My propylene glycol purchasing experience.

[f1vefour]

Pharmacies in TN are getting so bad due to the nefarious acts of others that as of late, they are now locking down Pseudoephedrine to the max (i.e. the stuff in Sudafed). If *they* don't think you need it, cold or not, they won't sell it to you. So this basically allows pharm techs the ability to discriminate based on request.

Never mind asking about PG/VG, because they need your name, address, phone number and date of birth accompanied by a valid state ID. I was in there a few months back asking for syringes (i.e. w/o needles) and they had me fill out what looked like a questionnaire and sign for them like a prescription.

I get it, they don't want people buying pills and needles and doing god knows what with them, but I don't see a ton of druggies walking in asking for their fix of PG/VG and if they can get it premixed.

For those vary reasons, I try my best not to go to any pharmacy as I don't feel like being treated like a criminal. I refuse pain pills at the doc when I do go, so that lessens my need to visit them in the first place. I've had better experiences with Military Doctors and Techs than I do civilian.

I didn't know you could still buy pseudoephedrine, I certainly miss sudafed when my allergies act up.

Maybe you can use PG/VG in a way we don't understand as we aren't chemist. If it's used in glycerin soap making then it can be used in nitroglycerin making.

As far as pharmacist discretion goes it's even more laughable than you think. They can deny a valid pain medication prescription even after verifying it with the prescribing doctor.

 

[umarbutt610]

Wow! So I go to my local pharmacy and ask the pharmacist, "Do you carry propylene glycol?"
"WHAT??!!. C'est quoi ca?"
I spell it out for them.
They have to look it up. Most people behind the counter don't have a clue what it is. (These are pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians.) So they show me a large bottle of Propyl somethingorother. Not PEG-400. Not Propylene Glycol.
This should have been my first clue to go elsewhere.
I ask them to check on their computer.
Sure enough! They have it! And they will sell me a bottle, but they need to order it in.
"What do you need it for?"
"I need it for my cigar humidors. I mix it 50% / 50% with distilled water." They will call on Tuesday.
Fast forward to today. I get the phone call, and head off to the local pharmacy. Again they ask me what it is for (different people behind the counter) "I need it for my cigar humidors. I mix it 50% / 50% with distilled water." "Cubans?" he asks with a smile. "Yes. Cohibas, and El Rey del Mundos." I reply with a smile. I pay the pharmacist (the one who called me twice to pick it up) thank him and leave. In no way do I look like a crack addict.
One hour later the pharmacist calls. He is frantic. He needs the bottle back....starts blabbing about the lot number....he is totally freaking out.
Now I am in my P.J.'s and getting set to watch the hockey game. I really don't want to head out. But he needs it back tonight!!! I ask him if there is a problem. "No, No, YES!!!!"
"Do you have a pencil? I can tell you the lot number." I tell him. I think the bottle which by the way was sealed expired in 2018. I read him the lot number.
"Is this a bad batch?" I ask.
He is panicked.
"No! There is nothing wrong with the batch!!!!"
"Okay, so what's the problem?"
He asks me if I speak French. (His English was great a few minutes earlier.)
Ok, so I tell him in French that I will bring it in tomorrow. He asks me to bring it in on Thursday because he is off tomorrow. Ok....so I'll bring it in on Thursday.
My gf asks me what that was about as she could hear the panic in his voice. I tell her, and explain it is weird because PG is legal, and why would he sell it to me if it wasn't? Her french is much better than mine, so she phones him and asks for an explanation.
He was panicked like nobody's business. She talked to him for about 15 minutes, and he told her that he had lost sleep over selling me the PG for the last two days. He could not give her a reason. We pointed out again and again that it is legal. Nothing wrong was done.
He is freaking out because he doesn't want to do anything illegal and loose his job over this.
To make a long story short, I ended up getting dressed, going to the pharmacy and returning the bottle. I don't want him to loose more sleep over it!
The head pharmacist will call me tomorrow.
Yippee Yay. What a day.

Thank you. Now I feel i should call before I go and buy.

 

[Ryedan]

Am I the only one who just grabs Life brand USP stuff off the shelf at Shopper's Drug Mart? They've got 500ml VG/PG USP for $6, 4L distilled water for $1.50, and 500ml 99.9% alcohol for $4.50 - saves me from having to go anywhere else for mixing and cleaning supplies.

That's what I do too. They're three blocks away from me so it doesn't get any easier than that. I don't use much PG and 500 ml of VG lasts me about six months.