a harmful glut of blood, next year the Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, will begin coordinating a nationwide program to utilize leeches to relieve Americans of their excess blood to keep them as healthy as our overall economy.”
After taking questions, Gibbs also indicated that the White House is considering ways to also unburden Americans of their food, shelter, and oxygen.
LOL great idea. get those bumperstickers going. Obamacare: Limit Oxygen to Dems
So instead of driving the 5 miles in to my small town in rural America, I will now have to drive the 16 miles, each way, to my doctors office and have to pay a co-pay for a visit during his office hours (God forbid I get a cough on the weekend – that would be a $400 ER visit) and still have to stop at a store for cough medicine that has been considered safe for over 50 years? Progressives are ruining our environment, our economy and our health with this stupid idea!
I propose the "Die in the Gutter, Junky, Act" — anyone testing positive for an illegal drug shall be ineligible for any public assistance of any sort, and all the idiotic over-regulation on pain medications, cough medicines, etc. shall be removed.
Seems like a fair compromise to me.
That swine flu was all a hoax.
They can't stop drug crimes nor addicts so they make a rule on regular citizens who follow the law and are drug free. This is very wrong.
"the h1n1 vaccine causes many women to miscarry"
And we can call that abortion by proxy. The "progressives" don't care HOW they kill babies, just as long as they are killed.
I would never get an immunization while pregnant and I've never gotten a flu shot either. We are messing with our immune systems natural ability to fight off infections.
People were so scared to get the H1N1, that Pharms Co's could not give the shot away for free. I'm sure we can thank people doing internet research for that. We all had a gut feeling that shot was not healthy to receive. We all have to die sometime and I know where I'm going when I die!!
I also just don't trust the relationship between the Pharm Cos, the FDA and Pols. Follow the money.
"Drink plenty of green tea (with antioxidants- for your immune system )"
Shhhhh. Next thing CONgress will do is outlaw green tea, as it affects interstate commerce through the sale of cough syrup.
foolish overreaches to minor problems seems to happen a lot these days
It's a common theme. Government can't operate an efficient and effective legal immigration system, so they refuse to police the borders and we all suffer. Whenever we take their candy away, they take away police, fire and busy offices, so that instead of cutting the bureaucratic fat, we suffer and agree to pay more taxes. On and on and on…
The bathroom police are going to love me. I've got a 1927 Elger full-flush toilet in my master bathroom, and a shower room with three full-flow heads………screw 'em….
Ain't that the truth.
Let's all go build that 'durned wall'!
Don't Look now, the Green SWAT team is loading up in the Gvt. Moters Volt now, they should be at your place any year now. ;0)
LOL I have those 1.6 GPF toilets and I hate them! Gotta flush it four times to make all of the stuff go down. I heard that some Americans buy toilets in Canada and smuggle them in.
"If this continues there will be nothing left on the shelves in the Pharmacy. It's like putting out a fire with a teaspoon of water. Doesn't work. "
You are right.
At this rate, the only thing left on Pharmacy shelves will be condoms and kotex……..
Liberal Regimes is more like it. The libtards in power know nothing about governing….only stealing and buying votes to stay in power.
Liberals think they can do a better job raising your kids.
The funny thing is that they replaced my water meter last week, because the said it was showing too little water use.
Catching Drug Dealers, Securing the Border, you have to be kidding, name me one thing the government has ever done right after Johnson's Great Society. Bet you can't.
I think Magic Markers have alchohol in them that's why the ink dries so quickly. The old town drunks used to drink Sterno or Bay Rum after shave. When I was Stationed at Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas the Mexican kids use to sniff Airplane Glue out of brown paper bags. If people want to get high they will always find a way.
And the people dealing and doing drugs many times just get a slap on the hand and are let go. We have a revolving door criminal justice system in many states because prisons are so over populated with 30% being illegals to begin with.
Controlling the border would be the most effective means of stemming illegal drug activity but we can't go inconveniencing foreigners. We'll just regulate American citizens as usual.
So here we go again. I'm all for the war on drugs, as long as it doesn't inconvenience me. I'll be happy to sit on my porch, wave the flag, pat myself on the back, and tell everyone who will listen what a good patriot I am. Just as long as being a good patriot doesn't inconvenience me.
Sudafed is LEGAL you dumbass.
They have legalized Medicinal Pot here in Maine, now all the druggies are trying to find Doctors to give them perscriptions, the Doctors will make more money selling perscriptions then they will seeing Medicare Patients.
And because people can't be expected to have common sense or be made to suffer the consequences of their bad choices. The liberal solution is to take away as many choices as possible and try to legislate common sense in those who have none and have been encouraged not to develop any.
Law- making is the Liberal drug of choice. It puts them in a euphoric stupor. Just look at Pelosi's face, it's not just the botox. If they ever stopped, they'd go into major DT's and probably die.
