More legislation - less privacy

[MrsMo]

Those wacky U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Jim Talent, have come up with a new, more intrusive, bit of legislation regarding purchasing over the counter cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine that would:

· Limit the amount one person can buy to 9 grams a month -- that's the equivalent of 300 30-milligram pills.
· Require purchasers to show identification and to sign for cold medication.

There's more to the proposed legislation, but those are the parts I object to. You can see the whole thing here: http://feinstein.senate.gov/05speeches/meth-oped430.htm

Legislation passed by some states does make sense - they've put the pseudoephedrine behnd the counter. That way someone can't walk off with the entire stock for use in making meth, at least not easily. But needing to register when I've got a drippy nose is outrageous. What, are they going to track my bowels next? Maybe they'll insist that there's a chip installed in the commode that keeps track of the number of flushes and if you washed your hands afterwards. Aargh! I'm getting so TIRED of this. :angry:

So, am I over-reacting? The news interviewed some man buying a cold medicine for his wife and his only reaction was a kind of "oh well, what are you going to do" attitude.

[duder]

well... living in SW Missouri (Meth Metropolis) i have absolutely no problems with it, at least here. other areas where it isn't the problem that it is here, i could see where it would be considered obtrusive.

i personally have a very strong hatred of drugs. i've got an uncle sitting in prison (probably for the rest of his life) for posession and conspiracy to make meth. if there were laws like that here, maybe he wouldn't be there, maybe he would, who knows.... but, i don't know that any such law would really make a difference, people make up their minds and do whatever the hell they want to do, law or no law.

you're not overreacting (in my opinion) but it is something to be concerned about. want to stop laws such as these from happening? kill all the damn junkees (even my stupid uncle who i do care about very much nonetheless).

peace,

duder

ps: drugs are bad... stop doing them

[SyntaxHeir]

Sorry to hear about your Uncle Duder, however I'd go the other way to find a solution.

Your Uncle is in prison not for the drugs themselves but for the potential danger homebatch drugs are to people who take them.

I say let the pharmaceutical companies manufacture them in their huge plants, put them in nice measured doses with a little bit of cotton at the top of the bottle. Put all the illegal drugs, drug dealers and crime rings out of business. Sure it would require a shift in thinking from most people in society but it's not shocking or fantastic to buy cigarettes or beer in clean, well packaged, easy to carry containers. Both of which are arguably just as dangerous and habit forming.

Less crime, more jobs, and taxable [uhg, did *I* just advocated taxes!?]
Nobody in recent history has gone to prison for conspiracy to make cigarettes and our society didn't implode with the end of alcohol prohibition either.



This would also remove the need for this lame ass law.

[MrsMo]

Duder - sorry to hear about your uncle.
It's because of scenarios like yours that I have no problem with putting the medicine behind the counter, maybe even limiting the amount a customer can purchase at one time, but I have a real problem giving my name, address, phone number and driver's license so I can be registered as a "user" of a legal, useful medication.
If there's a meth lab found close to me are the cops going to come pounding on my door demanding to see the amount of the med they calculate I should have left? Arrest me if I can't produce it? Unfortunately, with legislation like the one proposed, that isn't such a far-fetched outcome.

[ph0t0k]

We have a growing meth problem here as well, they busted a guy a couple of months ago that had a meth lab in his backpack. Canadian legislators took a similar stance, placing certain cold remedies behind the counter. But I have to say your Senate is over reacting MrsMo, having to show id won't do anything. Plus how are they going to monitor how much an individual has purchased and how much is that going to cost the taxpayer??

I think their actions will stop the small time manufacturers of meth, but the hard core guys (biker and asian gang types) won't be impacted much, if at all.

I aggree somewhat with Syntax, legalization would solve some problems, but would create alot more. I disagree there would be less crime, eventually I think you would see the crime rate increase if drugs like meth were legal. I think if softer drugs like marijuanna were legal, less people would be on harder drugs like meth and crack.

Meth is 100% addictive on the first hit, so now you're a 30-something professional strung out on meth. Incapable of performing at work because you're high or consumed by finding your next hit, you loose your job. You can't find another job because employers are now testing for drugs since they've become legal, plus you're to busy getting your next hit to worry about finding another job. You sell your wife's BMW and the plasma-screen tv to feed your habbit. Your wife, noticing her beemer is missing, leaves you, the house is sold in a divorce settlement and you're now on the street because you can't hold onto your unemployment check long enough to pay for rent or food. Two days go by and you haven't managed to beg for enough money to pay for your habbit, so at best you break into a car or house and steal anything worth selling. If your lucky, you meet someone who shows you how to steal identities before you hit the street. At worst, you're mugging suits or holding up liqour stores.

[Kitz E Kat]

Yeah duder sorry to hear about your uncle, ain't good .
To ask a rather stupid question what is meth ?
Methadone? a heroin substitute or the like?

I do tend to agree with Syntax , if it were legal , with restrictions , it would reduce the crime rate.

I can't see the point of banning something , it just makes criminal's very rich.
There have been very sucessfull trials in England where heroin addict's were given heroin, they were able to lead normal lives, and get a job.

As for restricting lower class of drug's you can bet that these restriction's will have a cost implication, who pay's for all that paper trail ? You !
It's mad, you can't even have a cold in peace anymore :-(

What's the world coming to !

[SyntaxHeir]

@ Kitz
Meth is Methamphetamine or more commonly known as speed.

@Ph0t0k
What you've described is exactly what occurred during alcohol prohibition. After the alcohol was made legal and widely available consumption spiked momentarily then dropped way off. I think the "insta-addict" issue could be addressed and with a clean refining process would be more like alcohol. It's still addictive but not crippling. [In most cases]

[Kitz E Kat]

If something is legal, then you can control the substance and sue the maker if they mess up.
Make it illegal and you don't know what your consuming.