CVS To Require Identification For Purchasing Nail Polish

For those of us who are fans of the series of “Breaking Bad,” this is a story that may hold particularly interest given the lessons of Walter White on the production of his “blue ice.” CVS customers are being asked to produce identification before they buy nail polish because the product contains acetone and can be used to make methamphetamine. While store employees are quoted as blaming federal and state laws, there is no such requirement under federal or state law. Rather it is a company policy that strikes me as perfectly moronic even when the store is openly selling “Blue Ice Nail Polish.”

CVS says the rule is an attempt to curb the making of illegal methamphetamine:

“Because acetone is an ingredient used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine, we recently implemented a policy that a valid ID must be presented to purchase acetone-containing products such as nail polish remover. Our policy also limits the sale of these products in conjunction with other methamphetamine precursors and is based on various regulations requiring retailers to record sales of acetone.”
“Because acetone is an ingredient used in the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine, we recently implemented a policy . . .”

Here’s my question. How does this make a meaningful difference since there is no record kept of people buying nail polish. Most adults will simply flash their identification and buy the polish. As for kids, they are clearly able to buy nail polish through third parties and, if they are clever enough to manufacture Meth, I am pretty sure that they are clever enough to buy nail polish.

It is also not clear what CVS will do with a customer who buys beyond what is deemed a necessary amount of nail polish. If this were the standard, my daughter and her friends would appear the biggest meth dealers in her elementary school.

What they need is my favorite character and fellow attorney, Sam Goodman, to simply grab the kids at the CVS and use his signature line: “Look, let’s start with some tough love. You two suck at peddling meth. Period.”

Besides, if CVS wants to deal with its Meth production problem, it may want to start carding those men buying “Blue Ice” . It is just an attractive nuisance for those middle aged Heisenberg wannabes.