Careful, Don't Let the Kids Medicate

While at the grocery store, I overheard the cashier ask a young woman for identification. The young woman was buying cough syrup. I was amazed to overhear that some OTC medications require that you be 18 years old to purchase them in California. After the young woman proved she was of age and left the store, I asked the cashier how long this has been a law. She told me that it has been around for about 4 years. In addition, there is a quantity limit on certain types of medication due to illegal drug production.

I understand why they would want to limit the quantity of certain medication purchases, evenso I was still a bit pissed. I was a teenage parent to my now 10 year old. Had I gone into a store at 16 years old to purchase some medicine for my baby, and I could not because I was not 18, I would have flipped out. This clearly stinks of ageism. If you are a drug producer, it is one thing, but if you are a kid just trying to take care of business, what the hell?

If somebody finds a link to the actual law or a professional article on it, please leave a link in your comment. Thanks