Hmmmmm……
The problem with government is it must expand it's reach to grow … Until you have nothing left.
Unless and until people recover their responsibilities they will no longer have any individual rights.
No kidding. But it's behind the counter because of the war on drugs. Dumbass!
This is precisely why there are black markets. The government cannot control us, no matter how much it may want that to be the case. Humans have an innate desire to be free, not to be ordered around by a bunch of nanny-staters bent on micromanaging all our lives.
In the not-so-distant future, I imagine most of us will be "criminals" of some sort in the eyes of our bureaucratic overlords.
On Sunday March 21, 2010 the House of Representatives declared unconditional war against the American people. We accept the challenge and plan for nothing but triumph.
Our government has, for quite some time, become too large, too expensive, too intrusive. Americans, in their
benevolence, have tolerated the expense and the intrusion. No more. It is time to slay the dragon, one vote at a time, one Congressional district at a time, one state at a time, and one election at a time, from President all the way down to Dogcatcher. No office should be safe, no program inviolable, no agency invulnerable. This is our country, not theirs. While we struggle to reclaim it do not forget that.
If you want background on the FDA and the drug companies influence, I highly recommend the book: "The Truth About the Drug Companies" by Dr. Marcia Angell.
Most of the FDA scientists have side jobs with the drug companies. No conflict here!
The problem is not just with liberals, who are most commonly thought of as just being Democrats, but all progressives of both parties.
No, it's behind the counter because of dumbass politicians!
To be fair, in this case Durbin is sponsoring an Act that will make the FDA's latest "idea" a moot point.
Still, it's completely unnecessary.
Can we have politicians start running campaigns promising to repeal legislation instead of creating it?
Please?
Pretty Please?
Well then you should be a politician. You'd fit right in.
Eh? And who created the war on drugs?
That's right… dumbass politicians!
It's behind the counter because commies bastards(like you) like us to feel good about the war on drugs while leaving our Southern border open for drugs to pour in.
funny
Lemme see if I've got this right – ban cigarettes cause they make you cough; legalize pot even tho' it makes you cough (er, um, I've heard); ban cough syrup which helps people who cough. If I'm a Prog/Lib I don't see any inconsistencies?
OMG!!! "Die in the Gutter, Junky, Act" I just spit out my coffee when I read that. I couldn't even finish reading the rest of your post, I was laughing so hard. Thanks for the laugh.
You're correct about Black Markets
My dad has a special "cough syrup" which involves only two ingredients: gin and sugar. Burns like hell but it stops the cough and gets you to sleep real quick. I've started using it more and more thanks to the idiocy of having the cough syrup behind the counter. Score one for American ingenuity, I guess.
I'd suggest reading the linked studies, Oldphoto. You'll find them quite interesting.
Teachers and cops–the two people who deal the most with young drug abusers aside from their parents–both agree that the abuse of cough syrup is low on the list of substances. I'll allow that it might be partially because of how difficult it is to get their hands on it with it being behind the counter. However, unless you have particularly bizarre reactions to Sudafed, NyQuil, or any other cough suppressant medications, you have to take a lot of that substance to get the high. Not convenient and certainly noticeable after the first couple of times.
If I'm a teenager looking to get high, it's easier and faster to do so off of Mom or Dad's painkillers by nicking a pill at a time. People don't always empty their painkiller prescription because the pain might go away before the pills are all used up, so that pill bottle will sit there for quite some time if the person it was prescribed to doesn't flush the rest. Most people wouldn't notice the periodic depletion and some might not even notice if the bottle is gone after a while.
But let's go back to your argument that the cough syrup is behind the counter because of the war on drugs. There are plenty of other household substances that can be just as easily abused. Nail polish remover, for example. Addicts will soak a cotton ball and stick it in a Ziploc bag. Then they cover their mouth and nose with the bag's opening to inhale the vapors and get high. According to your logic, nail polish remover should also be behind the counter to prevent abuse. But wait. The same effect can be used with aerosol sprays, permanent markers, paint…The list goes on and on.
The sad fact is that a drug abuser will always seek out something else to abuse. My question is this: Where is the line to what can and cannot be moved behind the counter?
Welcome to obamacare. Please wash your hands before entering.
Well, maybe if you had a really BIG teaspoon.
soooo…….osamabama HELLSCARE????…
This is my libertarian streak. More laws=less freedom. Every law is a choice and a responsibility that is taken away from you. I don't care who makes the laws; they all end up with the same effect. Sometimes, they're a necessary evil, but when they start getting this minute, they only become a hindrance.
cover your mouth!!!!!!
Nasty cough you have there. Better get some cough medicine for that … oh, yeah. Sucks to be you.
So…when can I vote for you, Mr. John?
Wish I could give you 100000 plus thumbs up!
That's part of the problem. They're likely in a finger pointing game with the USDA when it comes to the eggs. Too much overlap.
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