Al's Morning Meeting reader Molly Parker at the
Chicago Tribune sent a story that says:
Responding to the growing use of over-the-counter medications to make illegal drugs, an increasing number of stores are restricting access to commonly-used cold, sinus, and allergy remedies that contain ingredients of powerfully addictive methamphetamine.
Walgreens, Dominick's, Jewel-Osco, Wal-Mart, and CVS Pharmacy are among large chains that have clamped down on cold-product sales. All now limit the quantity that a shopper can buy in one transaction, and some have allowed individual stores to move the remedies off open shelves and put them behind service counters.
Here is a story from Missouri and another from Iowa. The Des Moines Register says:
Lawmakers are weighing a proposal that would pull many cold medicines off store shelves by making pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient used to make meth, a Schedule V controlled substance ...
The move could bring Iowa in line with states like Missouri and North Dakota, which have passed laws limiting how many packages of the medicine a person can buy at a time.
While lawmakers tackle the issue, some businesses are taking the initiative to restrict the sale of cold medicines on their own. Hy-Vee Food Store officials announced earlier this month that products with pseudoephedrine would be moved to the pharmacy, where they will be sold only to people who sign for it. The chain's 219 stores also limited purchases of 14 name-brand cold, allergy and sinus remedies to two packages per visit.
Prepaid Tuition Plan Troubles
Another state-run prepaid tuition plan is in trouble. The Baltimore Sun reports:
Maryland's prepaid college tuition plan, hobbled by skyrocketing college costs and weak investment returns, faces a $70 million deficit and legislators angry that the plan is becoming too expensive for many families.
The price tags for Maryland's prepaid tuition plans have jumped as much as 27 percent during the last enrollment period. It was the second year in a row of such steep increases ...
Last year, Ohio, Texas, Kentucky, and West Virginia suspended new enrollment in their prepaid plans. Colorado shut down its plan the year before that.
Mail Theft
I do not know if it is just a "Hawaii thing," but thefts from mailboxes on the islands are soaring. Thefts increased 140 percent in the last two fiscal years. "They're stealing mail right out of mailboxes with the flag up," said Lt. Pat Tomasu, head of the Honolulu Police Department's Financial Fraud Unit. "We've also had reports of people following mail trucks in cars and taking mail after it has been delivered." Here's the story from the Honolulu Advertiser.
To prevent mail theft, the U.S. Postal Inspector's office advises the public not to leave outgoing mail in mailboxes with the red flag up and not to leave mail in mailboxes for long periods of time, especially on weekends.
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Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, story excerpts, and other materials from a variety of websites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed, and a link will be provided, whenever possible.
We've noticed the same thing about the cold medicines. We...
