Southern New England CVS stores, and some in the Washington, D.C. area, now require customers buying nail polish remover to present identification in an attempt to prevent the making of methamphetamine according to Rhode Island television station WPRI 12 News.
"Our policy 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," CVS Public Relations Director Mike DeAngelis told NBC Washington.
Customers must be at least 18 years-old with an official identification card or they cannot purchase the remover, which has acetone - an important ingredient in the creation of Meth WPRI 12 News reported.
CVS is also limiting the amount of nail polish remover customers can buy WPRI reported.
Federal laws have required pharmacies to inquire whether customers had proper identification when attempting to buy medicine for colds and allergies which contained Pseudoephedrine, another component used when making the drug WPRI reported.
Current law does not demand customers present ID WPRI reported. ID is required at a CVS store in Georgetown in Washington, D.C., NBC Washington reported.
The change stems from a 2010 federal lawsuit where the company agreed to pay $77.6 million after disclosing Pseudoephedrine was dealt to criminals who utilized it to make Meth CNN Money reported.
The purchases were also not monitored which enabled dealers to obtain large quantities of the "illegal psychostimulant and psychoactive drug" in southern California and in the vicinity of Las Vegas, CNN Money reported.
Other New England pharmacies such as Walgreens in Boston currently do not require customers to present ID Boston NPR station WBUR reported.
So far, according to the Huffington Post, the new requirement has not had a big effect on stopping the "illegal manufacturing" of the drug, especially in Oregon where it is the toughest to purchase cold medicines with Pseudoephedrine.
