INCONVENIENCE

Meth Craze Places Many Medicines Behind Counter

A provision in the Patriot Act will change the way Americans by
certain types of cold remedies and allergy medicines.

Soon it will be harder for illegal drug labs to buy pseudoephedrine, a
nasal decongestant used in making methamphetamine. Legitimate
customers will have to by the drugs at pharmacies, over the counter,
showing a photo ID and signing a log book that will record how much
medicine customers buy.

Law enforcement officials favor any effort to limit the availability
of precursor drugs for small meth labs around the country. But critics
of the measure say that the illegal labs will get the drugs by other
means.

Retailers and drug stores will have to pull from their shelves many
items they are used to displaying in the aisles. Grocery stores,
corner stores, gas stations and other outlets will have to limit
individual sales of pseudoephedrine to certain amounts per day and per
month.

"Law-abiding citizens shouldn't have to show ID and sign a government
logbook to buy cold medicine," Bill Piper, director of national
affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, said. "It just seems an
unnecessary restriction," he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

It is a shame that people will have to show ID, fill out paperwork and
jump through more hoops to purchase such medicines. But the
proliferation of illegal meth labs has caused congress to act. Thus
are many inconvenienced by the misconduct of a few.