A Few Bad Apples...

I am ticked off. No seriously, I am.

My children have pretty bad colds. The usual hacking coughs, runny noses and congestion are to be found in the kiddos along with trails of used tissues.

I popped into a drugstore near me and while there I picked up some Infant Cold and Cough drops. You can imagine my surprise when I was asked for my Drivers License, date of birth and my signature at the checkout. What?! As the line grew behind me I became flustered and very annoyed.

As it turns out our government passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005. (Well, yippee skippy for me.) According to this law any person purchasing any product containing ANY amount of Pseudoephedrine must present identification, address, signature along with the product sold and the amount of this drug in the product.

Are you kidding me?

Apparently, because some junkies like to use and sell methamphetamine, I am made to go through an interrogation in order to buy medicine for my family.

The use of “Meth” is disgusting and I don’t disagree that drug abuse is a serious problem in this country and a financial drain to our society. It tears apart families and friends. As a former drug abuse counselor I understand it and I pity those who suffer from addiction. Addiction is a personal demon that we all struggle with at some point.

However, government regulation of Infant cold drops is not the answer.

If a drug dealer/maker wants to make “Meth” he will find a way. I liken it to gun control. You can create all the laws you want about restricting the purchasing guns, but if a bad guy wants one bad enough (and has enough money) he will get one. It is the law abiding citizen who suffers in the end; filling out endless paperwork and jumping through bureaucratic hoops to register to carry a gun (which of course is a Constitutional right).

I bet the legislators who passed this Act are very proud of themselves. They have one more piece of legislation to put on their website under “accomplishments”.

I can see the fall election campaigns in my head now.

Mr. Joe Legislate the Americans to death is standing there proudly in front of an American flag saying…

“I’m running for Congress. In the last year I was part of a bipartisan effort to limit the amount of Pseudoephedrine in an effort to combat methamphetamine abuse…blah blah blah”

What he should say is:

“I’m running for Congress and my goal is to regulate Americans until they fall to their knees begging for mercy. God help that mother who is trying to buy medicine for her child. And, the man who wants to buy those super size French fries, forget it. Just wait for the Fast Food tax of 2007.

Where will this end? What happened to personal responsibility and common sense?

All I wanted to do was buy Infant Cold Drops. What I came home with was the medicine and an enormous grudge.