Pubdate: Wed, 18 Nov 2015
Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA)
Copyright: 2015 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
Contact:  http://www.timesdispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365
Author: Scott McRae

WAR ON DRUGS IS INSANELY ABSURD

EDITOR, TIMES-DISPATCH:

The war on drugs just went from utter failure to absolute absurdity. 
I went into the pharmacy to pick up a couple of

prescriptions and thought I'd pick up some cold pills as I had 
started the sniffles after being in the cold rain. I have chronic 
obstructive pulmonary disease, so any help I can get is a blessing.

The pharmacist had started with the ID check and signature rigmarole 
that one has to undergo to buy a perfectly legal over-the-counter 
medicine when the computer told her I couldn't buy any yet. As it had 
been months since I had bought my last 20 (spring allergies), I 
questioned it, and the other pharmacist said that "Methcheck" had 
been down all day so nobody could buy any.

While I am no chemist, I doubt that the small amount of anything you 
could extract from 20 pills is causing great problems. I also somehow 
doubt that the large wholesale manufacturers are buying their 
ingredients legally. So why did I have to spend an uncomfortable 
night hacking and spitting up mucus? I'll tell you why. I had to 
spend a miserable night because of yet another knee-jerk reaction 
like the one that makes all of us take our shoes off going through 
airport security.

Of course, expecting the insanity to stop is just as useless as 
wishing an eternal-post-nasal-drip pox on the genius who came up with it.

SCOTT MCRAE.

HENRICO
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom