02.06.06

Pseudoephedrine Controls

Posted in Rants at 11:11 am by spryken

Ok, I’ve heard on the news that we have to regulate and control the distribution of pseudoephedrine. I understand that it is one of the components required to make Crystal Meth. I agree that some control is required. However, I am not sure that the North Carolina law will achieve all that the lawmakers want.

The law requires anyone purchasing a cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine to be over 18 years of age, show a valid photo ID and sign a log. They can then purchase 2 packages at one time but no more than 3 a month. I assume these logs go to law enforcement. I hope so anyway.

I have a cold now. So I went to get my decongestant. I showed my ID, I signed the log and got my 2 packages. 10 days worth of decongestant. It usually takes that long for me to get over the sniffles. So no problem. But if my kids get sick and need decongestant, I am limited to 1 more package. Sure, my girlfriend can use her allotment. But what happens if we all come down with a really bad head cold. I assume we would rack up some medical bills. Since we would not be able to get the Over The Counter decongestants. So off to the doctor to get a prescription for OTC medication. Make the Insurance Co-payment. So now the $5 generic decongestant costs $25.

I happened to think though, I could go to a different pharmacy. Do the same thing again. Unless the logs are given to law enforcement. and unless law enforcement has a whole slew of people doing data entry into some type of reporting database, and unless the data transcription is completely correct then it wouldn’t be caught. What about going to different towns or jurisdictions.

Who oversees the program? Why are they using hand written logs? Is there work being done on an electronic log? It seems to me that the current regulations just cause problems to the law abiding cold sufferer. The data collected may be able to be used for prosecution, but only after a lot of drudgery. While it makes a good statement about being tough on illegal drugs, I’m afraid that the actual implementation and enforcement still needs a lot of work.

I could handle the inconvience, if I thought it was worthwhile. But from my interaction, I’m not convinced.

02.02.06

Groundhog Day - Big Deal

Posted in Rants, amusements at 4:02 pm by spryken

So it is once again Groundhog Day. Big Deal.

So a groundhog comes out of the ground to see if it can see its shadow. If it does, 6 more weeks of winter. What happens if it doesn’t? Really. What happens? Spring comes tomorrow?

Reality check. Let’s look at the calendar. Yep, Spring starts with the Vernal Equinox. March 20th this year. Now how many weeks is that from February 2nd? Let’s see, it is not a leap year, so 28 - 2 is 26 days in February and 20 in March is 46 days. 46 days divided by 7 is 6 weeks and 4 days. 6 1/2 weeks! Wow! 6 1/2 weeks. So the groundhog sees its shadow and we have 6 more weeks of winter. If the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, we have 6 more weeks of winter.
It is just me or does anyone else think the groundhog has the game rigged?

So, Rain or Shine…..6 more weeks of Winter.

Big Deal!!

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