Baby formula, Vanilla extract = legal drugs

[kevin]

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[Wnghs2007]

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I know its shocking.

[coriolis]

Since when is baby formual cheap! I guess it is considering what the resulting drug product fetches.

[Wnghs2007]

Since when is baby formual cheap! I guess it is considering what the resulting drug product fetches.

Tell my mom about that. When Carson was born the price was like 8.00 per tub of it and that was to make 64 oz. Or about 8 Bottles.

[SouthernWx]

Here in Douglas County, Georgia....beginning January 1, 2005, all cold medications containing pseudoephdrine will be kept BEHIND the pharmacists counter in all stores.

I take Actifed for allergies/ hay fever, and after New Year....to purchase it and similar products in this county, will require me asking for it by name, showing the pharmacist my drivers license, AND signing for it...and all info will be kept for three years, and available to the sheriff dept and Douglasville PD at any time. The new ordinance regulating "legal" products such as cough syrup, cold medications, and many allergy products was passed by the county commission a couple weeks ago....it's law, and takes effect in five weeks (and most retailers are really upset about it...as are pharmacists. One commented last week to me "where on earth will I put them? I don't have enough space behind the counter as it is"

In all honesty, it really bugs me...having to stand in line and ask for Actifed (or Nyquil and CoTylenol) like a prescription will mean a bigger hassle (because Kroger's pharmacy is ALWAYS crowded), and it also worries me with law enforcement having such access to what over the counter medications I use....even though two DCSO deputies are distant cousins of mine.

I understand the serious drug problem...and the fact some "bad guys" buy/ steal these products in bulk to make illegal meth; but to inconvienence tens of thousands of honest citizens who use these products for allergies is IMO ridiculous. I'm honestly concerned some night I'll find detectives at my door demanding to know why I bought 3 boxes of Actifed's during April instead of 1....or why I purchase a box every month.

What next? What happens if some conniving drug guru learns to make meth or another illegal drug from some ingredient in shampoo, soap, or deoderant....maybe even orange juice or Hawaiian Punch? Will law abiding folks then have to show ID in order to buy it....and then be afraid their next purchase might mean a detective at their door, or interviewing their neighbors??

See, that's my big issue...giving the local sheriff's office or police dept. total access to ENTER every Douglas county citizens over-the-counter med purchases into a database than a hacker or God knows who could end up with. That really scares me...and if you value your privacy and freedom, it should frighten you as well

FYI...I already know several other over the counter products that are used to get people high. When will Drano be put behind the counter? I saw a beautiful teenage girl die from abusing it to get high four years ago...in the same hospital ICU my aunt was in

[Wnghs2007]

FYI...I already know several other over the counter products that are used to get people high. When will Drano be put behind the counter? I saw a beautiful teenage girl die from abusing it to get high four years ago...in the same hospital ICU my aunt was in

That is so sad perry

[SouthernWx]

That is so sad perry

K.C., it was so sad to witness.....to see her lying there having seizures, unconscious.....and only 16 yrs old.

My great aunt was in ICU, and the teenage girl was only a couple rooms away....her family was totally devastated. She passed away a few days before my great aunt did (just before Christmas)....according to the girl's mother, she was at a party and drank some type of drugs mixed with Drano. She collapsed and never regained consciousness.

[Wnghs2007]

That is so sad perry

K.C., it was so sad to witness.....to see her lying there having seizures, unconscious.....and only 16 yrs old.

My great aunt was in ICU, and the teenage girl was only a couple rooms away....her family was totally devastated. She passed away a few days before my great aunt did (just before Christmas)....according to the girl's mother, she was at a party and drank some type of drugs mixed with Drano. She collapsed and never regained consciousness.

OMG. How can some kids be so stupid.

[SouthernWx]

OMG. How can some kids be so stupid.

Peer pressure K.C.....many kids want to be part of the "in" or "cool" crowd. My little sis was the same way...I've seen sis so drunk she could barely walk. Thank God the hardest drugs I'm aware she ever used was marijuana (and just knowing she tried pot scared me to death

I never had that problem as a teenager.....because to the "cool" cliques in high school I was an "outcast" to begin with. I was overweight, wore thick glasses, a science/ weather nerd, and also a church pastor's son. I didn't care about being cool...I enjoyed being me. I never got drunk or high, and today am glad of it.

Many of my friends and classmates who chose the "do anything to be cool" route ended up like the girl at Wellstar Douglas ICU in 2000.....dead far too soon.

[yoda]

OMG. How can some kids be so stupid.

