CVS pharmacies to ID customers buying nail polish remover to prevent criminals from using it to make crystal meth

Acetone found in nail polish remover can be used to make methamphetamine

Criminals have been stockpiling nail polish remover from pharmacies

The new policy puts a cap on the amount of nail polish remover a person can purchase in one day

Nail polish remover can be used for dozens of things that have nothing to do with removing nail polish. For example, it can be used to remove permanent marker, dissolve superglue and rub paint off of windows.



It's also used to make crystal meth, which is why CVS pharmacies have implemented a policy requiring anyone buying nail polish remover to present photo identification.



'Our policy limits the sale of these products in conjunction with other methamphetamine precursors and is based on various regulations requiring retailers to record sales of acetone,' said CVS Public Relations Director Mike DeAngelis.

Acetone: CVS is now regulating the amount of acetone customers can buy per day to prevent criminals from using it to make methamphetamine

The policy went into effect about a week ago, an employee who works at a store in Georgetown told NBC 4.



According to the pharmacy chain, when you purchase a bottle of nail polish remover, the clerk will scan your ID and keep track of how often you purchase products that contain acetone.

It's unclear how much acetone a person would need to buy in order to be denied purchase.



There currently are no state or federal laws limiting the amount of acetone products a person can buy in a single day. But CVS' new policy may be a preemptive move to avoid future lawsuits.

Ingredients: Many ingredients needed to make methamphetamine can be bought at a pharmacy, which is why they are now regulating the quantities in which they are sold

In 2010, CVS agreed to pay $77.6million to settle a federal lawsuit charging the company with selling large amounts of cough medicines that contain pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in methamphetamine, to criminals who then used it to cook crystal meth.

At the time, drug dealers were doing what authorities later dubbed 'smurfing,' where they would buy small amounts of drugs that contained pseudoephredine in several different purchases to avoid laws regulating how much of the drug could be sold during a single purchase.



Killer: Crystal meth is amongst the most dangerous drugs in existence, responsible for thousands of deaths every year

CVS ultimately changed its policy to prevent people from making multiple purchases of pseudoephedrine in a single day.

