Restricting Sudafed Purchases Annoys Customers and Does Not Stop Meth

So I have a cold. It's not fun. Say around 10pm I decide that I'd like some decongestant to help with my stuffed up nose. Well, that's just too bad, since the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 was included in the Patriot Act in 2006. Now Sudafed is kept behind the counter. You have to ask a pharmacist for it and show your id. Well, the fake stuff didn't work against my cold. Later, I went to the pharmacy, stood in line, showed my id and bought the cold medicine.

From the FDA site: http://www.fda.gov/CDER/news/methamphetamine.htm

This law is ridiculus. All it does is inconvience people who'd like a little relief from a cold, people who'd like to breath through their nose.

The reason for all this trouble is that psudoephedrine can be used to make methamphetamines, an illegal drug. The idea is that the law will stop people from going to multiple pharmacies and buying out the psudoephedrine.

Well, news flash, this law isn't stopping people from making and selling meth. There are other ways to get the ingredients to make meth here in the US, and meth is made in large quantites in Mexico and imported.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9193186

We should not let a few bad apples spoil it for the rest of us. As an simple, midterm comprimse, how about letting any cashier check id to buy cold medicine, just like a cashier can check id for alcohol. That way if the pharmacy is closed, customers can still buy the Sudafed. I think an even better solution is to scrap this law and go after the root cause. Why do people want to use meth? Focus and education and prevention, before people get addicted. As long as there are people looking to buy, there will be dealers selling it. If the dealers and producers stop making a ton of money, it won't be worth it to them anymore.