Many an older person will tell you how a person could send their child to a store to purchase a pack of cigarettes or a pint of beer. Those were the convenience stores located in a neighborhood where the customers and the people who worked there pretty much knew what beer, wine or cigarettes were in demand. The convenience and general stores now prepare for a variety of demands and products, and by law must ask for ID from anyone wanting to purchase age-restricted or controlled products. Some stores make it a policy to see the ID no matter how old the person may appear to be, as it safeguards the business from operating in violation of the laws.
21 or 18 or Better
Now there’s a mandatory identification for anyone wanting alcohol or tobacco products (and their imitations), guns and ammunition, and surprisingly some other items that are “controlled.” Take a moment to review all the items you can’t just walk into a store and buy now without special control mechanisms and check the possible penalties for their being in “under-age” or “non-qualified” possession.
Mr. Nice Guy Bail Bonds is the answer to any surprise arrest for holding something that falls into “controlled-substance.” Licensed bail agents are available 24X7 at (844)-400-2245 to help you out of any charge that might be provoked by the presence of things that are on the outlawed list. The website mrniceguybailbonds.com provides a chat and answers to your questions about the bail process.
Some items are locked up in a store because they are extremely vulnerable to theft or require special conditions for sale. For some items that are either expensive or in short supply (rationed from pandemic and post-pandemic supplies) like infant formula mix and diapers there’s obvious no control over purchase but others contain the raw materials for making something volatile or a “controlled” substance if you follow the recipes online or from a television series or two. Those items like specific cough syrups or liquid medicines have a purchase limit of 2 bottles per person marked by a sign on the shelf where they were that reminds: see cashier. Most recently minors are not allowed to purchase over-the-counter cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM).
Most of the items requiring proof of age for purchase insist on twenty-one years old or more. The magic number 21 is an overall threshold that permits you to snap into instant maturity and not simply passing the age that no longer “requires adult supervision.” You must have proof of identification for picking up or transporting or purchasing several items that are targeted for adult consumption. At 21 you are assumed to have a sense of responsibility and you may be tasked to handle or deal with several controlled substances while you work. With all items that may be deemed “controlled” you should know that there are rules for their transport, use, and storage. If you are handling the substances for your employer, your work id and your driver’s license id are both required if called into question.
That step into maturity means that you have proven your understanding of cautions and handling instructions for the items that you are retrieving for your job. Chemicals or compounds listed in the OSHA catalog of sensitive materials have Hazmat (Hazardous Materials) codes that must be identified during shipment and in storage. There are rules for storage as well, meaning that certain items (even in drums) cannot necessarily be in close contact or above or below one another. California is no stranger to taking the lessons of other states and other elements of history and preventing “stockpiles” of hazardous materials from being built up. The materials that are explosive or near to toxic when combined with other materials (like some solvents) are cataloged and require strict accounting records.
Dry ice and canned whipped cream are controlled substances requiring age and registration to purchase. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide -109.7 fahrenheit and can burn unprotected skin just as easily as a hot iron. Dry ice is often used for “fog” or “smoke” effects when put into bowls of water where the gas can escape into the air, great for Halloween effects. Containing dry ice in a closed container builds up too much pressure from the gas and the container will explode with the ability to cause damage. Such are the incidents of dry-ice bombs left in public places to create a fearful explosion and or injure people near the container. Whipped cream canisters contain nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas) that in larger volume can be used to sedate someone for minor surgery. Presence of these items without proper purpose or license (in the case of gas tanks with nitrous oxide) might be considered as controlled substances.
FACT: A Disneyland employee was arrested for placing a sealed bottle with dry ice inside into a park trash can.
Spray paint of any type cannot be sold to anyone under 18 years of old. Most selling locations require proof of age to even open the locked cases where they are stores. That comes from years of graffiti and vandalism that costs private businesses and public use locations (parks, benches, buses) thousands of dollars for cleanup. The age restriction for purchase of spray paint was imposed several years ago and fines are applicable to the selling location (as the cans can be traced) and the perpetrators of vandalism. Stores selling the paint are required to specifically warn the penalties of vandalism from Penal Code 594.1. Signature chemistry of the paint and matching that to the registered signatures of legal purchases may be done if there’s considerable clean up required.
FACT: A Mother was fined $15,000 for her son’s graffiti tag at more than 20 locations.
Currently, 18 is the magic age to qualify for the Firearms Safety Certificate and the age for licensed vendors to require ID for the purchase of ammunition. Since 2022, the sale and transfer of weapons is restricted to persons over the age of 21. Special conditions are acknowledged so individuals may qualify to have weapons in their possession. For example, members of the military, members of sports teams that target shoot, licensed game hunters, farmers, and other persons who protect livestock. There are also ownership transfers (between parent or legal guardian and minor) that can qualify the circumstances of gun possession.
Approval of a self-assembled or home-made weapon that utilizes ammunition requires a background check and a firearm serial number. The Department of Justice reviews the applications and will not approve without the applicant being 21 years old.
Another Reason for Voting!
California is seeking to regulate the diet product market, that pushes supplements or items that promote 1) weight loss and/or 2) body image change. It has been proposed that these products, that reside in a technically unregulated FDA corner, be “controlled” in a manner similar to spray paint, cough medicine, and with 18 as the age of purchase of requirement.
