The following is from a friend:
It has occured to me that there is very little, if any, discussion on using protection groups on certain end products of interest. This isn't probably a very worthwhile issue for the US bees due to the Analog Act; but I see a great deal of potential here for those of us that are located in Europe. It is very unlikely that EU would ever approve anything close to the Analog Act - you can only be prosecuted for possession (or dealing etc) with compounds that are explicitly listed in the Narcotics Laws of the respective countries.
So, imagine you have been able to produce a decent amount of amphetamine or any other phenethylamine. Holding it (and delivering to others) poses a great risks as you could be imprisoned for years. Why not then add any of the wide selection of amine protection groups to the phenethylamine of interest, e.g. acetyl, benzoyl and so on. Even though addition of this is not trivial and comes at a cost, you are holding a product that is NOT illegal and even though it can be claimed in court that your purpose was to convert it to an illegal compound, your sentence will be much less (if you are sentenced at all) than otherwise.
Why then has this topic not ever come up here or anywhere else? Surely what I am suggesting is a minor pain in the neck, but certainly very worthwhile given the legislation in the european countries!
understanding is everything
