Drug question

[Bob The Mercenary]

I do deliveries for my dad's pharmacy during the day and one regular customer we have has a habit of ordering 5 cases of rubbing alcohol per month. That's 60 bottles of rubbing alcohol a month. Only two people live in their apartment and they've been ordering it like this for more than a year. I'm beginning to wonder what they could possibly be using these huge orders for.

I've already looked into the possibility of them purchasing the stuff for other places such as school nurse's offices and first aid squads, but we do all deliveries direct to those places. Is there some way to produce or refine some sort of street drug by using rubbing alcohol? It'd be cool if I could break a story like that. :D

[Raiden]

.................

Another thread by BtM to add to my list. The reasons to kill you just GROW, Bob.

Anyway, rubbing alcohol? As far as I know, that's not a needed ingredient for any big-time drugs. Though it can be used in Bum Wine...there's really not a big demand for that stuff though.

Then again, you can make a drug out of almost anything. So I wouldn't be surprised.

[Azisien]

Yay, my knowledge of organic chemistry might actually come in handy! Though, if we have more experienced chemists or uh (hopefully not) "experienced" recreational drug users, they'd probably know more.

Rubbing alcohol is probably primarily ethanol in the 92-99% range, which is the stuff I've used in organic chemistry labs. There are simply tons of possible reactions to build on from there, but it's usually used as a solvent. It's good for, well, making a bigger organic alcohols, and supplying either the oxygen or hydrogen (-OH) in the reaction, among other things.

I decided to look up the first common street drug that comes to mind: crystal meth, or metamphetamine. It's a derivative of ephedrine, and I looked up both chemical structures out of curiousity. The only significant difference between them is the presence of a hydroxyl group, and that can be removed if you protonate it somehow (turning it into "water," which is a good leaving group). To do that, you need a supply of hydrogen, and one easy to obtain chemical with that is, you guessed it, rubbing alcohol.

Of course, this is a fair amount of conjecture. Still, 60 bottles of rubbing alcohol per month is a LOT. I wouldn't jump to any conclusions. Maybe he's germophobic or something (though you'd think if it was that bad, he'd show up at the pharmacy with a hepa-filter mask on or something). I don't know enough about the intricacies of producing crystal meth but, it sounds like this guy has enough concentrated alcohol to supply one of the reactants for the reaction.

It is a little suspicious though, because ephedrine can be obtained over-the-counter too. That's probably part of the reason crystal meth is a growing problem, but that's another discussion in itself.

Hope that was helpful!

[Bob The Mercenary]

It is a little suspicious though, because ephedrine can be obtained over-the-counter too.

Aha! Not anymore it can't. Just the other day we got a fax telling us to move all products containing psuedoephedrine behind the counter specifically to counter the meth labs out there using it. Now, just to purchase Sudafed, Robitussin, Claritin-D, Mucinex-D, Aleve, etc, you need a photo i.d. and a signature is required in a logbook.

That was a helpful explanation, though.

[Edit] I did a quick check and our rubbing alcohol is 70% ethanol. Just in case that changes anything.

[Azisien]

Well, the drop in ethanol just means you would need more of it. But anyway, yeah. He might be distributing to orphans instead. Yeah, that's a little more optimistic than the small-scale meth lab in his apartment.

[Selfish]

You can concentrate rubbing alcohol with a still; very dangerous.

These deliveries sound like they would be more likely for cutting a drug rather than producing one, in my estimation. Anything shootable would also have that icy cold, yet not unpleasant sting to it. Alcohol has this wonderful way of absorbing into itself anything that is primary water; perhaps even the dregs from magic mushrooms?

This one acquaintance I knew from work actually raised their own `shrooms. It has to be absolutely sterile for you to raise them correctly.
Apparently, the more care you put into the suckers, the more productive they are for you.
Another friend from the same workplace was telling me that their neighbours bought gallons and gallons of bleach; every garbage day they`d put the empties out for the recycling truck to take away. She supposed that they were either making or cutting drugs, but again, who really knows?
I have talked with people who genuinely believe that tinfoil hats will prevent the evil empire from reading their thoughts, or from the gov`t from beaming in thoughts to their brains. It stands to reason that there are those out there that cannot bear to touch anything without swabbing it with either bleach or alcohol.
Also, having never partaken of any illicit drug in my life, I have actually no further ideas.

Good luck with the investigation, Bob!

[Khael!]

Hmmm... the first things that came to my mind were flammable and terrorist. But that's just stupid. I've been influenced by the fact that my physics teacher lit an alcohol-soaked string tied to a ballon full of hydrogen gas today.

But, still... They certainly wouldn't be consuming the stuff. I checked wikipedia, It had a few things about its use in engines/ fuel tanks or something. Go look.

[Hatake Kakashi]

I would have to doubt it's being used for fuel... at least in something such as that. The sheer price of that much alcohol being purchased would completely defeat the purpose of using it as an alternative fuel to gasoline, even during August when the prices spiked. If they had planned to use it for that, chances are they'd manufacture ethanol using a still and corn products/waste.

The flammability would/could be something of a concern, but I would actually have to understand a bit more about the particular customer before I could assume much more than that. Does he own a business? Another pharmacy perhaps? Pharmacies that specialize in compounding on larger scales go through unbelievable amounts of alcohol, though if he owned a pharmacy, I would be rather shocked to see him ordering through another pharmacy rather than through a source such as McKesson. You never know, though.

