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Comment by hansvm | Hacker News Reader

I found out recently that you don't just need a decent government ID; it needs to be from the state you're purchasing the Sudafed from, because apparently each state administers its own database. If you run out and have a persistent cough (weakened immune system from not licking doorknobs the last few years of covid, or so do the doctor says) from a common cold while on vacation, you're shit out of luck unless you go back home or you and an accomplice are willing to procure your cough medicine with their license.

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> you don't just need a decent government ID; it needs to be from the state you're purchasing the Sudafed from

The FDA rule on this [1] doesn't appear to be quite that strict: it says the ID can be "a photo identification card issued by the State or the Federal Government or a document that is considered acceptable by the seller". It doesn't explicitly say it has to be from the same state as the one in which you are buying the medication, and it leaves the seller some latitude in what to accept.

Possibly some states have more restrictive rules. Or particular sellers might be more leery about what they are willing to accept.

[1] https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/legal-requi...

The FDA rule doesn't restrict the IDs but the phrase "that is considered acceptable by the seller" lets the pharmacy put any restrictions in place they want. They can tell you it has to be hot pink and glow-in-the-dark and you've got no choice but to deal with it.

While true as long as they're in compliance with the law, wouldn't they want to sell all the Sudafed they can? They can deny service to anyone for pretty much any reason. No shirt, no shoes, no Sudafed or anything else. So yeah, but in reality it isn't aligned with their interests and if they don't want to serve you they can always find a different justification.

Maybe they want that, maybe they don't. Retail drug stores in the US are an oligopoly, that industry may not be a monopoly (yet) but they don't function under perfect competition. Maybe if you're the management or the shareholders of a retail drug chain you're just kind of shrugging your shoulders and working on the next merger at this point since the fewer competitors you have, the less hard you have to work for the customer's dollar.

The “acceptable by the seller” wording only applies if the ID is not issued by “the State” or “the Federal Government”. Wouldn’t the latter option mean that a US passport, a green card, a Global Entry card, or a NEXUS card must be accepted as suitable ID by any seller in any state? All of those are issued by the feds.

And the pharmacy has the state regulators breathing down their neck so being super uptight about it is the obvious choice.

Of course all of this is stupid in a world where the real junkies use fentanyl and there's other easy ways to make meth.

States like MA legally only accept MA IDs and federal govt IDs for age verification. That’s why a lot of bars and packies will turn people away or ask for additional proof like CC’s. You’re more likely to be held liable for misconduct if the license you accepted is out of state.

Any seller in any state should have to accept a federally issued ID such as a US passport, no?

Yes but then you’d have to carry that for domestic travel.

The wallet-sized passport card is a great solution for that case then. It’s much cheaper than the regular passport book (and you are allowed to have both at once), doesn’t invalidate your regular passport book if it gets lost or stolen, and is also usable to go between the US and Canada by land or sea without having to bring the passport book with you. For people with a Global Entry or NEXUS card, that card also works for every case where the passport card does (and more).

Green card holders also have a convenient wallet size for their green card, and they’re legally required to carry it with them at all times while in the US anyway.

Here in Vietnam it's completely impossible to get pseudoephedrine at all and I think it's the same in all Asian countries. I even resorted to trying to buy some ephedra tea (Chinese medicinal herb from which ephedrine was first discovered). I ordered a box of tea bags from Shopee.vn and rather amusingly received an envelope with the amount I had paid including shipping in cash and an apology letter saying they could no longer sell this herb and please don't leave a bad review.

However, a few months earlier due to a Google translate mixup where I thought I was ordering peppermint oil, I got 100ml of sassafras oil [0]. It's a precursor to MDMA and at least as restricted as pseudoephedrine.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safrole

just been banned in the UK. was the only thing that worked on my allergies.

edit: my bad, no it's codeine linctus that was banned, there was talk of making pseudoephedrine prescription only but that hasn't gone through.

Pseudoephedrine, banned? That's news to me, I bought some OTC a couple of weeks ago.

It's readily available in Thailand and Indonesia. You can get it mixed with paracetamol OTC in Singapore, but almost everything in Singapore requires a prescription (even e.g. throat lozenges) so find a doctor if you're staying for a while. In Malaysia you need a prescription.

Seems like it varies by state - I’ve purchased Sudafed in at least two states other than my own.

Same here.

Me too.

My WAT.

Refused sale of Sudafed because my license was expired. Apparently I accidentally tossed my new license and kept the old one. Doh! However they happily refilled my schedule III meds with the expired license.

As I said WAT.

That's not universally applicable, as I've purchased it in Washington plenty of times with an Oregon ID.

I've purchased Sudafed in Nevada with a foreign drivers' license with no issues.

I’ve definitely purchased Sudafed in Seattle with a Virginia Drivers License.

Once again, big thanks to paranoid "mark of the beast" conspiracy theorists with funny ideas about federal government IDs and digital IDs.

We have the technology. "Behind the counter" could just mean a vending machine with good ID tech instead of queuing up for an overworked pharmacist behind a dozen people.

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