Cold and flu tablets

I’ve got my first major head cold for the year. It’s not surprising given that several staff were off sick at various times last week and the weather is “freeze your balls off” as one newspaper letter writer succinctly put it.

I know American bloggers think we’re soft when we complain about the cold, but today would have sent the shivers up just about anyone.

The wind chill meant it was effectively four degrees.

Anyhow, I ventured out at lunchtime to get some cold and flu tablets from the chemist, which sadly was half a mile away from the office.

I knew what would happen when I got there, because we ran a story on it last week.

The Federal Government and pharmacists have cracked down on the sale of these tablets because they contain pseudoephedrine which can be easily extracted to make highly addictive methamphetamines, such as ice.

I had to answer questions about why I wanted the tablets and who were they for. I had to produce my driver’s licence and wait more than five minutes while my name was added to a register.

Apparently I can’t now buy any more tablets for a given period (presumably a week) even if I have a doctor’s note or need to buy them for someone else.

I remember when these things were sold in bulk at discount pharmacies.

I guess that’s when it became too easy for underworld characters to melt them down. According to one report: “Up to 90 per cent of the pseudoephedrine used in clandestine drug labs is estimated to have been diverted from community pharmacies.”

It’s another example of selective misbehavior changing rules and habits for the majority.