Missouri legislator wants to ban baking soda

[Jeff White]

The Brits who are members here should feel free to jump in here and pay us back for all the unkind comments toward their society whenever a new ban is proposed across the pond. They may want to ban knifes and pointed objects, but by cracky our American legislators won't be outdone. Imagine getting hauled into court because of the box baking soda you use to absorb odors in your fridge?

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...6373F4AA466B0DBF862572B400104D48?OpenDocument

Missouri bill calls for crackdown on sale of ... baking soda
By Derek Kravitz
POST-DISPATCH JEFFERSON CITY BUREAU
04/05/2007

JEFFERSON CITY — First, the state said you must make a special trip to the pharmacy counter to buy certain cold medicines. That was to curb production of methamphetamine.

Now, a St. Louis legislator wants you to do the same thing to buy an even more common household item — baking soda — because it's used to make crack cocaine.

Sales of cold medications containing pseudoephedrine, such as Sudafed, are strictly regulated in Missouri. Customers must show a photo ID when they buy the medicine. Pharmacists must log the names and addresses of buyers, including how much they buy. People under 18 may not buy the medicines.

The sponsor of the baking soda bill, Rep. Talibdin El-Amin, D-St. Louis, said the same approach was needed for baking soda because crack cocaine is often produced by dissolving powdered cocaine in a mixture of water and baking soda.

"We have crack cocaine running rampant in our neighborhoods," he said. "Don't get me wrong, meth needs to be tackled. But anything that calls attention and brings the crack cocaine problem to the forefront is a positive step."

Don't expect a change any time soon, though. The bill, filed late last month, has yet to reach committee consideration and likely won't reach the House floor for debate this year.

Critics say such a law would be impossible to enforce because baking soda, which is used as a deodorant, as a cleaning agent and in antacid, among other things, is so common.

"To put it behind the counter and create a log that a zillion people would have to use, the law would be completely useless," said David Overfelt, president of the Missouri Retailers Association.

Baking soda could also be replaced in making crack cocaine with drain cleaner or ammonia, others say.

"With these drugs, there are so many different chemicals that can be used — batteries, coffee filters, anything," said Ron Leone, executive director of the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association. "It's like MacGyver. Everything's possible."

Drug enforcement experts say the differences between regulating the sale of pseudoephedrine and the sale of baking soda are sizable.

"When you generate a list of people who use baking soda, it pretty much includes everyone. It's a common household item," said Tom Murphy, a special agent with the St. Louis division of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

But Murphy said cocaine, in all of its forms, should be seen as a real problem.

"Cocaine is still the primary drug of concern in St. Louis and East St. Louis, Ill.," he said. "It's second behind meth in the rural areas. It's still around."

The baking soda bill is HB1189.

[email protected] | 573-635-6178

 

[ec-10]

Another case of some nitwit in St. Louis trying to make things harder for the rest of us in Missouri.

 

[Jeff White]

You should move to a free state immediately How can you live under the oppressive yoke put on you from Jefferson City?

Jeff

 

[Ratzinger_p38]

Democrats are now officially the most incompetent bunch of fools on the face of the earth.

Their way of 'being tough on crime' are bans that do NOTHING.

 

[average_shooter]

Is it at all possible that the bill was introduced to show the absurdity of it all?

I don't want to believe this guy is serious...

 

[Liberal Gun Nut]

I think that's cool! They should also ban water and air and electricity and anything else that could conceivably be used by or for a criminal or a criminal purpose.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard.
Make sure to ban pots too. Criminals use them to cook up their dope. It's for the children.

You can have my baking soda when you pry it from my cold, mostly empty fridge (about time to go to the supermarket).

 

[lance22]

Finally, The World Will Be Safer

I understand there are disreputable convenience stores that will sell a box of baking soda to almost anyone

In MN, we have been trying to track where the baking soda is coming from .... and we understand there is some place called "General Mills" where much of it originates. Thinking people must understand that until we confront the culture of baking soda that enables this menace to exist, true progress cannot be made.

 

[Cellar Dweller]

Baking soda could also be replaced in making crack cocaine with drain cleaner or ammonia, others say.

I'm very surprised that over the years no one has sucessfully sued the nitwit legislators for causing public harm; i.e. stupid laws making precursors harder to acquire and the replacements are more dangerous/volatile...yet the refining process continues unabated.

For example, if ephedrine was available on the shelf without logs/permission slips, wouldn't that eliminate most of the hazards of meth labs?

 

[Axman]

IIRC acetone is also used in meth labs. However, anyone may go into Home Depot and buy it!

 

[pcosmar]

"Don't expect a change any time soon, though. The bill, filed late last month, has yet to reach committee consideration and likely won't reach the House floor for debate this year."

I wonder if I will be able to hear the laughter here in Michigan.
Thats too funny.

 

[Glockfan.45]

You can have my baking soda when you pry it from my cold, mostly empty fridge

lol.

Soon the media will be trying to scare us with stories of how anybody can just walk in and buy baking soda at church bake sales without a background check.

 

[Sindawe]

Although its been a few since I completed my studies in chemistry, the thing that most of these clandestine chemical manufacturing processes have in common is that they require a heat source to drive them. So we should go right to the source of the problem and

BAN FIRE!!!

Its for the sake of all our children. The world will not be safe until we are all living in the dark, huddled together for warmth in filthy hovels, wearing purifying scraps of animals skins, gnawing on raw meat, roots and berries.

