ELYRIA -- Try to buy a can of paint at the Lowe's home improvement store in Elyria and you'll likely hear, ''Can I see some ID?''

Due to a new store policy, Lowe's home improvement stores across the country limited the sale of paint, glue and 1,200 other products that could be used as inhalants to people over the age of 21. Lowe's has quietly introduced the policy in recent weeks. Lowe's cashier Dennis Seguin said he found out about the new policy when he rang up some glue for a customer. ''Monday, I came in and the first time I scanned glue, it came up on the screen. I was like, ÔWhat?!''' he said. When a flagged product is scanned, a warning flashes on the cashier's computer screen that reads: ''The purchaser must be 21 years of age or older.'' Seguin said he can understand why Lowe's started the policy. ''Kids sniff glue, or use spray paint for graffiti,'' he said. The head cashier, Dawn Smith, said she has encountered one problem with the policy. A 19-year-old man came in and needed paint for his job. ''He came in and was buying it for his shop,'' she said. ''He was upset because they had to send someone else out to buy it.'' Store manager Bill Parker said he also agrees with the policy. ''It's just like people getting carded for cigarettes,'' he said. Willow Hardware, 3234 Oberlin Avenue, follows a city ordinance that requires people to be at least 18 years old to buy spray paint or permanent markers, according to the paint department. However, there are no restrictions for buying house paint or glue at Willow Hardware. Bob Bailey, owner of Vermilion Hardware, 678 Grand St., said he will only sell knives and lighters to those over 18, but will sell paint to anyone. ''We do question kids if they are buying bright colors of spray paint -- what they are going to use it for, but we don't stop it,'' he said