Dean Christakos« Getting Back at Central Pennsylvania | Main | Today in Interesting Numbers »
July 2, 2007
Pseudoephedrine will next require a DNA sample
So while I was in Boston this past weekend, the cold I've had for the past week persisted, and Phenylphedrine, the new ingredient they use in Sudafed, just wasn't doing it for me. So I walked into Central Square's local CVS and picked up one of those cards for the real Sudafed, which contains pseudoephedrine, which you can then present at the checkout counter in exchange for the actual medication. Astute readers will remember that pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient in methamphetamines, and as a consequence, medications containing it are becoming harder and harder to get and now require you to present ID to make sure no one is stockpiling the stuff.
CVS asked for my ID, which I handed over, and then the clerk scanned the bar code on the back. And then he scanned it again. And then he asked if I had a Massachusetts ID on me, which I did not, seeing as how I live in DC. Then he politely told me that he couldn't sell me the medicine since my ID information wouldn't go into the computer. That's right, a situation normally reserved for the purchase of liquor in towns with overzealous alcohol control boards now applies to buying Sudafed at CVS-- no purchase allowed with out of state ID. What the heck? This now gives me an incentive to stockpile Sudafed so that I never have to worry about the possibility of running into a problem like this.
(fortunately, Walgreens gladly took my DC driver's license, and relief, sweet relief, was available)
Posted by Dean at July 2, 2007 7:22 PM
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