This is a follow up post on Guns anyone?
That post was targeting the ease of availability of Guns in the USA. This post is not about the Gun part. It is about the ease of availability part!
Recently I went to the local grocery store, which is where we usually pick up over the counter medicines. With two little kids attending two different daycares, our home can give the Germ labs of the Center for Disease control a run for their money in terms of the quality and quantity of microbes! It takes me eight to ten snaps to get one good photo with both Jr. and the little having no fingers inside their nose, mouth or ears. I ramble as usual (it is high time blogger has a feature which prompts me saying "you are way off the post title! Would you like to return to original topic?).
Anyways, the grocery store had little pieces of paper which resembled the cover of Sudafed, Tylenol allergy Sinus, Albertsons brand Allergy Sinus (compare to ingredients of Tylenol allergy Sinus), and every other brand of medication which had Psudoephedrine in it!
I went to the counter and said "How do I actually see the box with the tablets inside instead of the cover art ?", to which the dude promptly responded "We do not carry these medications out here Sir. They have been moved inside the Pharmacy. You take this paper to the Pharmacy and they will give you the tablet"
Me : But the pharmacy in your store closed at 7:00. It is 10:00 now!! What do I do ?
Dude : You have to come back during Pharmacy hours or go to a Rite Aid, Walgreens or Longs drugs..
Me : But this medication is "over the counter". I should not have to go to a pharmacy for this !!
Dude : Recently they changed policy because Meth (Methamphetamine) addicts are using drugs with ephedrine in them to make the drugs. So we are moving these inside!!
So, poor me trudges along to the nearest drug store and when I am at the pharmacy :
Dude 2 : Sir, are these tablets for you ?
Me : No
Dude 2 : Who are they for ?
Me : My mother in law
Dude 2 : Why is she not here ?
Me : She is sick with a bad cold and a congested nose. Also she is from India. I am the one buying the tablets for her.
Dude 2 : Can you show some ID ?
Me : Sure. Can I know why we are going through all this for a box of Tylenol Allergy Sinus ?
Dude 2 : There have been a lot of purchases of these type of drugs in our local stores and it has been linked to a Meth gang. So we have to take precautions!!
Me : ?????!!!!!!!?????
Mind you this happened just after our return from India (which is a few months ago)!
I am sure the drug gangs are still getting their supply from some online store in a different country which is probably shipping them Sudafed by the truckloads at discount prices, while I have to go through crap to get some "over the counter" medication for our home!!
The irony of this is that in the time it took me to talk to Dude or Dude 2, I could have purchased several guns, waved them at the dudes and got all the medication I need!!
The other irony is that if only all those allergy and cold suffering people had an association like the NRA, say they called it NSuA (National Sudafed Association) and spent enough money lobbying for the free and easy access to Sudafed or raised a hue and cry about their 'n'th amendment rights to carry their antihistamines and had slogans like "meth doesnt kill people. people who use meth kill people!" etc.. etc. maybe I could go and get allergy medication and nasal decongestants without the hassle!!
Why would anyone apply more rigor to allergy medication than guns ?
Beats me!!
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