New illegal drugs

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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The key concept in the first episode of “Breaking Bad” was that the chemistry teacher couldn’t stand to see the crummy, impure drug that was made in the home kitchen of his idiot student. The chemist naturally wanted to purify the drug.

Any chemist worth her salt would never, ever put a chemical into her body that wasn’t FDA approved and manufactured by an ISO 2000 process. Even if it wasn’t toxic by itself any impurities could be. That’s why I think that people who use illegal drugs are simply NUTS.

The existing illegal drugs are bad enough. But now the drug cartels are hiring chemists to formulate new drugs that won’t be detected by standard drug tests. Each batch is tested by injection into a rabbit. If the rabbit dies the drug is strong enough. If the rabbit survives the drug is rejected. That’s simply INSANE!!! But people actually inject these drugs into their bodies.

Here’s an article about some fascinating new chemistry that modifies drugs like Ecstasy (MDMA). Some of these are sold as “bath salts.” Some are cut with fentanyl.

The Fast-Changing Chemistry of New, Dangerous Drugs

Today’s illicit chemists can quickly cook up drugs far more dangerous than fentanyl.

By Jonathan Corum and Matt Richtel, The New York Times, April 8, 2026

Illicit labs are creating new synthetic drugs at breakneck speed. Dangerous, untested compounds are reaching users long before health agencies know they exist. Older drugs are regularly modified to create novel threats…
… [ snip interesting chemical syntheses that modify drugs that mimic dopamine ]…

When China banned all variants of fentanyl in 2019, illicit chemists began to research non-fentanyl opioids and rediscovered nitazenes, drugs developed in the 1950s as alternatives to morphine but never approved for medical use… A 2024 study found it to be lethal and 50 times as potent as fentanyl, both in the ability to relieve pain and in the tendency to suppress breathing at higher doses…

A new variant reported in Ohio in 2024 combines the changes from both Pyro and ISO. “That’s a really bad drug,” Dr. Baumann said. It is up to 90 times more potent than fentanyl… [end quote]

Of course, highly addictive and deadly besides. Will it have Macro impact? More than the drugs that are already available?

I never use drugs but I think people who do will continue to use them regardless of the harms.

Wendy

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And they will die, maybe not right away, but the addictive personality seems to have a death wish, from what I’ve seen… A couple fellows in my work days, mostly alcohol back then. but later on one family member as well, just could not stay away, resist the temptations, parents spent a lot of money redoing teeth, failed rehab, until at the end, there was no coming out of the hospital… A sad, sad situation…

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And it is for these addicts that the current administration rationalizes 50% tariffs. Now the Republican Party is concerned about street junkies to the extent to ask American consumers to pay a hefty premium on imported products.

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The rationales are not the realities of what he wants.

He wants to bankrupt the nation. Or just get it so that he can rationalize bankrupting the nation. It will take tax money to pay the interest on the debt. The rich are those who are taxed. He wants to hold back the tax rates on the rich. Meanwhile, he is not much for playing it straight, now is he?

The war is horrible for business, but the tariff wars are even worse. The markets and economy are in trouble. Blame the drug addicts, it is a great out.

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I agree, simply educating people about the harms doesn’t always work.

Addiction comes in a variety of flavors. A lot of addicts are self-medicating to treat mental health issues. While I agree that some are more disposed to be addicts, it happens to all sorts of people.

There is certainly a stigma around both mental health issues and substance abuse in the US. The stigma only worsens the problem on both accounts.

The US model isn’t working, time to try something different. Portugal has demonstrated what a public health approach can do to lower overdose deaths and addiction.

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/24/1230188789/portugal-drug-overdose-opioid-treatment

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And AI technology offers potential to find many new ones.

The holy grail is still the pain killer that is not addictive. Might be attainable but so far no success.

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I have a position in VRTX. They have a non-opioid medication that is approved for acute pain.

DB2

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