Random question that hit my head randomly and I haven't googled yet

[conuly]

Have the rolling shortages of everything hit illegal drugs yet?

Comments

[siliconshaman]

Last I heard, yeah. The cartels have been hit by the logistics snafu as well. less boats sailing means less smuggling.

[conuly]

In so many ways, this is truly the strangest and most dystopian of timelines.

[siliconshaman]

You are not wrong there.

Pretty sure if you tried to explain all this to someone back in the 90's, they would say you were crazy or bullshitting them.

[conuly]

Maybe if I explained it very carefully, and left some things out.

[redsixwing]

Seriously.

..cannot unsee. Thanks for pointing out the pattern.

[robby]

Pharmaceutical drug shortages have ingredients sourced in China, which is in economic chaos.

[conuly]

Ooof.

[shadowkat]

Probably not - that's sold through organized crime rings. And they have ways. I could be wrong of course. But I know that the illegal drugs with other substances, which is one of the many reasons illegal drugs are very dangerous. Also provide synthetic substitutions.

[conuly]

I'm not sure cartels have more ways than the rest of us, honestly.

[shadowkat]

Back in the 1990s, while working in Defender Project, I had this client who was a hit man for a major South East Drug Cartel. I had to figure out if his claim of non-effective assistance of counsel was valid - so I read the court transcripts. They basically use violence to get everything through. Smuggle it in - and bribe. Also utilize addiction. That said, you may be right - and they most likely would run into the same supply chain issues.

[delphi]

It's definitely been an issue here in Canada, first in terms of general supply when the U.S. border was closed at the start of the pandemic and then in terms of an increasingly toxic supply of things that are home/lab-made because shortages and supply chain issues have seen cooks subbing in whatever they can get their hands on.

[conuly]

What fun!

[fred_mouse]

My vague recollection after our state borders were closed down hard is that there was a news report about what the change in hospital admissions for drug related issues was, but cannot for the life of me remember what it was. I suspect, now that our national and international borders are open, we are back to the usual.

[bitterlawngnome]

The effect it's having here is that almost all of what's sold on the street now is heavily cut with (car)fentanyl, whatever it nominally contains. Meaning, it's more dangerous.

Weed is legal here but that also has its supply ups and downs, despite being grown locally.