Lip Balm Banned at School... What?!?

A letter came home to parents in our school district today, informing us that we can no longer send our kids to school with lip balms such as Carmex and Blistex. Why, you ask? Well, the answer isn't exactly clear, but it would seem the school considers these to be medications, even though they can be purchased over the counter at a wide variety of stores. I've even seen these items at the checkout counter of our local home improvement store. 

What 'medicines' do they contain? Menthol and camphor. Both of these are naturally occurring chemicals found in plants of the mint family. Are these products dangerous or bad for us? No, at least not according to any research I can find. The worst they might do is cause a rash. There are plenty of things at school that might cause a rash, especially in the cafeteria. Those of us who have contact allergies or food allergies or other allergies, generally avoid the things that we are allergic too. Why are we so bent on trying to protect ourselves from ourselves? If we continue to ban every single thing that someone might be allergic too, what are we going to be left with? 

In addition to lip balms, menthol can also be found in toothpastes, candies and gums, and even some perfumes. I suppose all those things will need to be banned from school premises before long too. Goodbye hygiene and fresh breath. Forget about the kid with braces brushing teeth after lunch. Hello tooth decay and gingivitis! Kids will definitely learn something, but it won't be the three Rs.

When did we become a culture so bent on making the world completely obstacle free for every situation imaginable? At what point do we say enough is enough?