[jameskraus]

It seems this article is trying argue in favor of deregulation of production of drugs, such that drug companies can more freely produce to fill demand. Is that necessarily a good solution with addictive substances like amphetamines?

We saw that production and consumption of opiates was far too high, eventually leading to the bankruptcy of Purdue Pharma. In that case it seems like the DEA was not taking a strong enough regulatory role, leading to much harm to Americans.

Are we facing an upcoming epidemic of amphetamine addiction and the DEA is holding it back, or is the DEA causing more harm through regulation of production? It’s impossible to tell from this article alone, but it seems clear we need at least some regulation of production, since the pharmaceutical industry cannot completely self regulate.

[jrflowers]

> Are we facing an upcoming epidemic of amphetamine addiction

Illicit methamphetamine is already easier to get and cheaper than adderall for virtually anybody motivated enough in the US.

[fleischhauf]

I was under the impression that the opioid crisis was partially due to doctors just prescribing them and claiming they are an easy pain killer that is not really addictive

[jrflowers]

Amphetamines and opioids are very different classes of drugs. For one thing, ADHD is a much more narrow diagnosis than pain (the latter being something every single human experiences), for another amphetamine sulphate has been available as a generic for a long time so there’s much less incentive for a company like Purdue/Insys to lie/cheat/bribe doctors en masse in the same way.