Peer pressure K.C.....many kids want to be part of the "in" or "cool" crowd. My little sis was the same way...I've seen sis so drunk she could barely walk. Thank God the hardest drugs I'm aware she ever used was marijuana (and just knowing she tried pot scared me to death

I never had that problem as a teenager.....because to the "cool" cliques in high school I was an "outcast" to begin with. I was overweight, wore thick glasses, a science/ weather nerd, and also a church pastor's son. I didn't care about being cool...I enjoyed being me. I never got drunk or high, and today am glad of it.

Many of my friends and classmates who chose the "do anything to be cool" route ended up like the girl at Wellstar Douglas ICU in 2000.....dead far too soon.

Yes. It is very scary Perry. I am glad to hear your sister is ok.

KC, how can kids be so stupid? Perry answered that. Do you think I am stupid because I have been suicidal? That would not make sense. I think you meant to question why would students/kids do it.

[azsnowman]

Hate to tell you, but people have been abusing vanilla extract since the turn of the century... lots of other stuff as well.

And I suspect that the rate of abuse is not what is going up either. There are SOME young people who abuse substances, who seek out substances to abuse, etc. And the substances may change depending upon availability, etc. But I think that as a percentage of the population, these substances abusers are a relatively small percentage (and a fairly constant percentage) ofthe population--and it is dangerous to tar all young people with the same brush...

The vast majority of young people do NOT sniff glue, drink vanilla, etc. etc. Just as the vast majority of the 60s generation, 70s generation, 80s generation, or whichever generation you belong to did not grow up to be potheads, alcoholics, etc.

Back in the 1900s, CocaCola contained alcohol and cocaine! Hence its name. And there were all sorts of syrups, etc. out there that contained alcohol, cocaine and other similar "drugs." However, most of your grandparents and great grandparents were not cocaine addicts.

And for you babies of the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s whose parents gave you paragoric (spelling?) It is a serious drug related to opium, I believe? So are you out in an opium den these days?

What has changed is that there is more publicity given to the few--and perhaps the media is to blame for a lot of this--and the pseudo-reality shows that hype bad behavior and deviant sociopaths and make it look as those the behavior is widespread and growing.

Shame on the grocery stores. This is a ploy to highlight the "shrinkage" issue, to allow them to raise prices, and to push product. By making it appear that these products are or might become "scarce," they can stimulate a demand. How many of you reading this will go out and buy "extra" vanilla "just in case" when you buy for this year's Christmas baking? They have persuaded you that there may be an availability problem... When they raise the prices, you will buy anyway because they've convinced you that there is a "reason" for the price increase other than greed, etc.

I don't think any of this stuff is "new" and I suspect that the shrinkage is fairly constant on these products, but the merchants in Hampton Rhoads have figured out a marketing ploy...

Notice, however, that when the stores target a product like this, suddenly there are horrific price increases because people believe their propaganda and believe that the stuff needs special handling, etc. Limiting availability of a product stimulates demand. Economics 101.

"OUTSTANDING" post here! Bravo!

What *frosts my cookies* is the fact that these little PUNKS are abusing prescription pain meds such as, Oxycontin, Lortab, Vicodin and are making it harder than HADES for those of us who desperatly NEED the medication for legit reasons

Dennis

[JenBayles]

Forgive me, but I'm having a really hard time trying to figure out what in the world could be in baby formula or vanilla extract that would subject these items to abuse. Am I just an out of touch 40-something?

[The Big Dog]

See, that's my big issue...giving the local sheriff's office or police dept. total access to ENTER every Douglas county citizens over-the-counter med purchases into a database than a hacker or God knows who could end up with. That really scares me...and if you value your privacy and freedom, it should frighten you as well

Absolutely right. However, most people think that privacy issues relate only to the <i>illegal</i> things that you're doing that you're trying to hide. Nobody thinks about the legal things that are being scrutinized as well, be they medication or magazine subscriptions or plane tickets or whatever. I'm tired of hearing the what's-the-problem-if-you-have-nothing-to-hide argument.

[alicia-w]

well, dont laugh (or sneer), but that's one of the reasons why I almost never enter my correct social security number on forms like video store accounts and library cards. Dont need some gestapo-like organization making a big deal out of how many times I watched Bad Santa in a week or how many times I checked out certain books.

What I have noticed here is that they will card you at the register for OTC meds, household chemicals, etc. But a 14 yr old kid can still buy a back of cigs or chew for their folks (those who are parked smack dab in front of the store, too lazy to get their tukkas out of the car...)

[GalvestonDuck]

Forgive me, but I'm having a really hard time trying to figure out what in the world could be in baby formula or vanilla extract that would subject these items to abuse. Am I just an out of touch 40-something?

