I can vaguely recall last year that there was more hassle than ever
getting these wonders of modern medicine, which, incidentally are made
for us by our capitalistic friends in India and China. This year,
manufacturers are touting a replacement drug called phenylephrine. Hey,
I'm glad to give anything a try but this replacement was not brought
about by market forces. The government last year cracked down on
pseudoephedrine, and the manufacturers were compelled to come up with
something else. So of course I'm suspicious.
"Hey, is this new stuff as good as the old pseudoephedrine?" I asked the pharmacist.
He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No, I don't think so."
"Ah ok, well, how can I get the real stuff?" I asked. He then
requested my drivers' license and reached behind him and handed me one
package.
"Umm, can I please have ten?" I asked, explaining that this process is a pain and so I might as well stock up.
"I'm sorry, I can only sell you one."
"You mean I have to buy it, go outside and come back in, buy another, and so on until I reach ten?"
"No, you can't do that," he replied. "You can only buy one package per month."
What about the liquid form? Doesn't exist, he says. What about the
liquid pills? Nope. Gone for good. My winter cocktail, abolished.
Now, I've always thought about this drug the way we think of milk or
oranges or socks. If any of these items started to be limited in supply
by government decree, what's the reaction? A slight bit of panic. I
immediately began thinking of workarounds. So this means that I have to
remember to buy from April to October when I don't usually need the
stuff so I can be sure to have it.
But won't one package a month be enough? Maybe. Probably. But what
if I share it with co-workers, as I often do? What if I leave it in a
coat pocket that is dry cleaned or a pants pocket that is washed? Or
what if I want to keep one package at home and one at work? What about
large families with kids in their early teens? What will they do?
It's not so much that I will certainly need more. It's just that one
would like to opportunity to buy more if one so desires. There's
nothing like a step toward prohibition to cause a run on a product!
Maybe now is the time to try one of those online drug places of
uncertain locale? Well, a quick check shows that most require the same
ID as the drug store. What do I have to do? Find a dealer on the street?
In any case, what is the big deal here? Is this all to make sure
that Americans must live with stuffy noses a few days a month? Is that
what we pay these birds in Washington to do for us?
A close investigation turns out to reveal what most people probably
already know: you can use this drug to make another drug called
methamphetamine, which is a stimulant that causes euphoria of some
sort. I read online that it was invented in the 19th century, and has
been mainly used for recreational purposes and also as a stimulant for
soldiers in wartime (when drug-induced euphoria is certainly valuable).
So apparently some stupid kids were cooking pseudoephedrine and
turning into methamphetamine. The government doesn't want people to
experience euphoria on a regular basis and decided to do something to
stop it. But does meth cause death? This "deadliest drug" has
apparently killed a few hundred people in the last six years, so far as
anyone can tell. Also, so far as anyone can tell, the use of the drug
peaked decades ago, according to Jack Shafer. In 1975, 16.2 percent of teens said that they had taken amphetamines, where as only 3.4 percent said that in 2004.
What about the process of making meth from nose medicine? This site gives the recipe as follows:
750 pills containing pseudoephedrine, five lithium batteries, two cans
of lantern fuel, a bottle of drain cleaner, a bottle of un-iodized
salt, a 10-pound block of dry ice, and various lab supplies: mason
jars, coolers, coffee filters, a hose. Depending on the proclivities of
the cook, there are substitutes for many of these ingredients. Instead
of coffee filters, for instance, some cooks prefer linens. One recipe
recommends Martha Stewart brand bedding because of its tight weave and
low cost.
What strikes me here is not the crazy fuss that is involved here but
the need for 750 pills. That's far more than I apparently have the
right to purchase.
As for how much of a national epidemic this is, I have no firm data.
Every published discussion of this that I could find only refers to the
existence of a problem — how much of a problem is hard to say. In any
case, from my point of view, if someone wants to go to all the above
effort to fry his brain with meth, that's his own business. A general
principle of a free society is that people are free to do stupid things
to themselves, and so the government doesn't and shouldn't treat people
like children.
Where did the legislation that makes it so difficult for me to
unclog my nose come from in the first place? The intrigue continues. It
was passed on March 6, 2006 — as an amendment to the Patriot Act! It
was this that required the drug store to collect information from my
driver's license so that the government can have a complete database of
all Americans with clogged noses. It was this act that said that I may
not buy more than a certain amount per month. State governments
followed up with their own laws.
Patriots had better not dispute it. All Patriots must learn to live
with clogged noses. And please report all people who seem to be
breathing effortlessly to the authorities.
Finally, there should be a limit on the numbers of Martha Stewart
bed sheets that people can buy (see the above recipe for meth). Maybe
one set per year. Those who want more are probably up to no good.)
____________
Jeffrey Tucker is editor of Mises.org. Send him mail. Comment on the blog.