alt Hacker NewsOne of my favorite papers is "A simple and convenient synthesis of pseudoephedrine from N-methylamphetamine" [1].
This is a satirical paper. Because pseudoephedrine (i.e. the good decongestant) is very difficult to obtain due to restrictions, but "N-methylamphetamine can be procured at almost any time on short notice", the paper describes how to synthesize pseudoephedrine from meth with a procedure that looks valid.
[1] https://improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume19/v19i3/Pse...
Replies
Pseudoephedrine being pulled from the shelves is one of the biggest crimes of our time.
Pseudoephedrine should be easy and plentiful to obtain. I don't care if people use it to make meth. What they do in their private time doesn't concern me. Not being able to get Sudafed when I'm sick kills me. It's not like those people won't be able to get meth some other way.
We let people buy cars and cause 43,000 automobile deaths a year. People should be able to live life without stuffy noses. Maybe license people to buy meds and take it away if they abuse it? That's better than the draconian system we have now.
And don't get me started on ADHD medication and their shortages.
Edit: and there are 178,000 alcohol related deaths per year in the US. If you're going to allow that without prohibition, then please let us unstuff our noses.
I'm tired of living in a nanny state when we let people buy and own guns and swords and flamethrowers. Simply hiking on a mountain can kill you. Must we install guardrails on all the high places?
It's not that bad of a negative externality. Honestly. Not relative to all the other ones we've deemed acceptable. This is weird picking and choosing that doesn't make sense.
Fun fact, there (was?) is a isomer of methamphetamine that is actually over the counter, levomethamphetamine was often found in Vicks brand inhalers, though they appear to be discontinued, being replaced with a ‘non-medicated’ version. There are apparently generic inhalers that still do contain it though.
https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/other-methamphetam...
"simple and convenient" does a lot of heavy lifting in this paper - n-BuLi, chromium hexacarbonyl and MoOPH (had to look that one up!) is not something you find outside of a well equipped lab and shouldn't be touched by anyone who isn't highly experienced.
How did I miss this article before?!? Love it!
> Other side effects may include violent urges or, similarly, the urge to be successful in business or finance. ... > We expect that the simultaneous trends of restricting pseudoephedrine sales while N-methylamphetamine becomes less expensive and of higher purity will make the methods presented here increasingly attractive.
The problem I found was that nobody wanted to deal with the database after a certain time in the evening. Odds are good you don’t admit you’re coming down with something until after work. Or at least admit to yourself that medicine would be helpful. So by the time you see you’re out of Sudafed or can’t find the old pack, it’s often too late to go to the store to get a new one before morning.
That's actually hilarious.
I found out recently that you don't just need a decent government ID; it needs to be from the state you're purchasing the Sudafed from, because apparently each state administers its own database. If you run out and have a persistent cough (weakened immune system from not licking doorknobs the last few years of covid, or so do the doctor says) from a common cold while on vacation, you're shit out of luck unless you go back home or you and an accomplice are willing to procure your cough medicine with their license.