What does this mean? It means that if you are at or above the age of 18 you should register to vote. This is how the election process dictates the future laws and practices in the State. Your participation is requested every two years and it is a right that’s taken away by your change in citizenship or your arrest and-or incarceration status. You can register to vote on-line or through the Department of Motor Vehicles where you get your ID or Driver’s License.
Mr. Nice Guy suggests you get involved with this process (however tedious it seems) because voting will affect your future life. Check out Mr. Nice Guy’s website or call (844)400-2245 to check current warrant status on yourself of someone close to you as this can affect your future life also.
Huffing and Puffing
Did the emergency room staff tell you that you seemed to have been “huffing”? That usually means a report of substance abuse will accompany the medical report, but that also means you probably needed to have your life saved. Inhaling chemicals blended from products like glue or solvents has been around for a long while and can have severe toxic results.
Puffing or smelling like you have had a battle with a skunk means that you either smoked a controlled substance or ran a leg of the 4x200 relay and were driving home to shower. In the cases or huffing or puffing, you may get options of parental intervention or counselling (a way out of juvenile detention) in lieu of immediate punishment. If you are older than 18, you best not be caught with paraphernalia suggesting “huffing,” as you can be arrested for being under the influence. Being in possession of spray paint cans that match the latest unauthorized street words or even “X”s can land you in the rear of a cruiser facing jail time.
Remember that there are products for the garden, soil conditioning products, cleaners, automotive items and plenty of remotely familiar items that in enough quantity can promote disasters. Two different full trucks of ammonium-nitrate based fertilizer were enough to do major damage to structures (and kill people) during the 1990’s and since then have earned some products special registration and identification requirements for any loads even with the most honest of applications.
Rules of Controlled Substances: Country, State, and Street
Possession of paraphernalia isn’t tolerated in most locations where the state or federal government is the host (e.g. owns the building), but your respect for the “empty your pockets” process of discovery of such items through x-ray scan will make all the difference in how your situation is handled. Example is going through security check at an airport and emptying your pockets. If you have a fractional amount of cannabis in a pipe, you might be allowed to pick it up after you’ve gone through. The security personnel might throw it away, in which case you simply are stuck without a pipe. The security personnel might permit you to keep your possessions, knowing that you could very well be busted on the “away” part of your trip. Going to parts of Asia, Russia, and non-tolerant states can extend your stay unpleasantly and legally.
Everything that contains narcotic properties has a Schedule definition (1 to 5) in the world of the Drug Enforcement agency as well as other law enforcement groups. Those considered the most addictive or dangerous are part of Schedule 1. The only exception to the Schedule 1 list is cannabis; in states where registered cultivated cannabis for personal use without resale is permitted, charges can still be levied against persons carrying non-legal source material in quantities that are evidence of intent to sell. The remaining Schedules 2 and 3 drugs are considered dangerous if used in non-controlled settings as they can become addictive and they may or may not have significant medical purpose. The Schedule 4 and 5 drugs serve a purpose in general medicine treatment but offer a low risk of dependence; these are often listed in contents of over-the-counter medications (no age or quantity control).
Schedule 1 Drugs:
Heroin
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD). Laboratory blended hallucinogens that are chemically manufactured.
Peyote
Psilocybin (mushrooms) and spores. Growing this type of mushroom from spores is considered manufacturing.
Schedule 2 Drugs:
Cocaine, methamphetamine
Combination products with less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit
(Vicotin), methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin
All derivatives of opium such as morphine and codeine are illegal for manufacture outside of the medical profession.
Raw opium in the form of opium poppy bulbs and straw are considered manufacturing supply.
Schedule 3 Drugs:
MMDA (Extacy)
Anabolic Steroids
Testosterone
Schedule 4 Drugs:
Relaxers, sleep assists, mild pain killers: Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Talwin, Ambien, Tramadol almost all available by physician prescription only.
Schedule 5 Drugs:
Usually over the counter products with medicinal content and limited amounts of codeine. Robitussin AC, Lomotil, Motofen, Lyrica, Parepectolin are most commonly used for antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic purposes.
When carrying any prescribed medication for yourself or anyone else, make sure the labels are affixed to the packages and that you can explain the relationship between the package and yourself. It is perfectly legal to be carrying your parents’ sleep aid “Ambien” but you should not be carrying the volume discount size with several plastic packets or foil tubes. Packaging for distribution or having the materials to do so are a give-away for “intent to sell.” These items lend their own spin on the possession story that most law officers see and then they can schedule you for a special ride with cuffs.
Mr. Nice Guy Bail Bonds offers a reasonable and low out-of-pocket cost possibility of getting you or your loved one home. Licensed bail agents are available 24X7 to help you out of Vandalism, Controlled Substance possession, and any charge that might be provoked by the presence of things that are on the outlawed list. That number is toll free (844)-400-2245, and all discussions are confidential.
Getting Valid ID
Remember that a student ID will only qualify as proof of age for a school function or a lower fare bus ride. See your local office of California Department of Motor Vehicles for a driver’s license of State Identification card, or the Department of Homeland Security for a US Passport. A temporary ID Card or License won’t really be valid unless you have a picture id – which is usually mailed in a few days. Both are legitimate and acceptable forms of identification that show your date of birth. Military ID’s prove that your are old enough and fit enough to be accepted; date of birth is on the rear of the card and still requires 21 years old for alcohol products and exemption from ammunition and weapons. Once you get your ID, photograph it with your phone and save it or email it to yourself. Phone copies aren’t acceptable ID, but they may back up a paper copy if you’re waiting for the real one to be mailed.
