Meth labs hit close to home

This past spring, the methamphetamine problem started to affect me personally. For those of you not familar with the Meth problem (all 2 of ya) and how it relates to Claratin, here's a quick tutorial.

In March, a new federal law was passed that places restrictions on purchases of products containing pseudoephedrine, which is the magical ingredient that makes my head feel a whole lot better when allergies are in the mood to torment me. It is now illegal to purchase more than 7.5 grams of pseudoephedrine in a 30 day period through the mail, and you can only buy one 10-count box of Claratin-D per day at any given store. (Similar restrictions are in place for any over-the-counter medicine which contains pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed.) And the Internet isn't the answer, either. Drugstore.com is required by federal regulations to report suspicious purchases to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The reason for the new regulations? Pseudoephedrine is one of the ingredients for making methamphetamine, so the government is trying to stop these labs from churning out this deadly drug to millions. Apparently, the government figures making the lives of tens of millions of allergy sufferers more difficult (and more expensive) is the way to go to crack down on meth labs.

Bullshit.

It's annoyed me for a while, but the other day, with the temperature hovering around 100 degrees in Philadelphia, I headed to CVS to purchase another box of Claratin-D while nursing an allergy induced sinus headache.

Going back to the pharmacy, I immediately became pissed when the smug cashier said, "I need to see some I.D." Some people just love to tell you can't have something. Whatever. So now, whenever I buy a box of Claratin, I have to sign some stupid log book that no one probably checks anyway.

So I'm supposed to believe that THIS is the answer to the meth problem? Inconveniencing me, and taking more money out of my pocket?

Again, it's bullshit.

First, a bit more on meth labs. Check out what meth can do to people. ...


Beautiful, huh?

What's worse, not only are the junkies like the one above a drain on society in so many ways, but the meth labs pose dangers to others as well. Motels, mobile homes (there's a surprise) and apartments are often converted to meth labs - in bathtubs or kitchens. I don't know the ABCs of making meth, nor do I ever want to, but one thing is certain - these labs can and often do blow sky high. Take a look. ...

Your typical garden variety apartment building, with a meth lab cookin' inside, until it fall down and go boom. ...

It's gonna need a paint job and a shitload of screen doors.

So, as you can see, it's a pretty big problem, and I applaud the DEA for combating what I'm sure is an uphill battle. But, limiting me to one box of Claratin-D per day probably isn't going to solve much. In fact, it's like putting a Band-Aid on an amputation.

You might ask yourself, why am I bitching about only being able to buy one box per day? Glad you asked.

Originally, like many over-the-counter drugs (if you can still call Claratin that), Claratin-D began as a prescription. When it was a prescription, I paid my copay and got 30 pills, which lasted me anywhere from a month to two months. I don't take it every day; just when I feel the nasty effects of allergies, which I have year 'round.

Then, the makers of Claratin, Schering-Plough, decided to cash in on their admittedly great invention by taking Claratin and Claratin-D over the counter. Awesome, I thought - no more copays, and I might even be able to save some dough when it goes on sale.

And that was cool, for a while. If it went on sale, I stocked up a bit to save some money. The 15-count boxes (which are no longer offered for sale, so far as I know), were around $20-22, so if it went on sale, I bought a few extra boxes to save some money. It sucked somewhat, because SP was getting richer off of my allergies, but whatever - the stuff flat-out works.

Then, the 15-count box went away. So, then I had to go the more expensive option - buying 10 count boxes. But, there were still sales, so I still had a chance to save. Now, one box per day, and often I can only get two five-count boxes, because drug stores often don't have the 10s.

So, I'm takin' a prison pounding because of junkies.

So, fat-fuck Rush Limbaugh can score thousands of Oxycotin with no consequences, claiming prejudice because of his political views.

So, again, fat-fuck Rush can again skit the law by bringin' home Viagra, without a legal prescription, for his limp johnson from the Dominican Republic, with again, no consequences. His lame comeback? He bought them in the Clinton Library gift shop. Oh, the bloated intolerant one is so pithy!

So, I can go out and buy a case of beer and drive a car, possibly killing myself or other people, and I can get as much beer as I want down the street at the beer distributor, but I can't buy a month's supply of Clarain-D?

So, I can go buy a handgun (on the spot in many states), which is a little more lethal than my Claratin-D, but I have to sign a log book to get allergy medication?

I can buy as many cartons of cigarettes I want, and they are a known carcinogen, but not two boxes of Claratin?

