'Robotripping' bill to become law Jan. 1

[quest7]

It took more than seven years, but a proposal by two Palo Alto officers to restrict sale of certain cough medicines to minors will finally become California law next week.

Senate Bill 514, which was authored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and pitched by two officers as part of Simitian's "There Oughta be a Law" contest in 2004, will take effect Jan. 1. The bill will make California the first state in the nation to ban the sale of medicine containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to minors.

Sgt. Wayne Benitez and former Palo Alto officer Ron Lawrence first proposed restricting medicine with DXM in 2004. At the time, few in the Legislature had heard of DXM or the "robotripping" effect it produces. That year, the proposal fizzled in the Legislature.

Since then, abuse of this chemical has skyrocketed. According to a report from the California Poison Control System, DXM abuse for children younger than 17 went up by 850 over the past decade.

Simitian revived the bill again this year and it passed overwhelmingly. The passage means that starting on Jan. 1, store clerks will have to check customers' IDs to make sure they are 18 or older before they can purchase cough and cold medicines containing DXM.

Palo Alto Online : 'Robotripping' bill to become law Jan. 1

 

[Gmash]

"put some 'tussin on it!"

 

[OstrichSaK]

Wow, will we not rest until we make everything dangerous or capable of getting someone high illegal? I don't do any controlled substances yet roll my eyes at all these laws protecting the stupid from themselves. Sure, seven years. You couldn't do something more useful with your time like, I don't know, educating the youth about the dangerous consequences that are directly related to their choices in life? I mean, if we child proof everything and outlaw everything then nobody needs to actually be parents, right?

Way to lead the way on liberty Komifornia!

 

[SamuraiBigEd]

Way to lead the way on liberty Komifornia!

You were expecting differently?

 

[TxGoat]

I can see some stuffed up child asking someone outside of CVS to score them some cough medicine....

 

[copestag]

while I agree we are becoming more and more of a nanny state in the US...... its hard to argue the logic behind some of these things

I mean seriously...... is this really going to effect anyone? do you routinely send your 8 year old kid to the store to by his own robitussin? if this law effects you in a negative manner then perhaps you need better parenting skills

shouldnt the parent be buying the medicines for sick minors?????

on the flipside however....... this law isnt stopping anyone...... do they really believe some silly age law is going to prevent minors from gettin this stuff if they want to abuse it? that worked out well for cigs and beer.... no minor ever gets any of those things

 

[OstrichSaK]

...its hard to argue the logic behind some of these things

It looks like you just did.

..... this law isnt stopping anyone...

I've never used Robitusin and probably never will. The inconvenience isn't the point of my disagreement however. Too many laws is the point. You don't always have to be directly affected by a law to have an opinion. In fact, the opinion of someone not affected by the law directly probably is the most useful opinion.

 

[Drhyde]

You know, when I wanted to trip balls, I just took about 8 Unisom sleeping gels and forcefully stayed up. If people want to get high, they're going to figure out a way to do it. Outlawing everything just creates black markets and more crime, not less. We need more education about these things rather than banning everything. Just like with all the crap they are doing with narcotic painkillers. If some dumbasses take too many and kill themselves, well, sounds like Darwinism to me. One less stupid person on the planet.