Earlier quoted context omitted.
you might enjoy this then: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton%27s_Pharmacopeia
Xylene episode shook me to my core
You must mean the Xenon episode.
The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
141–150 of 371 posts
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#142Around 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…
> There are claims that this new form of meth is chemically different in some what that started creating schizophrenia around 2017. You are off by 8+ years ... P2P made meth became mainstream after 2008 because that is when Ephedrine was banned in Mexico [1]. [1.] https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs31/31379/meth.htm#:... .
OP is debunking the same claim you are.
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#143Around 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…
Did they separate the culture link from a potential genetic link? Maybe the association exists in a culture because it is a real effect, it just differs between groups.
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#144The 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
Can still buy it over the counter in the UK too.
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#145Earlier 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.
There's also an age minimum. My freshman year of college I had the sniffles and a bad cough. I went to the pharmacy to get some Sudafed but couldn't purchase since I was still 17. Went to the school's health center where the doctor happily prescribed me opioids (the infamous purple drank).
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#146RE: Quantity section. I wonder if the pharmaceutical amphetamines and/or novel 'research chemical' amphetamines metabolize into the same compounds that are being quantified in sewage. Are they detecting 'meth' specifically or amphetamines generally?
> only $1k per pound now.
Wow that's crazy. An equivalent quantity of generic adderall would cost ~$20k. Meth is effectively at commodity-level prices, if true - the drug war premium seems gone.
I'm skeptical about overdose rates being attributed to meth. Meth is fairly hard to OD on - it'll ruin your life and brain, but rarely kills acutely. I suspect meth being used as an adulterant mixed with other drugs (esp opioids), or novel non-meth psychostimulants, play a significant role in the increase of psychostimulant ODs by ~9x over the last 10 years.
I think a lot of this data is getting mixed up with the (at the time quasi-legal) pyrovalerones and cathinones that were widely available through the clearnet over the past 5 years. Those have much greater acute risks and were highly accessible to people without drug connections.
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However, I'm skeptical of the initial premise of the article:
> Ephedrine meth was like a party drug. […] You could normally kind of more or less hang onto your life. You had a house, you had a job. […] P2P meth was nothing like that. It was a very sinister drug.
Tweakers have been around for decades, I suspect this is just misleading anecdata.
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
Meth doesn't have to be smoked, you can just eat the crystals orally, but meth abusers uusally don't do that because it's not nearly as fun. The pills they're referring to, 30 M ( https://www.drugs.com/imprints/30-m-8232.html ), are oxycodone pills (a powerful opioid), but he's likely actually specifically referring to pressed fent (or fent analogue) pills that are made to look like real oxycodone pills. Or perhaps a…
> but he's likely actually specifically referring to pressed fent (or fent analogue) pills that are made to look like real oxycodone pills That sounds like a really, really bad idea. Wow.
Bad in terms of "public health" or bad in terms of "I sold the rest of my drugs"?
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#148I think the same analogy can be made for social media. We had Myspace and Friendster, but social networks didn't become a problem until we had so much of it - always internet connected little computers with us every waking hour.
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Reduced inhibition does not support the thesis of increased agression, unless you define aggression to refer to "aggression shown". I mean overall increased opportunity for violence. Less inhibition might mean I'm more likely to say "fuck off" to someone rather than just think it. Which could lead somewhere.
That's indicative of underlying aggression and can't be extrapolated to other cultures.
I guess, but I'm curious what culture has no aggression at all.
Re: The main thing about Phenylacetone meth is that there's so much of it
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
You're describing the stereotype of a mean drunk. In reality, there's also the happy or the sentimental drunk. They might just laugh it off or smile big and hug the person bumping into them. For sure, alcohol reduces inhibitions. If you're a naturally chip-on-the-shoulder kind of person, alcohol will turn you into a certified jerk. Alcohol can turn other kinds of people into lovable fools as well though.
I didn't think the bar was to describe something that was true for everyone. I suspect what I described is true for many, across many cultures. I've also seen people I would have characterized as mild-mannered act much differently with alcohol in them. I don't think it's just strictly amplifying existing traits.