News from the War on Cooking Ingredients

First, the state said you must make a special trip to the pharmacy counter to buy certain cold medicines. That was to curb production of methamphetamine.

Now, a St. Louis legislator wants you to do the same thing to buy an even more common household item — baking soda — because it's used to make crack cocaine.

Sales of cold medications containing pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed, are strictly regulated in Missouri. Customers must show a photo ID when they buy the medicine. Pharmacists must log the names and addresses of buyers, including how much they buy. People under 18 may not buy the medicines.

The sponsor of the baking soda bill, Rep. Talibdin El-Amin, D-St. Louis, said the same approach was needed for baking soda because crack cocaine is often produced by dissolving powdered cocaine in a mixture of water and baking soda.

St. Louis Today via Dustbury

Comments

[Pixie]

...and Salt! And Survival Spice! Watch out for those Margaritas and Bloody Mary's!

[Melissa Johnson]

Oh fer--*!@$%!

I have brutal allergies. It really annoys me that I have to go and ask for something I used to be able to get myself--and have my name written on some pencil-necked geeks' clipboard--and now they want me to do the same thing whenever I want to bake some cookies?

Grrr.