Gee. Isn't California the Utopian paradise, the bluest of "blue" states?

But yes, it IS your problem when someone else abuses something. It always is, because "the public" always includes YOU.

Guns, automobiles, aircraft, chemicals -- all have restrictions because someone was an idiot, intentionally or otherwise.

This is a stellar example for you. Laws are not just for other people - they are for you. ALWAYS.

Because you insist on it, in consumer and other legal protections, but you leave it up to others.

No, it's NOT right, but that's the way it is because in general, the public does not want responsibility - and in fact, if you ask around, few even know how to define "crime". The result is that the law-abiding are restricted because of what criminals do.

While these laws are pointless and dumb, smart poeple get scripts for these meds during their annual physicals.

Can't be weak on drugs. This is a nearly iron-clad rule in our poklitical process. The people demand it.

smart poeple get scripts for these meds during their annual physicals.

Well, if you have a high-deductible health insurance plan (like many do), that can get expensive. Yes, most plans include a free wellness visit once a year. But, as Amy points out, it's unrealistic for someone to go, "Hmmm...I wonder if I'll be banned from purchasing Robitussin this year. Better get a prescription, just in case, along with a script for all the other random OTC stuff I sometimes take for allergy attacks and nausea...just in case."

Also, prescriptions expire. So, if you've already used up your free wellness visit for the year, and you need a script for some 'tussin...that 'tussin is going to cost you $100 -- the cost of an office visit.

I don't believe that I said I supported the law? As to getting a script - what I do with Sudafed is get a script with multiple refills. When it expires after a year, I get online and request a new one, the pharmacy takes care of the rest. As an added benefit, with a script for it, one does not have to worry about exceeding the federal purchase limits.

It's not just the nanny state, it's because we are such a sue-happy nation. We need legal reform, on top of so many other reforms.

Fact is, kids, like my friend's son, last year, are stealing Robitusson off store shelves and nearly ODing (or, in other cases, are ODing). So, now, you can't even buy it if you're under 18 (sent my duaghter to the store last year to get me some cold meds, and found out she couldn't buy it).

But why? Mostly because those parents bring lawsuits and demand better protections. My friend threatened to sue the school (for not noticing his son had snuck off campus) and the store (for not noticing he shoplifted the cold meds).

Every business in America is supposed to have employees with a million eyes in the backs of their heads and somehow prevent anybody from doing anything that might lead to injury or death.

I would bet there'll be an unintended consequence of this--increased abuse of Vicodin and codeine

The current strong prescription cough syrups use codeine and hydrocodone. People with mild coughs won't go to their doctor for a prescription now, they'll just get the OTC dextromethorphan products. Require a prescription for everything, on the other hand, and why wouldn't doctors go ahead and prescribe the more effective drug? As a result, codeine and hydrocodone use goes up, and those are much more prone to abuse than dextromethorphan.

Aside from the fact that it now drives me nuts that I can't buy cough syrup at the self-check out line because I need ID, I actually feel like this is worse because of the effect on parents. I understand that you might be concerned about your children getting high off of meds they can get easily - but if your kid is getting that high, and spending that much on cough syrup - shouldn't you notice?

Instead, it means that instead of you being able to ask your 10-18 year old to go to the store and pick themselves up some sudafed or cough syrup when you or they are feeling sick, you had to go get it, adding an errand onto your day, and taking away a chance to teach children that this is a nice thing you do for someone else - get them cough syrup. And now, you have to go to the doctor. Well, hopefully it teaches children that government is overly intrusive into people's lives, but I worry that it's actually teaching them that adults are and should be also treated like children, and that nobody can take responsibility for anything.

I was in Target last week and saw the Nyquil on sale and decided to grab 2 bottles to have on hand in the house. They could not sell it to me unless I allowed them to scan my driver's license. There's something wrong with that especially because if my son wanted to get high on cough syrup, he'd probably just steal it out of my medicine cabinet as opposed to going to Target to buy it on sale.

"I understand that you might be concerned about your children getting high off of meds they can get easily - but if your kid is getting that high, and spending that much on cough syrup - shouldn't you notice?"

A lot of times they weren't buying it. They were shoplifting it or pooling it from their various homes. If each kid raids mom and dad's medicine cabinet, they can pool a lot of cold medicine. Or they pretend to be sick and have their parents get them the meds.

I had no idea until my friend's son ended up in the hospital. Who knew you could OD on Robitussin? A lot of parents still have no idea.

Kids find all kids of ways to get high, believe me. As the parent of teens, I've learned about "huffing" and so forth. They use whip cream canisters. Next they'll ban cool whip!

"I was in Target last week and saw the Nyquil on sale and decided to grab 2 bottles to have on hand in the house. They could not sell it to me unless I allowed them to scan my driver's license."

Huh - yet another benign task that's more regulated than voting.

Hows about if you wind up OD in the hospital and survive and you werent drugged agaisnt your will we seteralise you before you leave?

Fabulous. Now even MORE people are going to end up in our overcrowded ERs because they cannot simply go to Walgreens and purchase cough syrup. God help those poor ER doctors and nurses in CA who are going to be facing dozens of angry frustrated hacking adults and children who will be triaged in the ER for 7 hours because all they have is a cough which cannot be treated with OTC meds.

The DEA is like the hand squeezing a water balloon. You clamp down here, demand goes somewhere else. But the volume in the balloon will never change.

This world would be a better place if people would stop pretending they could make fundamental changes to human nature.

Also, when I need Robitussin, I need it at 3 am not whenever the next available appointment is.

"I was in Target last week and saw the Nyquil on sale and decided to grab 2 bottles to have on hand in the house."

Hmm. I think that if they do that to me (insist on scanning my DL), I'll go back and buy them out, and see what happens.

Are you sure about this? Because this is what I found when googling around, at sfgate.com:
No RX required, just must be over 18 and jump through the same hoops as you now have to jump through to get Sudafed.

Cough medicine: People younger than 18 would be banned from over-the-counter purchases of products that contain dextromethorphan, an ingredient used in many cough medicines that when taken in high doses can cause hallucinations, loss of motor skills and dissociative sensations. The measure is SB514, by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/29/BA451MER9V.DTL#ixzz1i33vTiH8