Combat Methamphetamine Enforcement Act - Sudafed Laws…WTF?

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Laws, Stupid People, Work Sucks

Well, it’s been over a year, and the CMEA is in full effect. Personally, I think this Act is a complete load of pie-in-the-sky bullshit. It is completely ineffective and not even close to achieving its intention. All it has done is turned me into a cashier/law enforcer. It’s a royal pain in the ass.

Here’s a basic outline of the law: 1) A person can buy a maximum of 3.6 grams of Pseudoephedrine in one day. 2) A person can buy a maximum 9 grams of Pseudoephedrine in a 30-day period (not a calendar month - 30 consecutive days). 3) State-issued photo identification required to verify age > 18 yrs. All applicable information logged (name, address, DOB, DL#, etc.) 4) The person must sign a form indicating they are aware that all of this information is logged and law enforcement can request access to it. 5) The purchase must be rang out by a person with a valid pharmacy license (Tech, Pharmacist and finally intern - they miswrote the law at first and Interns couldn’t sell it).

Sounds good eh? Not really. People get pissed. They feel that their privacy is violated when I ask for their license. Of course, I don’t give a shit. I abide by the law…point blank. Every chain and independent pharmacy has a different way of logging this information. We use a huge 3 ring binder. Each person gets their own sheet, and we keep them alphabetized. Walgreens does the same. Walmart has the feature tied in with their computer system and you sign the credit card pad for it. As far as I know, Walmart is the only company that has computerized the process.

Does anyone else see the loophole here? What’s to stop a person from buying 3.6 grams from Walgreens, 3.6 grams from Walmart, and 3.6 grams from every independent within a 100 mile radius? Not a god damn thing.

Well, until the government gets its head out of its ass and asks someone who knows first hand, the problem isn’t going away. My suggestion? Make Pseudoephedrine require a prescription. I guarantee that going to the doctor’s office and paying a copayment isn’t worth another batch of meth. Maybe it is; I don’t know. But, I guarantee it will be much more of a pain in the ass, and it will be easier to regulate. It will be possible for chains with the technology to see if it has been recently filled at neighboring stores. It’s easier for the DEA to see who’s filling oodles of this shit, and where it is going. It worked for codeine.

Until then…stick around…I have to go work the fucking register…

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