Carlucci Passes Bill to Cut Down Black Market on Over the Counter Drugs & Household Products

ALBANY, NY– Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) announced the Senate has passed his legislation, S4048, to cut down the black market on over the counter drugs and other household products like baby formula.  Carlucci's bill outlaws the sale of products such as aspirin, ibuprofen or baby formula by any vendor who is not licensed to sell these products or expressly authorized by the manufacturer and gives consumers another protection on price gouging and product tampering.   Baby formula is a major expense for many new parents, with small canisters starting around $20 and special or prescription blends costing two or three times that.  The high price and broad demand make it an enticing target for thieves, who typically sell the stolen formula at flea markets or list it on websites like Craigslist and eBay.  

"There is a thriving black market that exists for some of these products and consumers have to be vigilant about what they purchase and from where," explained Carlucci, who Chairs the Consumer Protection Committee in the Senate.  "These products are often stolen because of very high demand and sold on the black market, praying on the needs of consumers and putting their health at risk.  We don't know what chains of supply these products are coming from or even worse if they have been deliberately tampered with.  We need to give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on this black market that puts too many consumers at risk".

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