Honie Briggs

Be Prepared. That’s the slogan around our house. We’re on the ready with pantry staples, bottled water, fresh batteries. Never to be caught off guard in the event of an emergency that prevents us from making it the 7.3 miles in any direction to a store that carries life’s little necessities. You know, peanut butter, saltine crackers, toothpaste, maxi pads.

One product that my husband uses to battle chronic sinus problems is Claritin D. For the benefit of those who don’t use drugs, I’ll give you a run down. Purchases of Claritin D are closely tracked and heavily regulated so that no more than a thirty-day supply can be purchased. Consumers must show ID to a cashier, who then double checks the super-duper drug data network. You know, the one responsible for winning the war on drugs in America. It’s great to know that we’re protected from smurfing blister pack gangsters.

I don’t know why trips to the pharmacy can’t ever coincide with that time of the month when there is no Claritin D left in my husband’s stash. His attempts to be prepared and purchase another fifteen day’s worth are thwarted by those ever vigilant drug trafficking trackers at the WalMart. Drat!!$#@

He waits in line behind every single person who absolutely must speak with the pharmacist and then when it’s finally his turn and the cashier has done her due diligence, she gives him that disapproving look and says, “Um it looks like you still have a two-day supply. You’ve already purchased thirty day’s worth in the past thirty days. That means you could possibly have thirty-two pills and I can’t let you buy more.”

He walks over, knowing I don’t have my purse with me and says, “You don’t have your purse, do you? You’ll pick some up for me when you’re out tomorrow, won’t you?”

Oh the question I long to hear. All I want to do is get out of there before I have an aneurism. There’s no place I loath to go more than WalMart. Why did I go? Because we shop together every year for items on the Children’s Advocacy Center wish list. It’s tradition. I wish there was somewhere else we could purchase stuff we use, stuff everyone uses. Yeah I know, there’s Target, but really other than having a Starbucks in the front of the store, and their oh-so-festive holiday commercials, what’s the difference?

So I say, “Sure, make me your drug mule.”

It’s a joke of course, but this is a prime example of how we are kidding ourselves that our leaders give a damn about solving problems. The pathetic excuse for information sharing between government agencies coupled with willing ignorance is no joke. People in law enforcement, people working in rehab centers, friends and family of people with drug addictions will tell you, for the vast majority, it’s a vicious cycle. Lives destroyed, property damaged, children abandoned, these are real issues. Playing politics while communities struggle to deal with them is irresponsible. Faking doing something about it is criminal.