Additive may halt meth producers

[Jade]

I didn't know whether to post this here or in the Law & Order forum.  Sorry.


DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A new additive that can be used to make a common farm fertilizer ineffective for producing methamphetamine is showing promise, giving hope to state officials that the drug's reach can be stemmed.

The additive was developed by Iowa State University researchers to limit use of anhydrous ammonia, a chemical fertilizer widely used to boost crop production on Iowa farms.

State officials won't release the name of the additive, what it's made of, or how exactly it stops the meth-making process because it's under legal review by federal officials and there may be patent issues.

"The science is good and I am very pleased with this happening in Iowa," said Iowa's drug czar Marvin Van Haaften.

Ed Childress, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman, said the additive has been tested, but more work needs to be done.

"The additive is showing great promise and it's showing that it's effective in disrupting the process of manufacturing methamphetamine," he said. "There's still a few more pending issues."

 
Some of those issues might be the cost of the additive and whether the government would give tax incentives to farmers or farm dealers who go to the expense of adding it to anhydrous ammonia tanks. Officials will also have to explain whether the additive affects the environment.

According to the Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center, methamphetamine production is widespread in the Midwest.

To make meth, producers mix small batches of chemicals, including anhydrous ammonia, ephedrine or pseudoephedrine and sodium or lithium metal.

"The development of this additive will aid in our fight against this poison and help us better secure our children," Gov. Tom Vilsack said in a news release Monday announcing the additive's effectiveness.

Iowa officials have taken other steps to make it harder to get products used in making meth, including passing a law that takes effect July 1 that puts more restrictions on purchasing pseudoephedrine. Farmers also have been encouraged to put locks on their anhydrous ammonia tanks.

http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2004/06/15/news/news5.txt

[embezzler]

and to make a safer future for children why not add to save all the puppies from the poison....shit.

the farmers are spreading proper poison on everything their fat little kids eat anyway.

anyone know what it is?,the additive?

what is a czar??

[ning]

Water, perhaps?  

I guess damn near anything that would react with alkali metals would be effective in damaging the birch reaction, or at least making it uneconomical by consuming huge amounts of metal.

Also, urea comes to mind for some reason, though I can't say why....

It must suck being a farmer, and having the pigs watching you and your tanks more than you do.

[Rhodium]

Post 312569 (missing)

(Rhodium: "Ammonia additives to prevent Birch reduction", Stimulants)

Post 404807 (missing)

(Aurelius: "Ammonia Adulterants (prevention of birch meth)", Stimulants)

[Jade]

I realize this, Rhodium, but I thought the way this article read meant that they had come up with something different than before.

[Rhodium]

Are you sure? The first of these patent applications was granted very recently...

Method of inhibiting methaphetamine synthesis
Murray, George M. ;   et al.    March 11, 2004
United States Patent Application 20040049079

Abstract
A method of inhibiting or preventing the use of anhydrous ammonia as a solvent in a dissolving metal reduction process comprises adding to anhydrous ammonia a chemical reagent which is capable of scavenging solvated electrons generated when alkali or alkaline earth metal is dissolved in the anhydrous ammonia, the chemical reagent being added to the anhydrous ammonia such that when alkali metal is dissolved in the anhydrous ammonia containing the chemical reagent and thereafter ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or combination thereof is introduced to the anhydrous ammonia to produce a reaction product, the methamphetamine yield in the reaction product is below 50%, preferably below 10%. and more preferably below 1%. Preferred chemical reagents include Fe(III)citrate, ferrocene, 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)pyridine and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane.
____ ___ __ _

Anhydrous ammonia valve lock
United States Patent Application 20030234043

Abstract
An apparatus and method of preventing theft of anhydrous ammonia used to produce methylene, a restricted narcotic. Most generally the method of theft prevention form a tank having an exterior discharge valve adapted for reception of a feed line comprising the steps of: providing a valve enclosure; installing the valve enclosure over and around the valve; removably installing the valve enclosure over and around the valve; and, locking the valve enclosure on the valve so that a feed line cannot be connected to a low pressure side of the valve. Most generally the valve enclosure includes a split housing which opens for mounting over and around the valve and lockably closes to prevent access to the valve.

[ning]

More crap in the soil to please the anti-drug crusaders.

I just can't wait for this brave new future to unfold.

[UncleFester]

I grew up on a dairy farm back in the 60's and 70's. We had problems keeping up with the weeds in our corn, so we started using Atrazine. Soon all the frogs were gone in the swamp. They were kind of fun to listen to at long distance as you went to sleep.
Now all the frogs are dead, and after 30 years it has been determined that Atrazine screws up their hormones.
What a better place it was back then when US had a population of 200 million. Now all those family farms are abondoned. It started with Cali agri- business using Mexican slave labor to mass produce. I can think of no bigger pollution hazard than 2000 cows all shitting in the same place, but that is what factory farming is.
Now the family farms are abandoned, repalced by Agri-Business.
Do you think they will care about this shit in their ammonia? They are "managers" and care not a crap beyond tomorrow's balance sheet...and then we will not have even the right to read the ingredient list in our food because either WTO or NAFTA has forbidden that to us.

[UncleFester]

[UncleFester]

[baalchemist]

Tocopheral is more than likely the additive. I believe I read it in a patent article last year, that it will denature a birch reaction to a 0% yield.

[wareami]

baalchemist: [alpha]-tocopherol is listed as one of a selection of additives slated for incorporation.

The latest patents, primarily the one Rhodium cited seem to indicate the preferred electron scavengers as being
•Urea
•[alpha]-Tocopherol
•1-chloromethyl naphthalene
•trichloroethylene
•2-chloro-6-(tri-chloromethyl)-pyridine
•1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane
•FeCl3
•FeCl3 + H2O
•FeCl2
•Fe(III)citrate
•Fe(acac)
•Fe(F3-acac)
•Fe(F6-acac)
•Ferrocene

Their example showed a 14% meth recovery using tocopherol as the inhibitor. The FE based additives showed the best damage to meth production (around 1% meth recovery) according to their stats.

Patent US2004049079

I seem to recall Orgy and other bees discussing a way to remove these additives but maybe I was dreaming???

[CharlieBigpotato]

u.f.,
i have finally come to appreciate you.
i share your knowledge and willingness to score bad karma.

i have worked an atrazine-soaked bio-disaster into a garden of earthly delights. your input would bee most welcome on the couch. you have touched a nerve, at least with this farmer.

i ask you not to run off; meet me in an appropriate forum?

[UncleFester]

I started to talk about the rural wasteland and they cut me off. I was grinding somewhat confusedly about this spreading death of the countryside...oh, I was drunk again as they say on the Sylvester the Cat Cartoons. I fear if I say the truth, I will be censored again...so best to stay to the pills...

[CharlieBigpotato]

i can't clean these pills.

but amphibians do flourish from my administrations.

[UncleFester]

The only place I can find frogs out in my former countryside is where a spring gives them a pond . One place is my favorite camping area...where runoff is the watersource, they are all dead and have been for 30 years. The former farms which used the Atrazine are now defunct, run out of business by factory operations. The land they used to cover is now half unused and turning into forest. How long before the runoff kills frogs, I can only guess...
As to pills, the generic red hots are easy to crack, and maybe other pills will be too when somebody investigates their insides. As to why these farms disappeared...I better not say....