Posted on 01/16/2006 7:50:48 AM PST by TaxRelief
WAKE FOREST, N.C. --North Carolina started enforcing its new law intended to stop the spread of methamphetamine labs on Sunday.
Since 1999 the number of meth labs in the state has skyrocketed. Then the State Bureau of Investigation busted nine labs; in 2005 they discovered 328 of them.
As of Jan. 15 you must be at least 18, show photo ID and sign a log if you want to by over-the-counter cold medicines such as Sudafed and Tylenol Cold. Both medicines contain either pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, which are key ingredients used to make meth.
(snip)
Under the new law you can only buy two packages of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine at a time, and only three packages in a 30-day period.
South Carolina is only a few miles from us. We can get some here, and some there, I suppose ...
Your smart-ass post:
"for those of you who are reading impaired, is that the ingredients will NOW come"
Your original post:
"I believe the chemicals required for meth production come across our borders daily, not to mention meth itself."
You added "will," changing the temporal meaning of your post. Perhaps you are verb-tensed challenged? Or maybe live outside of a linear time stream?
On the substantive point (re: just moving it underground), I fully agree: these measures are a waste of time.
Actually, your question two "What is the legal precedent fo requiring signature?" is the 1968 U.S. law on firearms that required a signature and ID to purchase pistol and revolver ammunition.
LOL!!!
It's not like the stuff is unavailable.
I won't be long before people are setting up labs to convert readily-available meth into hard-to-find Sudafed.
I'm not doubting you, but since when? Or is just a county by county thing. I have had no problems buying any of that kind of stuff here, either in the supermarket, Dollar General or the drug store.........
"and only three packages in a 30-day period."
Is there going to be a statewide database that prohibits you from going to another store to buy the stuff?
Is the local DA going to prosecute someone who is over their limit for the month, needs the medicine, tosses a $10 to the cashier and walks out of the store with the product?
"Now, instead of just the drugs and meth labs, they will now have a thriving underground market for cold remedies! "
It's been going on for years at flea markets with expired dated OTC medicines.
The law took effect yesterday. Have we already seen positive results?
Be worried, because your perfectly legal actions have now made you a "person of interest" in the War On Drugs.
Nice huh?
Hmmm. I haven't thought of that!
What took you people so long? In Wisconsin, we've had to do this for months now. What a joke.
Lets just outlaw chemistry , books,the Internet, all cleaners, all chemicals. air conditioning, and fertilizers. Those products could all be misused
No you can't. I can only get 3 boxes at a time of Sudafed 12-hour, for example.
However, I order from drugstore.com to avoid the hassle of buying locally.
They are in Oregon. Pseudoepherine is prescription-only there.
Look for that to spread around the country.
I beg to differ with you. Oh, I will grant you that there are CPS workers who have their priorities messed up or who get a little too gung ho with power, but in my experience, most CPS workers do care about the kids and are way too overloaded to waste time harassing parents whose children are not in any real danger. Here we have a BIG problem with meth addicts AND meth labs, and a pretty high percentage of CPS cases involve children of these "parents."
Meth addicts can be the most toxic of parents. Their lives revolve around the drug, whether they are high at any given moment or not. As a result, they frequently put their children at risk. Of course, if there is a meth lab in or around the home, the risks are obvious. The children are being exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes, as well as to the risk of explosions and fire, and any number of other things that go along with the cooking process.
But apart from that, other situations that are frequently encountered concurrently with meth addicted parents are small children who are not being fed (after all, the parents aren't hungry, so it doesn't occur to them that their children are), children who are improperly clothed for the weather (for example, windows wide open in the winter and the baby in a diaper and t-shirt), drugs and used syringes left laying around in easy reach of a toddler, mothers having sex with their dealers in the next room, or even in the same room as their small children, infants and toddlers left in the care of only slightly older children, children left in the "care" of individuals who are drug associates of the parent(s)...a situation that frequently results in sexual abuse, children being exposed to porn and, even worse, being used to make porn, doubtless to fund the habit of the parent(s). Then there is the negligence that follows the addict when she/he's sleeping it off. CPS is frequently called on lack of supervision cases in which infants and very small children are virtually on their own because mom has crashed from her however many days high, or has taken some other drug to make her sleep. (Prescription narcotics are almost as bad as meth in this area and seems to be on the rise).
Something people seem to not think about when demonizing CPS workers is that every time a CPS worker has to go into a situation dealing with an addict, they are putting themselves at risk as well. CPS workers have to be trained in meth lab protocol and are regularly called into meth busts. CPS workers aren't armed, and although law enforcement is present in an arrest situation, they are busy with the criminals and the situations are very volatile. In cases where a meth lab isn't involved, CPS workers are usually on their own in checking into these situations involving addicts and unless it is a family known to the worker, he/she never knows what he/she is walking into.
When one drug hits obstacles to production, a new drug rises up in its place. We've seen LSD, speed, ecstasy, cocaine, free-basing, THC, pot and methamphetamine.
Even if this registration of law-abiding citizens turns out to be effective in a reduction in the number of meth labs, it will not prevent a new drug being manufactured from some other readily available ingredients.
There is no solution to drug addiction in this country. People who will take drugs despite all the DARE programs, preaching and warning from parents are still going to find ways to alter their minds for whatever reason they do it.
Perhaps the libertarians are right. Perhaps legalization of drugs would be the only way to get help to the people who will choose to abuse.
We won't be safer; We've seen this before. Limiting access to drugs will result in more home robberies. We'll all be putting up signs on our front doors saying "this house has no Sudafed on the premisis."
This is the problem with such laws. They seek to stop criminals by passing laws against the law abiding. Yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds, but that is the rule of the day. Same with gun "control" laws.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.