Grandmother could go to jail for buying cough medicine

Four months ago grandmother Sally Harpold went to a drugstore and bought one box of Zyrtec-D cold medicine for her husband and then less than seven days later at a different drugstore she bought a box of Mucinex-D cold medicine for her adult daughter. This meant she had purchased 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine in less than a week’s time.

Then on July 30 she was arrested by by the police on a Vermillion County warrant for a class-C misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine.

Her crime?

She had broken a law that is designed to stop people buying large quantities of drugs that can be used to make methamphetamines – of which pseudoephedrine is one of the ingredients. As a result of being arrested her mug shot ran on the front page of her local paper with a headline of “17 Arrested in Drug Sweep”.

Vermillion County Prosecutor Nina Alexander quite proudly says that the law doesn’t make any distinction when it comes to who is buying cough medicine, whether they be a drug dealer or a grandmother taking care of their family. Alexander states that she is just enforcing the law as it was written and that if you take these products you should know what is in them.

Part of the excuse for continuing with the charges of Sally Harpold are as pharmacist Ron Vencel, JR Pharmacies in Terre Haute, is that many drug manufacturers are getting family members to go out and do the buying of the ingredients that they need. It should be noted as well that Sally Harpold works at the Rockville Correctional Institute for women.

The morning she was arrested, Harpold and her husband were awakened by police officers banging on the front door of their home at Midway along U.S. 36. She was allowed to get dressed, and was then taken in handcuffs to the Clinton Police Department, where she was questioned about her cold medicine purchases. She was later booked into jail, and her husband had to pay $300 bail to get her released.

Harpold said she did go talk to the prosecutor about the situation, and Alexander offered her the deferral program, in which Harpold is required to pay the court costs, abide by all laws and not be arrested for 30 days. At the end of 30 days, the class-C misdemeanor will be erased from her record.

Alexander said she is working with Harpold about the charge, but the prosecutor asserts that Harpold did break the law with her purchases and is being held accountable.

Source: TribStar.com – Wabash Valley woman didn’t realize second cold medicine purchase violated drug laws

hat tip to Boing Boing and The Agititor