States take the fight against meth to the pharmacy counter

Another absurd nth-order consequence of America's failed war on drugs.

Methamphetamine is a nasty drug which does great damage to those hooked on it. But why has it emerged with such strength?

Isn't it obvious? Less harmful recreational drugs like marijuana have been made more costly by the "war on drugs", thus those who would sell illegal drugs for the great profits these provide to sellers decide to try alternatives which might be easier to access or make, in the case cited, not requiring any hazardous smuggling.

Economic substitution by suppliers results in drug-of-choice substitution by users, and in the case of methamphetamine, the substitution is for a "domestically" made, and far more harmful substance than those likely used by the same clients in a prior generation.

Great job America.

Keep putting your thumbs in each new leak in the unstable and unsustainable dike which is your failed war on drugs.

More stupidity from the "war on drugs". Wish there was a "war on stupidity".

Not sure why people are making methamphetamine, when all the users need to do is go their physician and get a script for the legal stuff. There are a large variety of products already on the market available for the treatment of ADHD, fatigue, weight loss, etc. that are pharmacologically equivalent to methamphetamine that it makes no sense for people to cook the stuff up themselves. The only difference between the two groups of stimulant users, as far as I can tell, is social class. Its a crime for Hillbilly Bob/Emmylou to make and use meth, but if corporate exec Brandon/Brandy uses ritalin to work longer hours, they're a hero and get a bigger bonus. That's the real hypocrisy of the war on drugs, score your drugs on the black market and you're a loser/criminal, but get it through the regulated health care sysem and you're high flying winner.

kanyokt, ritalin & co, while chemically similar to methamphetamine, is something completely different. many drugs are chemically similar, that doesn't mean they effect the human body in the same way, though.

For a detailed and horrific account of the effect meth has had on small rural communities, read "Methland"

http://www.amazon.com/Methland-Death-Life-American-Small/dp/1608192075/r...

Ratman, methamphetamine is sold legally in the US under the trade name desoxyn. All amphetamines and other amphetamine-type stimulants e.g. ritalin work by releasing dopamine into the synaptic cleft. Methamphetamine contains a methyl group which potentiates it action by increasing uptake and CNS penetration...maybe the street stuff contains more impurities, but it's all the same stuff.

The opiates, opium derived compounds, are also all the same, heroin gets the bad name, but although each has a varying degre of potency, its all pretty much the same stuff.

Criminalize one and fee for service for the other.

Before MN required sellers to track sales, Target decided to jump the gun and do it themselves. Their solution? Have the pharmacist's assistant uses a spiral bound notebook to write down all the information off of your drivers license. Then leave the notebook on the counter. When she asked me for my DL I said no thank you. My conscience told me to go back later, swipe the notebook and post it to some website. I felt morally obligated to point out Target's stupidity. But I'm lazy and rarely listen to my conscience.

There are other ways to cook meth without cold medicine. Burn incidents at ERs may be down, but at what cost? I seriously doubt the supply of meth has been squeezed. By making cold medication prescription only, you have to go to the doctor's office where you can easily pick up something worse than a cold. You have to pay for it. Your insurance has to pay for it. Undoubtedly the cost will go up since the pharmacist has to dispense it. Last time I checked we were trying to reduce the cost of our health care system. Just moving it behind the counter means you can't seek relief from your cold until normal business hours. It's hard to believe the net effect to the economy/society is positive. I know politicians hate the people, but honestly?

You could reduce trauma incidents if every vehicle was limited to a top speed of 10mph. I'm not pro-meth, but this is not a solution. Moving it behind the counter wasn't a solution. Have the clerk at the convenience store tip you every time a customer buys a case of cold medicine. You went from a system where the criminals identified themselves to anyone who was looking, to one that naturally makes them harder to catch.

Control if not outright banning of pseudoephedrine is long overdue. There are other ways of getting through a cold -- most cold remedies using this ingredient relieve some symptoms but prolong the cold itself. Is it really worth having a few over-the-counter drug companies make money with a product of debatable value, while allowing pseudoephedrine to ruin so many lives?
That said, when meth manufacture dries up in the U.S., Mexico is ready and able to make up the shortfall.
Sigh...

"A playdate in jail"

The actual building this is used for jail needs to be re-organized such that socializing isn't allowed, for the sake of reforming criminal.

People go to jail they meet other prisoners, after one or some of their "group" are released who do you think their social group is ourside of prison, criminal or non criminal.

Is their a benefit served to society by having a released prisoner with a higher likelyhood to be socializing with other former prisoners, it certainly doesn't increase the trust required to work with these former criminals.

I do think that other people would have an easier time working with former prisoners if they spent their time in prison in comfortable isolation.

What so I mean by "comfortable isolation", basically their room is small and they have to attatch themselves to a ball and chain that slides along the wall to get themselves to the only social space the bathroom, course they can't come in contact with eachother they are attatched to the wall. They have enough of a length width and height to double up their bed as a table, so it functions as a desk and bed, should be the same cubic volume as a double bunk cell.

The only benefit I can think of to socializing in prison as opposed to each a small "room of one's own" would be to the drug industry from sales in prison and sales and continued involvement upon release.

Course maybe another issue about why this isn't reality is that women might want to live in a room of their own and this "isolated jail" model might provide them that. I'd want to committe a crime to get a room for myself I don't have to do a day job to obtain, course I'd prefer the day job to get a room of my own that way, but either way residences should be better organized inside and outside jail.

Kristina Brooker, Newfoundland, 126 395 086
"The number one rank (error implied) consumer."

The least expanded currency with the highest potential to expand.