So, the government isn't even clever enough to catch people who enter the country and who want to only learn how to fly planes not land them, but I can't buy a month's supply of Claratin-D?

I live in the museum district of Philadelphia, and I could walk in any 10-block direction, if I were so inclined, and could almost definitely come back with just about any drug I wanted, in significant quantity, and if I had enough cash. But, my local drugstore just a few blocks away will sell me only one box of Claratin-D per day, at inflated prices, no less.

What's wrong with this picture?

Fireworks & Pit Bulls - misunderstood?

The subject of these thoughts in my head is a bit old, but still relevant. (Above is a picture of Philly that I wish I could say I took - it's looking down on the Art Museum during a 4th of July celebration). As I got some fireworks to set off this past 4th of July, I was a bit entertained at the reaction they elicited in people, and after the 4th, I sat back and wondered where it all comes from. My conclusion? It comes largely from the media, and the few idiots who act irresponsibly when lighting and setting off fireworks. Not a whole lot different from owners of Pit Bull Terriers. Think the metaphor is a nonsequitor? Gimme a second.

Every single year around the 4th, the media runs reports about the dangers of fireworks to scare the living shit out of people . Okay, fair enough. Because there are far too many people (and one would be too many) who think it's funny to mess with M-80s, quarter sticks, and other very powerful fireworks, and they end up doing great harm to themselves and others, and sometimes even death.


I did a Google image search on firework injuries, and some of what can be found will turn your stomach, quite literally. This is the only one I found that I'd post to this blog. Obviously a pretty nasty burn.

These reports serve a purpose, and one can hope they only give a few morons pause before they do something stupid. But, what these reports also do is give people the impression that anything on the planet with a fuse will blow your head off if you go near it. Pretty funny.

To wit, during our annual July 4th party, when I brought some Black Cat firecrackers to our rooftop deck to safely and harmlessly set off just off the one side of our deck, one of our guests screamed, "You're going to set the building on fire!" and she wasn't kidding. It took me a few minutes to stop laughing before I could light them. Afterwards, I dished out a good ribbing, "Quick, get a bucket of water! The roof is on fire! Arrrrrrrraaaaagh!!!!"

After this year's party, I won't be getting anymore to set off in front of people at a party again. Hey, we don't throw parties to anger people, much less scare them, so it isn't worth it. But, fireworks can be pretty, safe and fun if you know what you're doing, and you light them safe and sensibly. I'm confident that I'm all of those things. It's not a game, and I don't mess with M-80s and the crazy stuff, ever.

I grew up around fireworks. I'm used to them. Does that mean I'm an expert? Nope. But you know what? I'm not an expert at driving a car, drinking alcohol or firing a gun, and all three are legal and can be worlds more lethal than a firecracker.

After our party, I was discussing people's reactions with Vandra, and since I have a profound love of metaphor, I told her that I was reminded of people's reactions to Pit Bull Terriers.

I've been around Pit Bulls and Rotweillers for many years. Like many things, including fireworks, they are misunderstood. Why? Because there are a few irresponsible idiots out there who abuse and mistreat the animals, and by training them to be viscious. When that happens, there are bound to be very bad and sometimes fatal consequences. Deaths have occurred from Pit Bulls, and in almost all cases, it's because of improper supervision of the dogs, or in some cases, parents not paying attention to where their child was, leading to a tragedy.

That's why when you bring up Pit Bulls, you often get very negative reactions in people. Just like fireworks.

Up until the last 20 years, Pit Bulls enjoyed a pretty good reputation through the years. For instance, check out this patriotic American poster, which dates to World War I. ...

Don't get me wrong - I've never owned a Pit Bull, nor will I ever. I wouldn't mind having a Rotty someday, but they can be more than a handful because of their size, and I don't like lots of pet hair. If I ever own a larger dog, it will be a Lab. My point in all of this is that there is a lot of misinformation out there about Pit Bulls and Rotties because of a small number of bad incidents, just like fireworks.

But, we will stick to smaller dogs when we become dog owners. We've already decided that when we move to Cali, we will get...

a Dachsund (a black and tan like this one) and...

a Welsh Corgi. I love both very much, and they are anything but a threat.

If people are safe and sensible, fireworks, like Pit Bulls, can be safe, and a whole lot of fun, too. Banning both is foolish; why deprive us all of something enjoyable because a few people don't know how to conduct themselves? This same line of reasoning also relates to Claratin-D and the bullshit I now have to go through because some drug fiends like to use it to cook up Meth. More on that soon.