Hand Sanitizer Abuse On the Rise
With all of the problems currently plaguing Winnipeg we can now add hand sanitizer abuse to the list. It seems that some people have figured out that by adding salt to the gel the alcohol can be separated from it.
Sgt. Darrall Randy Kotchon of the Winnipeg Police Service said officers began finding empty containers last year and the problem has steadily grown. It’s gotten to the point where the product is so popular people are stealing it from store shelves.
So how has the government addressed the problem? By coming down on store owners. Armed with the Liquor Control Act, police are now warning shop keepers to be weary of where they keep the product and who they sell it to. Although no one yet has been charged, police remind everyone that selling the product to the “wrong person” could result in fines between $2,000 and $20,000 and/or up to six months in jail.
Great. Once again let’s place the onus on shopkeepers, the babysitters of society. I have an idea. Maybe we should license the stuff. Perhaps we could create a hand sanitizer registry. One would have to apply for a Hand Sanitizer Acquisition Certificate to purchase a 2L bottle and then register it. 8oz bottles would be classified as prohibited and thus be illegal to own or sell.
Ridiculous? So is the government’s response to this problem.
Len has been blogging for over 10 years. He is active in numerous places on the web including being a Moderator at BloggerForum and Administrator at Weblog Tools Collection Forum. You can also find him at his other site - WordPress Canada.
I hear lots of criticism but no suggestion for solutions…
For starters, we could try looking at the root causes of this nonsense. I normally preach about responsibility but the sad fact is in this case many of these abusers are so far gone responsibility isn’t even on the radar.
Here in Winnipeg we have money for a police helicopter but we can’t help these guys straighten out and become productive citizens? I suppose I’m just a dreamer. However, laying it on the feet of the shopkeepers is the easy way out.