BAN FIRE NOW!!! Do it for the future of humanity.

 

[Jacka L Ope]

Sheesh! You'd think lawmakers could do the rest of us a REAL favor and ban...











... criminals! :banghead:

 

[kcmarine]

ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME!?!?! @#$())*%!!!!!!!!!



EDIT:


THIS IS WHY SAINT LOUIS SHOULD BE SOLD TO ILLINOIS. WHY, IN GOD'S NAME, WHY ARE THEY THE CITY EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT IN THIS STATE?

 

[Zero_DgZ]

Um. Baking soda isn't used to "make" coke that I've ever seen outside of the movies. It's used to cut it.

Numbskulls.

I'm not even going to comment on the rest. Someone needs to be flogged with the rubber chicken on this one.

 

[Professor K]

They're 4 days late....

 

[Archer1945]

Heaven forbid acetone should be banned. How would the girls take off their nail polish? I'm beginning to think anyone running for an elected office should submit to a sanity and reality test. Of if not when they are elected, every year after they are elected. I think there is something about being elected to office that makes some people loose all sense of reality.

 

[Glockfan.45]

THIS IS WHY SAINT LOUIS SHOULD BE SOLD TO ILLINOIS. WHY, IN GOD'S NAME, WHY ARE THEY THE CITY EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT IN THIS STATE?

Sure if you take Chicago. Otherwise your not dumping your trash here.

 

[Soybomb]

I had to listen to "I wouldn't mind sudafed being behind the counter and restricted if it helps the drug problem" enough that I'd consider returning the favor.

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

They should also ban water and air

well it shouldnt be banned, we just need reasonable water and air control. permits and 10 day waiting periods for anyone wanting to use air or water. also a nationwide WAOID should be issued(water air owners id card). 100% of crimes reported last year had the criminals using air during the commission of felony offenses. almost as many of those criminals were made up of 70% water.ive even seen people walking down the street with assault water bottles with those hi capacity 1 gallon jugs. you dont need that much water to hunt with. without air or water none of these crimes would have taken place. air and water companies need to be held accountable. if it saves one life its worth it. after all its for the children.

 

[ec-10]

I herby second the motion by the gentleman from Kansas City to begin
proceedings for the sale of the greater St. Louis area to the great state of Illinois.

HEAR HEAR!!!


Yeah, Talibdin El-Amin is one of the great political thinkers of our time.

http://www.tdelamin.com/media/Movie.html

 

[ec-10]

The text of the bill:

Section A. Chapter 195, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 195.430, to read as follows:
195.430. 1. All packages of sodium bicarbonate shall be offered for sale from behind a pharmacy counter where the public is not permitted, and only by a registered pharmacist or registered pharmacy technician, or if there is no pharmacy, from behind the check-out counter where the public is not permitted.
2. Any person purchasing a substantial quantity of sodium bicarbonate shall be at least eighteen years of age.
3. The pharmacist or registered pharmacy technician or sales clerk or store attendant shall require any person purchasing, receiving, or otherwise acquiring a substantial quantity of sodium bicarbonate to furnish suitable photo identification showing the date of birth of the person.
4. Within ninety days of the enactment of this section, pharmacists and registered pharmacy technicians or sales clerks or store attendants who sell, transfer, or otherwise furnish any substantial quantity of sodium bicarbonate shall implement and maintain a written or electronic log of each transaction. Such log shall include the following information:
(1) The name and address of the purchaser;
(2) The amount of sodium bicarbonate purchased;
(3) The date of each purchase; and
(4) The name or initials of the pharmacist or registered pharmacy technician or sales clerk or store attendant who dispenses the sodium bicarbonate.
5. Within thirty days of the enactment of this section, all persons who dispense or offer for sale sodium bicarbonate in a pharmacy or behind a check-out counter shall ensure that all such product is located only behind a pharmacy counter or check-out counter where the public is not permitted.
6. The written or electronic log required in subsection 1 of this section shall be available for review by any requesting law enforcement agency.
7. For purposes of this section, "substantial quantity" means at least two ounces of sodium bicarbonate.
8. Any person who knowingly or recklessly violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
•


What in the hell is wrong with this guy?

 

[sm]

Well it takes baking soda, water, cocaine, and a pan basically to make crack rocks.

Sorta like using water and flour to make a "glue" for kids to make a Pinata with a balloon and newspaper...

This crack rock recipe has been known and available in Public Libraries, even on Micro-fiche, before most folks had a computer, and for sure before most had Internet connection.

So if we are going to ban baking soda, water, pans, zip lock bags, I do believe Cocaine is an illegal substance already...

We need to ban Coca-Cola as well.

Inform the great Legislature of MO, Whores used Coca-Cola as a ****** between Customers, and obviously some of the offspring have entered Politics...

 

[qlajlu]

Well, one thing that we all should be grateful for is that this proposed legislation is on a state level rather than a federal level. I can just see it now. I am an ex-truck driver and I have hauled tons of soda ash from the mines near Little America, Wyoming (Yep, literally hauling ash!). If this was on a federal level they would propose making those mines a federal reserve with MPs and the whole nine yards. Arm & Hammer has a huge production plant next to the mines. Most of the ash is sold to Libby, Owen, Ford, Corp. for glass production. Yes, it is used to make glass too!

I guess when you become a law maker you lose any sense of logic and rational.

Absolutely astounding! Unbelievable! Like someone said, "What an idiot!"