[chris-orgmenta]

> While in custody, she took a lie detector test, which revealed deception in two key responses[...]

It did not. It revealed that the police failed to trick a confession out of her using pseudo-science.

> James Lewis refused a polygraph.

Sensible move - Especially when journalists interpret LDTs as per above.

> They tried enlarging the pharmacy surveillance photo, but the bigger it got, the grainier it got.

What did Fahner and Zagel actually tell Michael here? Surely not that, verbatim.

Interesting piece otherwise. Our global supply chain is just so fragile and insecure. We may need to rethink everything. For a start, is it not ridiculous that we have unsealed/re-sealable products? I do not want Ibuprofen etc. to be moved to behind-counter, but perhaps a better 'discard if tampered with' seal should be implemented. Will we get to a point where we have to sell fruit in tear-open cardboard mailers? Sounds ridiculous, but depends on what happens in the next decade re: terrorism in general.

[tecleandor]

I'm surprised that there is anybody still taking seriously "lie detectors". It's just stress provoking tricks.

About ibuprofen, here in Spain (and I think the whole Europe), it's BTC (no prescription) until 400mg. Over 400mg you need a prescription. And when it's pills/capsules, it's sold in pill sheets (is that the name?) individually sealed.

I think everything register as a medicine in Europe has to be BTC.

Of course, as you say, everything else is on the other side of the counter, so you could be poisoning bananas or chocolate.

[rootsudo]

Which doesn’t make sense to me - no one is stopping you from taking two 400mg ibuprofen to make 800mg, etc.

I agree that 400mg is sensible dosage for one pill, but you buy a pill sheet of ten , you get 4000mg.

But what is the other solution just put everything being a prescription?

As for the lie detector test, in the USA it is federally required for sensitive jobs and roles - while it isn’t criminally admissible , denying one and having a bad PR team can spell public disaster but for sensitive top secret jobs, etc it is required 100%.

[jjcob]

Most people will realise that taking 4 pills is probably too much, but people will take two without thinking much.

[b112]

I think it's more of an anti-stupid thing.

Where I am, pharmacists will often talk to you about each first-time prescription, describing when and how often to take pills. You don't get that via non-prescription, so dosage control is a hacky fix for people that won't read labels.

It's also "smallest person" thing. If you're 2M tall and muscular (eg, more mass), your dose isn't the same as a 160cm person with little mass. The doses are for the smaller person, for safety.

[chris-orgmenta]

Agree.

I suppose I should clarify that I am aware that the incident was from '82 and that LDTs are no longer admissible in many jurisdictions, and new legislation came in for tamper-proofing medicine which affected not just the US.

But regardless, argument being "things haven't moved on enough - lie detectors are still used in some places, people still misinterpret what they are, and our supply chain still only discourages, rather than prevents, mischief"

[xmodem]

This was something that surprised me traveling in Spain a few years back - that I had to ask a pharmacist to buy paracetamol. This wasn't the case anywhere else I've been in Europe (Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Sweden).

[pacificmint]

> it's sold in pill sheets (is that the name?)

They are often referred to as Blister Packs.

[tecleandor]

Thanks!

[kyleee]

Blister pack is the term you are referencing

[tecleandor]

Thanks!

[account42]

Tamper-resistent packaging was implemented as a result of this case. Also, this has nothing to do with the global supply chain not matter how good of a buzzword that is.

[voidUpdate]

If the police ever ask me to take a lie detector test, I'm just going to refuse, because I'm a nervous person in general and it'll give a load of crap results that will be used against me.

Do pill bottles in America not have a tamper seal under the lid? All of them do here in the UK, and if it was missing, I'd be concerned. Alternatively, those little foil packet things

[ls612]

This incident in 1982 is the reason pill bottles have tamper seals now.

[sylens]

> Do pill bottles in America not have a tamper seal under the lid? All of them do here in the UK, and if it was missing, I'd be concerned. Alternatively, those little foil packet things

They do now. I believe it was one of the changes made as a result of this case.