Posted on 12/23/2006 1:37:38 PM PST by neverdem
Last month, President Bush declared Nov. 30 "National Methamphetamine Awareness Day."
The official statement from the White House implored, "I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities."
There's no question that meth is a particularly nasty, vicious drug, both in how it's manufactured and in what it does to the people who use it. I think some skeptics have raised legitimate questions about the accuracy of some of the more hysterical media proclaiming we're in the midst of an "epidemic," but there's no question that the drug is widely available, and that it has some pretty terrible effects on users.
That said, the approaches the government is taking toward attacking meth don't make much sense.
As is often the case with policies aimed at curbing the drug supply, civil liberties were one of the first casualties of the meth hysteria. Several cities and states, for example, quickly made it illegal for businesses to sell customers combinations of ingredients that together, are used to make meth, but that are perfectly legal if bought separately.
Sell bhutane, cold medicine, and matches to the same customer, and an unknowing store clerk could well be arrested. These laws effectively deputized private business to begin policing the shopping habits of their customers – never a good idea.
The idea has led to some horrific outcomes.
In Northwest Georgia, for example, a meth sting ended with the arrest of 49 convenience store clerks for violating the odd new law. The problem is that 47 of the clerks were of Indian decent, and spoke only broken English. When undercover police officers tossed out drug lingo like "cooking up a hit," the clerks had no idea what they were talking about.
More troubling,...
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
They haven't given WalMart clerks quite the same powers as Transportation safety Administration workers yet have they?
So I guess you still have some free speech rights.
--and it's a long way from a disposable cell phone to an "IED"--
Like actual meth makers would use drug lingo in front of the store clerks. Whadda bunch of dumb cops!
What did you do to celebrate?
Did anyone read this at the White House?
I'm sorry, but I disagree with you.
Only law abiding people are put out by this, not the meth makers/users. Sort of like onerous gun laws, they only harass the law-abiding.
Either that's from Scrappleface, or some WH writers need to be fired.
No, whoever came up with such a cockamamie idea needs to be fired.
I guess you are not in Oregon where you have to go to your doctor first for the prescription. Add that trip and the doctor's fee to the tab. Maybe even time off from work for the appointment.
I'm not sure ... based on the article, in some places they are supposed to be turning you in depending on your purchases, so why not based on your comments?
"Sell bhutane, cold medicine, and matches to the same customer, and an unknowing store clerk could well be arrested. These laws effectively deputized private business to begin policing the shopping habits of their customers – never a good idea."
Gracious! The last shopping trip to Wal-Mart I bought a two-pack of 1-bl propane canisters (to fuel my Coleman heaters), two 40-count boxes of Day-quill (to control my migraines), and a fireplace lighter (to light the Coleman heaters). I couldda' got myself arrested!
Don't tell the feds that some people will hide drugs in certain body cavities. They might get ideas about giving you a literal probe, instead of just a figurative one. But I guess it might be good for latex glove manufacturers, so people would support it if it's sold as "creating manufacturing jobs".
Good grief.
Like I said, these laws are assinine.
I wonder what kind of trouble we can get into, as the nearest pharmacy to us is across the state line in Maryland....sheesh.
I don't like the Idea that the Federal Government under Alberto Gonzalez Dept. of Justice implies that people who have a legitimate need for Sudaphed or other Nasal decongestants are criminals and that they require a drivers license to purchase a non schedualed over the counter drug.
That is absurd.If they want to find the meth labs let them do real law enforcement work.Your average user is not going to make meth out of a package of sudaphed.
Yeah, if you have medical insurance! I may need to drive to Washington State or Idaho to get my Claritin-D, of course I'll need to find out if doing so and bringing it back into Oregon is a criminal offense. Nothing like turning law abiding citizens into criminals with a stroke of a pen!
Failed war on some drugs proponents can thank themselves for meth. We should take a vote on the drug war. A consensus vote. Those that want to continue it should have to write their addresses down so the government can send them a monthly bill for it. The money wasted on the fWO(s)D would be better spent stuffing rat holes and for kindling purposes.
Umm, the Methamphetamine Study Group?
I think it's called college.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I checked my local paper. Not one single Methamphetamine Awareness Day activity listed. And to think, my family and I got all dressed up for nothing.
I have 8 boxes of the real Sudafed left.
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