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June 16, 2005
Stock up on Nyquil
Nyquil (along with any other product with pseudoephedrine) takes one step closer to being a controlled substance:
Texas governor Rick Perry signed bills today that are aimed at curbing the use of methamphetamine.
One of the bills requires products containing pseudoephedrine be placed behind a pharmacy counter or in a locked case.
The bill also says that people who buy pseudoephedrine or similar products must be at least 16 years old, show identification and sign for the purchase.
Pseudoephedrine is a main ingredient in a number of over-the-counter drugs like Sudafed, Nyquil and Sinutab.
It can be extracted by boiling down the cold medicines. Toxic chemicals are then used to turn the substance into highly concentrated meth.
You know, if it was up to me, anyone caught turning pseudoephedrine into meth would be sentenced to five years of the common cold. Just inject them with a new strain of the rhinovirus every week, and then deny them access to decongestants.
But that's just me.
[Side note: I've read some "analysis" that borders on conspiracy theory that suggests that this is really being done as a favor to a couple of drug companies that have a new patented replacement for pseudoephedrine that cannot be turned into meth and thus is immune from laws such as this.]
Politics by Dan at June 16, 2005 11:05 AM