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The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

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Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#91

Post by cronix »

SkittyDog wrote: post #76
lookalike74 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 'dirty secret' you refer to (1) is mostly wrong because partying with LSD was popular in the early 80s, not meth, and (2) the gay community is and always has been very up front about risky behaviors and how to minimize the risks. Just because you're unaware of something doesn't make it a secret.

In the American urban gay community, neither LSD nor meth were nearly as popular as prescription amphetamines (pills) until the 1990s, when bathtub meth (crank) manufacturing really took off. They were all always available, but the pills were so cheap & easily obtainable that they were a natural favorite.

MDMA/"Ecstasy" was quite popular in the 80s ("mollie" today), as well as Amyl Nitrite/"poppers"/"rush". The club drugs.

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#92

Post by realce »

rolph wrote: post #4
seattle_spring wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really interesting read. Thank you for sharing. For some reason this sort of information about street drugs and science/culture surround it fascinates me.

you might enjoy this then: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton%27s_Pharmacopeia

Xylene episode shook me to my core

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#93

Post by cronix »

pessimizer wrote: post #27
edgyquant wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I saw a similar post that claimed the new meth caused psychosis and hallucinations, etc. I don’t know much about meth itself but I do know about Adderall. When you take the normal dose (10-30mg) it can cause some euphoria but for the most part it helps you focus, gives energy (makes you more happy, talkative.) But when it is abused (60+mg) it can cause serious psychosis with all kinds of mental side effects. I image…

This "new meth" thing seems like a PR push by government contractors. It's redolent of the UK "skunk" scare (it's not the pot you used to smoke, mommies and daddies - it's special pot that will definitely make your children think they can fly and jump out of windows, and become prostitutes to pay for more.)

It sounds like someone just watched Breaking Bad.

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#94

Post by eoinbmorg »

debacle wrote: post #78

I've looked into the logistics of "cooking" meth and it is a complex process that, were I not an expert, wouldn't create something I would be comfortable putting into my body. How is meth "industrially" produced? Is it Walter White-esque clandestine factories? Is it clever people in their garages? Is it done over the border?

The thing with cooking meth is that you don't have to be comfortable putting it in your body. You just have to be comfortable selling it to someone else who will put it in their body! Unfortunately, for many meth producers/dealers that bar is not very high.

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#95

Post by tyingq »

dcolkitt wrote: post #88
dynm wrote: post #2

Around a week ago, I came across this link here on HN that suggested that there's a new form of meth: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28938888 The theory is that new meth is based on a synthesis using a chemical called P2P rather than the old synthesis that used ephedrine. There are claims that this new form of meth is chemically different in some what that started creating schizophrenia around 2017. However, wh…

Much of the effects of any intoxicant are culturally constructed. Alcohol is widely known for causing aggression, but this effect doesn’t seem to exist in cultures without that association. Nor does it exist in double-blind studies, yet the placebo group becomes more aggressive. You can start with two chemically identical intoxicants, and either by marketing or random path dependencies one gains a reputation in the s…

I agree that the gin->mean, whisky->emotional, etc, is all bunk. But I'm still convinced there's a link between alcohol and violence. If nothing else, the lowered cognitive function and reduced inhibition would mean more opportunity to be angry, and less self control.

Like, a drunk person might misinterpret someone accidentally bumping into them as aggression. And would be less likely to suppress the urge to respond in kind.

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#96

Post by colinmhayes »

tomjen3 wrote: post #71
semanticjudo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By just about any measure alcohol is a "harder" drug than marijuana but certainly more broadly acceptable.

Having never done weed, if I smoke one will I preform worse at cognitive tasks than I would if I had a beer? I know, comparing uppers and downers, not the same effects, etc.

They're not really comparable. It mostly comes down to dosage, if you have a beer I don't think you'll be much worse than if you were sober.

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#97

Post by PontiacParade »

ceejayoz wrote: post #86
Zarathust wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Canada you can still buy that over the counter. You get id-ed and they keep a record of your purchases, but since it's now generic pills it is now much cheaper than it was before

It's the same in the US; you can buy it without a prescription, but you have to have your ID logged.

We'll be there soon. You still need a prescription in Oregon until Jan 1, 2022.

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#98

Post by wirrbel »

Zarathust wrote: post #85
kens wrote: post #64

The article mentions the ban in 2006 of over-the-counter sales of Sudafed (pseudoephedrine). One of my favorite satirical articles is "A simple and convenient synthesis of pseudoephedrine from N-methylamphetamine". (The joke being that Sudafed is now hard to purchase while meth is readily available.) https://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume19/v19i3...

In Canada you can still buy that over the counter. You get id-ed and they keep a record of your purchases, but since it's now generic pills it is now much cheaper than it was before

I grew up in Germany in a household that never used nasal decongestants, probably out of some fear that they might be dangerous.

When in Canada a doctor told me to buy some pseudoephedrine pills to treat a clotted ear and I found the experience so nice, that when back in Germany I walked into a pharmacy to get some.

The looks...

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#99

Post by soylentcola »

throwaway2331 wrote: post #80
wswope wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great writeup! Just adding on: Other key differentiator between recreational and therapeutic amphetamine usage is the pharmacokinetics: Vyvanse is the best in this regard - it’s actually an amphetamine prodrug that gets converted to amphetamine in the bloodstream over the course of ~2 hours, giving a very smooth release. Adderall achieves a similar end (to a lesser degree) by combining equal ratios of four different…

Adding on: the problem with vyvanse is that there's no way to mess around with the dosage to get it "just right." It's like a more strict version of extended release (EX) and timed release formulations (there's a difference!). Vyvanse is metabolized to d-amphetamine in your blood cells (the specific mechanism escapes me right now), unlike the regular non-prodrug versions which get "metabolized" first in your stomach…

Yep. It's why I switched from Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine - basically just d-amp bound to lysine which is then metabolized into d-amp during digestion) to IR generic Adderall (a mix of d-amp and l-amp).

Any unwanted effects (insomnia if I take it too late, etc) are almost entirely due to the l-amp, but the slow release of Vyvanse made it essentially impossible to titrate and my options were either to take a dose so low it wasn't effective or deal with regular insomnia due to lingering amphetamine effects into the evening.

I guess ideally I'd have IR d-amp but I assume it's considered too "abusable" so it's rarely prescribed. Meanwhile, my whole goal is to get useful effects without taking enough to feel like I'm tweaked out or high.

Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it

#100

Post by asdff »

cronix wrote: post #93
pessimizer wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This "new meth" thing seems like a PR push by government contractors. It's redolent of the UK "skunk" scare (it's not the pot you used to smoke, mommies and daddies - it's special pot that will definitely make your children think they can fly and jump out of windows, and become prostitutes to pay for more.)

It sounds like someone just watched Breaking Bad.

More that breaking bad was picking up the story that was taking place at the time when sourcing their material. There's been a lot written about the superlabs in Mexico that produce hundreds of pounds of pure product a batch. There are probably thousands of facilities like this now making this P2P cook at industrial scales.
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