Top 5 Strange Things Kids Can’t Buy
by Aya Katz
I am a parent, and as a parent, I have exercised control over my daughter’s access to dangerous items since she was born, making decisions based on what I felt was reasonable for her current level of development. All parents do that. I am certainly not advocating setting children free to do whatever they like from birth, but lately I have noticed a disturbing trend: when a child arrives at an age when he or she can be expected to become more independent, that is when access to more and more substances that used to be considered harmless or perfectly safe is being restricted.
Just as our children are starting to spread their wings and exercise more control over themselves, their bodies and their lives, society is making it very hard for them to function without an adult at their side at all times. Here are the five top odd things that I have noticed becoming restricted to minors during my lifetime. They are the sort of things that you used to be able to send your child to the local grocery store or pharmacy to get, but now are off limits.
These restrictions vary by state, since laws are by no means uniform, and sometimes they also depend on the business establishment in question, since how federal and state laws are interpreted by different corporations also varies. But the overall effect is more and more restrictions on what children approaching the age of consent can buy on their own. Here is a list of top five things that it might surprise you kids can’t buy.
1. Nail Polish Remover
A couple of years ago I was at the store, and my daughter wanted me to add nail polish remover to our grocery list. As I was checking out, the cashier asked me whether I was over eighteen. That was odd for two reasons: 1. I am well over eighteen. I have been over eighteen for decades. 2. We had no alcohol or tobacco products or anything like that in the cart. And that’s when I learned that people were being carded for nail polish remover.
Now I have looked and looked and not found any law that warrants this restriction, but I believe that it is at least obliquely related to the fact that acetone has been listed, along with iodine, by the DEA as list II chemicals:
(35) The term “list II chemical” means a chemical (other than a list I chemical) specified by regulation of the Attorney General as a chemical that is used in manufacturing a controlled substance in violation of this subchapter, and such term includes (until otherwise specified by regulation of the Attorney General, as considered appropriate by the Attorney General or upon petition to the Attorney General by any person) the following chemicals:
(A) Acetic anhydride.
(B) Acetone.
(C) Benzyl chloride.
(D) Ethyl ether.
(E) Repealed. Pub. L. 101–647, title XXIII, §2301(b), Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4858.
(F) Potassium permanganate.
(G) 2-Butanone (or Methyl Ethyl Ketone).
(H) Toluene.
(I) Iodine.
(J) Hydrochloric gas.
As with many Federal rules and regulations, nobody actually knows what it means to be a list II chemical, but different chains of stores and pharmacies then get to promulgate different rules to cover themselves to avoid getting in trouble with the almighty government.
So that’s why it happens that just when my daughter developed an interest in nail polish and nail polish remover, that was when it suddenly became forbidden for her to buy this “dangerous” substance on her own.
“Didn’t you know that kids can’t buy nail polish remover?” she asked me.
No. I had no idea! It wasn’t a problem when I was her age.
2. Iodine
Now you would think that if iodine and acetone are on the same list of forbidden substances, that the sale or distribution of both would be affected in the same way. But one of the effects of living under our current system of laws and regulations is that it’s arbitrary and capricious and never anything you could have predicted. So in all my years in Missouri, I have never been carded when buying iodine. But I have done some research, and it turns out that in Oregon, you need not only a driver’s license but also a document showing vehicle registration in order to buy iodine. Barbara Peterson writes:
I went to town with my neighbor and she drove. Since my goats are getting ready to kid, I thought it would be a good idea to get some sort of iodine solution to treat the umbilical cords. No biggie, just a routine stop at the local Big R feed store. I looked around and decided on Triodine-7. According to the website, this is “for topical application on the skin to disinfect superficial wounds, cuts, abrasions, insect bites and minor bruises.” And it dries up the umbilical stump quickly. So, I put a bottle in my cart along with my goat minerals. Then I approached the cash register. And so it began…
The gal behind the register looked at me, and I looked at her and smiled. Then she pulled out a form and asked for my vehicle registration. PAPERS PLEASE!!! Huh? Why do you want my vehicle registration? She said – it’s for the iodine. You cannot buy this without providing a picture I.D. and your vehicle registration. I said I didn’t drive to town, and therefore, cannot provide my registration papers. Then I got it….. the stink-eye. You know, that look that says I know you’re probably a felon since you won’t show me your papers… I stared right back, prepared to take this to the matt and most likely end up behind bars. Then my neighbor stepped in and provided her registration papers so that we could end the day without someone having to post bail.
Clearly, if you live in Oregon, you can’t send your minor child to the feed store to buy iodine. This is an inconvenience not only to children who want to buy iodine. It pretty much means that parents can’t send their kids to the store to buy necessities. In case of an emergency, iodine can be very helpful. But forget about asking your child for assistance getting some.
3. Sudafed and Other Effective Cold and Flu Relief Products
When we first moved to Missouri, it was possible to buy a number of cold and flu and allergy relief products that actually worked over the counter. Then, one day, it wasn’t possible anymore. All those products that used pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine disappeared behind the counter and could not be purchased without presenting your driver’s license.
What happened? Would you believe it was an addition to the Patriot Act?
The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 has been incorporated into the Patriot Act signed by President Bush on March 9, 2006. The act bans over-the-counter sales of cold medicines that contain the ingredient pseudoephedrine, which is commonly used to make methamphetamine. The sale of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine is limited to behind the counter. The amount of pseudoephedrine that an individual can purchase each month is limited and individuals are required to present photo identification to purchase products containing pseudoephedrine. In addition, stores are required to keep personal information about purchasers for at least two years.
While this law applies to everybody and is not targeted specifically at children, the overall result is that if you are sick and in bed and want your child to go get you some Sudafed at the store, that is in all likelihood not going to happen.
4. Lottery Tickets
Missouri State lottery tickets, which are ostensibly used to fund the state-operated education system, may not be sold or redeemed by minors. This means that instead of adults sending kids into the store to purchase lottery tickets for them, when kids want to gamble away their own money, they have to send in adults to buy their tickets.
I don’t actually buy lottery tickets myself, but this is information that I picked up by talking to kids. They are very knowledgeable about just what it is they are not allowed to do and what you have to do to get around it.
One suggestion I heard: “Get an adult to buy and redeem your ticket, but go in with him, to make sure he doesn’t just pocket the money.”
5. State Mandated Vaccinations for Themselves
Mandatory vaccination is a tricky topic. If you come out against it, many people will start to call you an anti-vaxxer. My daughter had all her vaccinations that were required in her baby wellness book, and now that she is a senior in high school, I thought we were done with that. And then we got a letter from the school saying that if she did not get a meningitis vaccine by September 15, she would not be allowed to graduate from high school.
This was so odd that even the pharmacist we consulted was confused, because that vaccine until very recently was not on the list. The health department did not carry it. It was all very irregular. But my daughter is seventeen now, and I decided she was old enough to decide for herself whether she would get the vaccine or not. Frankly, I did not want to have to take responsibility for any adverse consequences — health-wise or to her education. She decided to get the vaccine rather than quit school, but when she presented herself to the authorities, they refused to give it to her without my written and oral consent.
There is something very disturbing about a government that insists that children undergo vaccination, but won’t allow the vaccination to take place until a parent signs a waiver that says she agrees to any adverse consequences that may happen to the child as a result.
This is not about children’s rights. It is not about substance abuse or anti-science. It is about government dictating to parents what may or may be done and about what you can or cannot ask your children to do on their own, once you have determined that they have enough sense to be responsible for themselves.
By constantly restricting what children may do as they mature, we are getting them ready to submit to authority once they are adults, so they can be the docile and compliant citizens that Hillary Clinton dreams of.