This Explains Sensenbrenner's Popularity
May 23, 2005
7:00 p.m., MT

One of the regular readers who chastised me gently over my heavy news commenting of a while ago is now wishing he hadn't read his newspaper this morning. This chap, who lives in Wisconsin, griped to me that his state is now a governor's signature away from locking up those dreadful pseudoephedrine pills behind the pharmacists' counters, a la Oklahoma, Minnesota, Montana, and other states. From the only newspaper coverage I could find, in the Baraboo News Republic:

The [WI] state Senate and Assembly this month approved the bill, which would prohibit retailers from selling cold- and allergy-fighting tablets containing pseudoephedrine over the counter. Lawmakers' aim is to restrict methamphetamine production by limiting meth makers' access to pseudoephedrine, one of the drug's active ingredients.

This Wisconsin Grocers Association lobbied against the legislation, arguing that putting all tablet sales in pharmacists' hands would hurt grocers' sales and restrict consumers' access to medication.

Pierce's Supermarkets president Jeff Maurer said tablets already have been pulled from shelves at the company's new grocery on Baraboo's east side. He plans to do the same at the west-side Pick 'N' Save store, as Doyle is expected to sign the bill. "We're already preparing ourselves," he said.

Under the bill, only pharmacists would be allowed to sell tablets containing pseudoephedrine, and such products would have to be kept behind the counter. (Gel caps and syrups are exempt.) Consumers would be required to show identification and sign a log authorities would use to track down suspected meth makers.

Notice the quislings are cooperating in advance of the bill being signed.

No wonder Wisconsinites like Sensenbrenner so much. More idiocy from the docile cattle:

Paul Fritsch, co-owner of Corner Drug Store in Baraboo, predicted Sudafed will launch a gel cap product shortly to replace the targeted tablets. "It's going to be right back at the grocer's shelf, anyway," Fritsch said. "In the long term, it'll smooth itself out again."

Well, it may "smooth itself out" in terms of the drug's availability, but the inconvenience to customers, and the precedent of putting a noncontrolled substance under heavy lock and key [For the record: I ain't showing no ID and signing no log to get a fucking allergy pill!] will become part of "business as usual".

Why don't all these socialist do-gooding northern states secede to Canada and be done with it? At least their medical system doesn't pretend about being socialist to the core.

Sunni

Replies: 4 people have spoken!

On Monday, May 23rd, Jorge said:

OK, this is exactly one of the reasons I like Costa Rica. I can walk into the local pharmacy (not one of the chains, or the hospital pharmacy) and get it. Prescription or not. Many things that require prescriptions in the US don't here. And even if a prescription is required, mostly no one cares.

I hardly ever use medicines or drugs of any kind (beer and wine being the exception), but if I want to it is good to be able to walk into the store, tell them what I want, and they just sell it to me without a hassle.

Having to show ID to buy allergy pills. No way.

--jorge

On Tuesday, May 24th, Kirsten said:

Speaking as one who has been taking two Alleve a day for the last week or so and is furiously blowing my nose every few minutes, I am not pleased with the notion of being considered a suspect for having a cold. I would go back to my old practice of taking no medicine whatsoever and running up a good fever to kill off the germs rather than show my id and have my personal health habits tracked to see whether or not I'm a meth producer.

Now a question for Jorge- it's my understanding that Costa Rica has a national ID card and that even minors must have one. Is that correct? And, if so, what is it necessary (or nearly necessary) for in Costa Rica aside from voting?

On Tuesday, May 24th, Sunni said:

Kirsten, the fever thing would work if you were dealing with a virus, but not for allergies. That's what I have to deal with pretty much year-round. And even though I hate pseudoephedrine, it's the only extended-release product I can find that actually somewhat works (my preferred product being only available now in four-hour, "let's make you more miserable once this wears off" form).

On Tuesday, May 24th, Jorge said:

Kirsten,

The national ID is issued at age 16 for citizens of Costa Rica. Non-citizens residents are issued a document which indicates their residency status (permanent, pensionado, work permit, etc) and is issued to the resident regardless of age.

ID is required (you must show it) for opening bank accounts and getting credit cards. I assume for loans as well, but do not know directly. My understanding is that you must show it to get a drivers license, but this is a new requirement.

For store "loyalty" cards they ask for your name and ID number (along with phone, etc), but do not check it. The only exception to this, that I know, is Pricesmart, a "membership shopping" company headquartered in San Diego. They want to see a government issued ID.

ID must also be shown on demand to the national police. Note that this is not the traffic or municipal police, who have no right to ask for it.

You never have to show ID at a pharmacy, for example, even when getting a prescription for narcotics. I know because I pick one up for a friend from a hospital pharmacy. Walked in with the prescription, walked out, with the prescription unmarked in any way, and fentanyl patches. Never showed ID.

Never showed ID at the hospital either, even when I had minor surgery. They asked for a number, but never checked it. If I had paid cash they would not have cared about the name either.

Drivers licenses have a license number, picture, name, issue date and expiry date. The IDs contain an ID number, picture and name. For foreigners, a birth date and an expiry date are also on the ID.

--jorge

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