Which means it's not available outside of the pharmacist counter's more-limited hours. And there's often an additional line to wait in before acquiring. And, as another thread points out, extra ID requirements.
So how exactly do the costs/benefits on this "public policy" sum out?
Benefits:
• some grandstanding politicians enjoy the superficial appearance of being "tough on meth"
Costs:
• Americans waste $billions on an ineffective placebo decongestant
• Legitimate manufacturers of a working medicine, pseudoephedrine hcl, lose sales due to extra cost/effort/stigma associated with the purchase. They shift real productive resources – inputs & worker hours – to making & marketing placebos instead.
• Larger cross-border criminal organizations – of the kind that regularly murder politicians south-of-the-border – grow in market-share, sophistication, & power.
• Meth continues to be available at high volume, & low costs, unaffected by the pseudoephedrine limits.
If we don't listen to 'grad students having a laugh' who are pointing out the wasteful absurdities of 'public policy', we'll keep such nonsense destructive rules indefinitely.
The 'serious folks' among politicians & suited 'public-policy' types are derelict in their duties.
> Larger cross-border criminal organizations – of the kind that regularly murder politicians south-of-the-border – grow in market-share, sophistication, & power.
Are you suggesting my neighborhood friendly drug dealer could hook me up with some real sudafed? Might be nicer than trying to get it from the pharmacy when I need it.
Not sure if you're joking, but he's suggesting that if bulk pseudoephedrine were still available, cartel meth wouldn't have 99% of the market like it does today.
Because yeah, your neighborhood dealer would make his own meth and would probably have lots of Sudafed.
So how exactly do the costs/benefits on this "public policy" sum out?
Benefits:
• some grandstanding politicians enjoy the superficial appearance of being "tough on meth"
Costs:
• Americans waste $billions on an ineffective placebo decongestant
• Legitimate manufacturers of a working medicine, pseudoephedrine hcl, lose sales due to extra cost/effort/stigma associated with the purchase. They shift real productive resources – inputs & worker hours – to making & marketing placebos instead.
• Larger cross-border criminal organizations – of the kind that regularly murder politicians south-of-the-border – grow in market-share, sophistication, & power.
• Meth continues to be available at high volume, & low costs, unaffected by the pseudoephedrine limits.
• Recent meth formulations – likely prompted by the limits on the pseudoephedrine-process – seem to create a stronger & more-destructive addiction among abusers: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/the-new...
If we don't listen to 'grad students having a laugh' who are pointing out the wasteful absurdities of 'public policy', we'll keep such nonsense destructive rules indefinitely.
The 'serious folks' among politicians & suited 'public-policy' types are derelict in their duties.