SudaFed Up

Working in retail pharmacy may be one of the most depressing jobs out there. Not only because you are dealing with sick people on a daily basis but because you are knowingly selling the basic ingredients in crystal meth to busloads of people at a time. People who have their babies on their hips, third degree burns all over their bodies, missing fingertips, skin crawling with meth bugs, and pockets full of loose change to pay for their addictions. The situation has become so out of hand that the feelings that arise within me when I witness this day to day is no longer pity or empathy but rather anger and annoyance. Not anger because they are doing illegal drugs, not annoyance because they are hurting others, but just simply because I'm the one who has to sell it!

A typical day on the Pharm looks like this:

500 prescriptions to enter, fill, and sell to some hundreds of sick and truly needy people and some 500 people in line at the counter to buy Sudafed products. I'm racing to help reconstitute an rx for a sick baby in the drive thru when I hear "hackkk hackkk hacckkkk" behind my back. It's time to play the Sudafed game.

"Hi, can I help you?"
"Uhhh hackkk hacckkk hackkk hackkk, yeah I need some cold medicine"
"Ok, what kind?"
"Um, I want the Wal-phed D"
"You mean the Wal-itin D?"
"Yeah how many come in that box?"
"This box?"
"No, that box"
"This one?"
"No, that one"
"20"
"Is that the 24 hour?"
"No, it's the 12 hour"
"How much does it cost?"
"23.99"
"Oh well how much is the generic"
"It doesn't come in generic."
"Oh well what about that one, can I see it?"
"Is this a full box?"
"Uh no it's half a box what do you think."
"Oh well, how many milligrams is it?"
"240"
"Oh well my grandmother said that she would rather have the brand so give me that one"
"The generic is the same thing as the brand"
"Well her doctor recommended the generic because she's allergic to the brand"
"Oh, ok.. what is she treating?"
"Oh, she's taking it for a bee sting.
"Oh ok, I need to see your ID."
"You have to show ID for this stuff?!, jeez you would think I'm making meth or something"
"Yeah, that will be $25.69"
"I don't have enough money, I'll have to run out to the car."
"Can I help the next person in line?"
"Yeah, you got any D's?
"I need your ID, can I help the next person?"
"Yeah, you got any 20 count 120's?"
Meanwhile, the first guy returns..
"I guess I don't have enough money, give me the generic."

As you can see, this goes on and on all day long. On a good day, during my shift alone, I'll personally sell some 50 boxes of pseudoephedrine products to people like this. The thing is I am not a judgmental person. I do not care if you are manufacturing meth in the least bit. You need not fake cough in my face, tell me about your grandmother, or pretend to need a recommendation. In fact, if you would just ask me which product you need to make crystal meth with I'd be glad to tell you rather than waste another 20 minutes of my time playing stupid games. So for all of you out there who never knew about this problem and it's severity: here it is. This is Terre Haute. And this is only the tip of the meth problem.