The Mother Load

Remember that time you went to that class/health fair/presentation?  Or that time you read that book/article or watched that news segment/public service announcement?  You know the one. The one in which you were told to never, ever refer to medicine as candy because your child might seek out medicine bottles and overdose?  Apparently, the people at a Walgreens in Hudson, New Hampshire, didn't quite get the memo.

Walgreens employees gave out candy filled prescription pill bottles to children at a local fair, no doubt hoping their parents would see them and think, "Hey! Walgreens medicine goes down like a spoon full of sugar!  And now that my candy crazed child has finally been given the motivation she needs to break through the childproof cap, she can open my pill bottles for me! I should get all my medicine from Walgreens!" 

The parents at the fair who saw their children desperately trying to open pill bottles were, understandably, shocked.  The company has issued an apology for the promotional stunt, and parents are, understandably, still angry.  One mother was quoted as saying that the company should have asked around, maybe done a poll before deciding to do that.  Or...you know...maybe they could have used their brains.  Either way...

No word yet on whether any of the children who were given the pill bottle prizes have been caught raiding their parents' medicine cabinets and overdosing on Zoloft and Metformin. One can only assume lawyers for Walgreens have already begun preparing their defense for the lawsuit that will occur if this does happen.