[Bob The Mercenary]

Well, the couple is actually fairly elderly. At least the guy who answers the door looks that way. Either that or he has some sort of debilitating disease. He looks too old and out of shape to own or operate anything, let alone a pharmacy. Until we get another order from the guy I can't really dig much deeper. Unless of course I go over to their place and walk the halls of the retirement home on surveillance.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Call the police on em'. Because, goddamit, no one manufactures crystal meth like ME!

...

Seriously though, you might want to tip off the police. And just because they're old doesn't mean they aren't drug maufacturers/sellers.

[Kikuichimonji]

Ever try asking him?

[TheSpacePope]

Could have bedsores, which can become nasty if not disinfected.
Could be cutting cocaine, do you smell Ether? They might be making that too.

But if they are old, my guess is bedsores.
or LSD

[Azisien]

If it smells like cat piss, it's probably meth. Then again, if it's in a retirement home, it probably smells like cat piss regardless.

[Skyshot]

I ran this past my local armchair expert on these kinds of things. She said she couldn't think of any illicit reasons, but she did suggest legitimate ones, i.e. someone with AIDS, or germophobes. I don't think I mentioned the "really old guy" angle to her, though.

Of course, she's only an armchair expert, so make of that what you will. I say go ahead and tell the cops and let them decide for themselves whether it's worth investigating. I doubt they'll penalize you for reporting it. Best case scenario, they bust some crime ring and you get to be Awesome #1 for a few days. Worst case, it's perfectly harmless, but still suspicious, and they'll be miffed they wasted time on it, but not hacked off at you.

Anyways, you say you work for a pharmacy. Shouldn't there be someone in the business who'd know much more about this than a bunch of internet junkies?

(One more thing -- I've heard firsthand accounts of old people in jail for dealing drugs.)

[Bob The Mercenary]

If it smells like cat piss, it's probably meth. Then again, if it's in a retirement home, it probably smells like cat piss regardless.

You don't know the half of it.

Ever try asking him?

"Hi. Are you using this alcohol to cut drugs?"

[Kikuichimonji]

"Hi. Are you using this alcohol to cut drugs?""What are you guys using all this alchohol for? We can't figure it out."

Maybe you find a legitimate reason that way or confirm your suspicions?

[Azisien]

[font=courier new]Anyways, you say you work for a pharmacy. Shouldn't there be someone in the business who'd know much more about this than a bunch of internet junkies?

Now now, my knowledge of organic chemistry is entirely academic. :) There are many illicit things you can do with a high concentration of alcohol. -OH is one of the most common functional groups...ever.

[Meister]

Maybe they just need a lot of rubbing alcohol.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Maybe they just need a lot of rubbing alcohol.

Yes, but what exactly do they need it for?

And how big are the bottles, Bob?

[BitVyper]

Maybe they just need a lot of rubbing alcohol.

I think they're building an orbital death-ray that runs on it.

[Fifthfiend]

Oh well in that case all Bob has to do is navigate a narrow trench protected by heavy turbolaser batteries to fire a photon torpedo through an exhaust port less than two meters wide, and problem solved!

[Bob The Mercenary]

Yeah, I used to bullseye womprats with my T-16 back home. They were no bigger than two meters.

[BitVyper]

If you've got rats that can be described as "no bigger than two meters," it may be time to consider moving. Either that, or you can find a party of first level adventurers, and offer them some shiny copper to clean the place out for you.

[Nikose Tyris]

So, No chance he owns a brazillian car? From what I've heard, Rubbing alcohol can be used in place of Corn Ethenol in those vehicles.

Then again, if he lives in a nursing home, probably not.


The other thought is; If he lives in a nursing home, maybe he's a resident volunteer that picks the stuff up for the nurses as a way to stay active?

[Sir Pinkleton]

If he's making drugs, He should be using freebreeze instead. That way, you don't have to go through the trouble of chemistry; just sniff the stuff.

If he lives at an old people's home, freebreeze takes the piss smell right out! BAM!

If it's a death ray, I'm sure there's some way to make the chemicals in freebreeze as explosive as a photon torpedo.

If he owns a Brazillion car,Perhaps freebreeze has a hidden element of powering ethanol cars.


...USE FREBREEZE! I COMMANDETH THEE TO USETH ITH!

This 'Outbreak of Freebreeze' is brought to you by FBM.
"If you can't figure it out, use freebreeze!"

[Bob The Mercenary]

SUCCESS!

The reason they order so much alcohol made me feel a lot more awkward than if they had just been cutting drugs with it.

They bathe with it.

Like fill sponges with the stuff and use it as bath water and soap. I opened the door the other day for a delivery and the smell almost burned my eyes out. I can't imagine how flaky and white the woman's skin must be.

[Evil Ted]

Hmmm. if they are elderly and it smells like cat piss they might be trying to get it to stop smelling like that to get their kids to visit

[P-Sleazy]

Just out of curiosity...did you actually SEE them bathing in it...cause um...I don't know if thats safe. I would think that would sting a bit much.

[TheSpacePope]

Honestly, I don't want to know how many Bothans died to get you that information

[Bob The Mercenary]

The losses were substantial.

Actually both my dad and one of his drivers told me that the people use it to bathe.

[FighterFlight]

What a load of horseshit.
Now you KNOW it's a meth lab.