Again, the baby formula is NOT being used. It's the baby formula CANS that are being used to transport crack and crystal meth. And the price doesn't matter to them. They're crooks. They'll steal the cans -- with the formula.

As for vanilla extract, I remember a very touching episode of "Family Ties" where Tom Hanks played Alex's uncle Ned (Elyse's brother). He was an alcoholic. Alex came in late one evening and found Ned at the kitchen table, drinking. Ned tried to convince Alex to go on a beer run with him but Alex refused. Then Ned started rummaging through the kitchen to find anything with alcohol in it. One of the things I recall him drinking was a bottle of vanilla extract and Alex commented about it. Hanks rocked in that episode and proved very early what he was capable of as an actor.

[alicia-w]

My ex's mother was so against the consumption of any alcohol that she used artificial vanilla flavoring instead of the real stuff.

[Guest]

Forgive me, but I'm having a really hard time trying to figure out what in the world could be in baby formula or vanilla extract that would subject these items to abuse. Am I just an out of touch 40-something?

Again, the baby formula is NOT being used. It's the baby formula CANS that are being used to transport crack and crystal meth. And the price doesn't matter to them. They're crooks. They'll steal the cans -- with the formula.

As for vanilla extract, I remember a very touching episode of "Family Ties" where Tom Hanks played Alex's uncle Ned (Elyse's brother). He was an alcoholic. Alex came in late one evening and found Ned at the kitchen table, drinking. Ned tried to convince Alex to go on a beer run with him but Alex refused. Then Ned started rummaging through the kitchen to find anything with alcohol in it. One of the things I recall him drinking was a bottle of vanilla extract and Alex commented about it. Hanks rocked in that episode and proved very early what he was capable of as an actor.

Perhaps there Duck but in Columbus, OH they were using the formula itself. And this was almost a year ago when i heard of it. The baby formula there has been off the shelves sence then. And btw Not all of it has been removed evidently its mainly just one the druggies seek out. (Similac advanced with Iron).

[JenBayles]

What *frosts my cookies* is the fact that these little PUNKS are abusing prescription pain meds such as, Oxycontin, Lortab, Vicodin and are making it harder than HADES for those of us who desperatly NEED the medication for legit reasons

Dennis

That's my beef as well Dennis. As a major chronic pain sufferer, I am helpless in the face of those in the medical community who are constantly on the look out for abusers. Takes an act of Congress to get any kind of effective treatment, so I've pretty well given up. I'm not looking for a buzz, I'm looking for pain relief so I can live my life.

[vbhoutex]

well, dont laugh (or sneer), but that's one of the reasons why I almost never enter my correct social security number on forms like video store accounts and library cards. Dont need some gestapo-like organization making a big deal out of how many times I watched Bad Santa in a week or how many times I checked out certain books.

What I have noticed here is that they will card you at the register for OTC meds, household chemicals, etc. But a 14 yr old kid can still buy a back of cigs or chew for their folks (those who are parked smack dab in front of the store, too lazy to get their tukkas out of the car...)

tsk tsk Alicia!hehehe-I don't give my SS unless it is absolutely required and there better be a VERY GOOD reason for it. If some video store(we hardly ever use them anyway)needs my social they don't need my business.

Here in TX it is very difficult for children and/or teens(who look their age at least)to purchase tobacco products. don't get me wrong, I got a couple of places busted when I found out they were selling to my son and daughter when they were underage.(sh don't tell them! ) I am surprised it is still allowed in FL.

[j]

actually not the can to ship it in...thats not the purpose ...the baby formula itself....and yes the powder...can be used to make crystal meth.....mixed with all the other stuff.....the effect is the same and a fraction of the cost...so druggies can sell crystal at top dollar because no one knows its mixed with baby formula..thus big profit for druggies

It's been used for generations by drug dealers who don't want to buy the cut (which btw is legally available at many head shops), and op for less expensive cuts like aforementioned and almost any powder that they can slip in. If a drug dealer buys an ounce of high grade cocaine, steps on it once, breaks that down into 1/8 or 1/4 ounce packages, then they get stepped on again, before the steet level, 1/2 gram or gram buying end user ends up with easily half the drug he thinks he's getting. In fact, the end user may not be getting cocaaine (or whatever he thinks he's buying) but something different with similar physical properties. Tetracaine, procaine, and lidocaine, are all typical cuts used with amphetamine class drugs, and because of their analgesic effect, people think they are getting some "good" stuff.

Laxative is another big cut used, as well as various sugars.