# Chloroform

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chloroform/520728>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 10, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chloroform/520728 "2009-12-10T15:02:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chloroform/520728/21 "2009-12-12T10:55:42Z")

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> [@Turble](#):
>
> It seems to me a link to a place with a price list (found by a simple search) is a pretty fair answer to the question “how hard is it for a regular person to get chloroform?”

How do you figure?

The same site lists prices for potassium cyanide and arsenic pentoxide by the kilogram. Do you really think they’re gonna sell these substances to “a regular person” ?

If you don’t think that a regular person can buy arsenic and cyanide by the pound from this website, then how does a link to their website go any way at all to addressing how hard it is for a regular person to get those substances?

But since you think the answer is clear, then perhaps you can tell us in plain terms: how hard is it for a regular person to get chloroform? Do they just have to fill out the order form and get it delivered to their door? Is there a waiting period? Do they need to produce a licence of some sort?

Since a fair answer is apparently available from a link to that webpage, I look forward to seeing the answer to these questions shortly.

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**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chloroform/520728/22 "2009-12-14T06:35:32Z")

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Who was buying all that chloroform in drug stores during the 1950s? Once the restrictions were put in place during the 1970s what did they do? Were there any significant parts of the market that were shut out?

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**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chloroform/520728/23 "2009-12-14T06:57:46Z")

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> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#):
>
> Who was buying all that chloroform in drug stores during the 1950s? Once the restrictions were put in place during the 1970s what did they do? Were there any significant parts of the market that were shut out?

I only know of two uses, one was for use in killing jars for butterfly collecting, the other was to use as anaesthetic duirng “home” veterinary treatment. Both of these uses would have fallen off by the 70s. So it may have been a case of regulating a substance that was no longer commonly used anyway.

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