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Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

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Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#31

Post by gnarcoregrizz »

ufmace wrote: post #12
coin wrote: post #10

In the US MDMA started off as a legal drug until the mid 80s when the DEA made it illegal

Man, I remember the time when we had to pass a constitutional amendment to make a substance illegal. Now a government agency can just declare substances illegal without needing to justify it to anybody.

The DEA is evil. They drag their feet in allowing FDA approved medicines to be approved for sale. There was a law passed recently that they had N months to schedule it because they kept taking so long. If a single person in a study says a medicine gives them feelings of euphoria it can be subject to scheduling, which makes it an epic pain in the ass to acquire. They don’t allow electronic prescriptions to be sent for some drugs, and at least for mine, they can’t be for longer than 90 days.

For example, I am basically forced to take Vimpat, a DEA scheduled anti-epilepsy medicine. Due to the scheduling, I can only pick it up 2 days before it’s due for refill, and otherwise have to have a doctor provide me an early refill request. It’s like they don’t expect me to ever go on vacation or have a life. I feel chained down by this. The DEA treats me like a pleasure seeking drug addict. The sad thing is I am a drug addict, I just take it to stay alive, and don’t get any pleasure from this drug. If I don’t get it I’ll probably withdrawal and die. Also, who the hell is going to use a drug that costs $1400/month for pleasure?

I. Hate. The. DEA. For some of these epilepsy drugs the scheduling seems cruel and senseless. All it does is make life difficult for doctors, pharmacies, and patients. For what??? No one wants to take these drugs. It’s a joke that this stupid agency would even consider these to have some recreational value. Sure the benzos, but for the majority of them, no.

Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#32

Post by 29athrowaway »

recuter wrote: post #21

When I was in Peru coca tea was available everywhere for literally pennies. It is legal in most of South America. It doesn't even get you high it just sort of helps with elevation sickness. This seems to upset US politicians from time to time and cause diplomatic spats, they were adamant against the sale of it despite it being traditional in that part of the world. Punitive about it. Now it is legal in Canada and not…

For thousands of years people have munched coca leaves and made teas out of that and there has been no problems whatsoever.

The problem started when someone took a bunch of those leaves, mixed them with a bunch of chemicals to create a highly concentrated substance.

Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#33

Post by blululu »

ceejayoz wrote: post #29
recuter wrote: post #21

When I was in Peru coca tea was available everywhere for literally pennies. It is legal in most of South America. It doesn't even get you high it just sort of helps with elevation sickness. This seems to upset US politicians from time to time and cause diplomatic spats, they were adamant against the sale of it despite it being traditional in that part of the world. Punitive about it. Now it is legal in Canada and not…

There’s a pretty vast gap between coca tea and refined cocaine, isn’t there?

Sort of. It's analogous to Beer vs Whiskey: Same psychoactive, but one substance has been chemically concentrated. Both are bad for you but one can be consumed in much lower quantities and concentrations so the health risks are a bit attenuated. Drinking a beer a lunch on a Friday is generally acceptable, but whisky at lunch any day would raise some eyebrows. That said if you start drinking 5 beers a night every night your friends and family might intervene.

Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#34

Post by recuter »

ceejayoz wrote: post #29
recuter wrote: post #21

When I was in Peru coca tea was available everywhere for literally pennies. It is legal in most of South America. It doesn't even get you high it just sort of helps with elevation sickness. This seems to upset US politicians from time to time and cause diplomatic spats, they were adamant against the sale of it despite it being traditional in that part of the world. Punitive about it. Now it is legal in Canada and not…

There’s a pretty vast gap between coca tea and refined cocaine, isn’t there?

You crush it and mix with water, add lime to turn it into a paste. The only other thing you need is a little potassium permanganate which is commonly used for lots of things.

Wouldn't say the gap is vast, it isn't a very involved process.

Maybe you mean there is a vast gap between Peru and Canada. Few thousand miles that.

Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#36

Post by Teever »

withinboredom wrote: post #22
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unclear what benefit there is to stopping people addicted to opiates getting those opiates cleanly and cheaply. “Addicted to opiates” is a big spectrum. Someone dependent on a mild recreational dose can possibly continue like that for a long time if, and only if, they don’t try to escalate their dose. The issue is that the recreational value wears off quickly as tolerance sets in, which means they’re only taking th…

I've been in countries where you can pick up opiate-laced cough syrup without a prescription. It was nice when you got a ridiculous cough and didn't want to (wait for) get an appointment just to get a cough syrup you knew you obviously needed. I don't see the point in gate-keeping drugs. Let darwinism run its course.

What things do you feel like 'gate-keeping'

Why them and not drugs?

How are they different?

Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#37

Post by simonh »

ufmace wrote: post #12
coin wrote: post #10

In the US MDMA started off as a legal drug until the mid 80s when the DEA made it illegal

Man, I remember the time when we had to pass a constitutional amendment to make a substance illegal. Now a government agency can just declare substances illegal without needing to justify it to anybody.

Other legal methods could absolutely have been used at the time, making it a constitutional amendment was a tactic. The idea was to make it difficult or impossible to challenge or repeal. If it was a medical regulation, that could just be changed by a later administration. A law might be challenged before the Supreme Court. A constitutional amendment insulated it from Supreme Court oversight and made it much harder to overturn legislatively.

Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#38

Post by recuter »

29athrowaway wrote: post #32
recuter wrote: post #21

When I was in Peru coca tea was available everywhere for literally pennies. It is legal in most of South America. It doesn't even get you high it just sort of helps with elevation sickness. This seems to upset US politicians from time to time and cause diplomatic spats, they were adamant against the sale of it despite it being traditional in that part of the world. Punitive about it. Now it is legal in Canada and not…

For thousands of years people have munched coca leaves and made teas out of that and there has been no problems whatsoever. The problem started when someone took a bunch of those leaves, mixed them with a bunch of chemicals to create a highly concentrated substance.

You mean Coca Cola? I agree, fizzy drinks are very bad for you. We should tax 'em.

Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#39

Post by thinkingkong »

The provincial health care system in British Columbia already sources drugs like mdma, heroin, and cocaine. This is part of the “safe supply” program which is in a weird legal gray area. As far as Im aware, the current suppliers of safe supply narcotics are drug dealers. So this is a much better alternative.

Re: Drug Companies Can Legally Start Selling Cocaine, Heroin, and MDMA

#40

Post by kortilla »

blululu wrote: post #33
ceejayoz wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s a pretty vast gap between coca tea and refined cocaine, isn’t there?

Sort of. It's analogous to Beer vs Whiskey: Same psychoactive, but one substance has been chemically concentrated. Both are bad for you but one can be consumed in much lower quantities and concentrations so the health risks are a bit attenuated. Drinking a beer a lunch on a Friday is generally acceptable, but whisky at lunch any day would raise some eyebrows. That said if you start drinking 5 beers a night every nigh…

Not really analogous. A whiskey beverage is usually served at one alcohol unit of strength and has the same alcohol as a beer.

In fact, someone who has a whiskey neat for lunch is likely going to get less alcohol than someone who has a pint from a microbrew. 16 ounces at 10% abv vs 1.5 ounces at 40%.

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