Mods: I am not asking how to make meth using pseudoephedrine. I am asking what behaviors might tip off a pharmacist or pharmacy tech that a customer was buying Sudafed or whatever for that purpose, other than attempting to buy in bulk.
Thoughts?
I will relate this story:
I had the flu, bad. I felt like I was dying. I had tried all the OTC sinus stuff but they just weren’t effective. One night, after work (I got off at 1am) I went home, changed out of my uniform into I’m-sick-so-comfy-works clothes, crawled to the Walgreens pharmacy and asked for Sudafed, the REAL stuff. I was pale, weak, exhausted, sick and at the end of my sanity.
I’ve never felt like such a drug seeker in my life. Why they didn’t arrest me on site is still a mystery.
I get mystery-migraines, which have been recently tenatively diagnosed as a residual effect of an unrealized spinal cord injury. One of the symptoms is completely fubared sinuses. I’ve long depended on Sudafed. I have much, much more miserable headaches now. No local groceries or pharmacies carry it and the closest one that does (CVS) are so fucking stupid getting it is impossible, we tried 3 different times over the last several months.
The local paper will run stories of people-buying-bulk-Sudafed (by going from pharmacy to pharmacy) busts, and the tip-offs are legion.
[ul]
[li]Junky car.[/li][li]Out of state plates.[/li][li]Three or more people in the car, only one goes in to buy.[/li][li]Putative customer looking nervous and agitated.[/li][li]Putative customer having zero obvious cold or flu symptoms.[/li][/ul]
I think the lack of symptoms is the biggest thing. When I was married, I only got the stinkeye if I was picking it up for my ex; if I was obviously sick, then they didn’t give me grief.
I used to buy it when I wasn’t sick so it was there when my wife or I needed it.
If it’s the only thing they are buying, that is a bit of a red flag. Also they sometimes come in groups and buy it simultaneously from multiple registers if it’s a big store.
Those are the behaviors I can tell you. But there’s another thing from my retail experience that will probably get me grilled here, but I’ll go ahead and say it: young men, especially those who do not seem to be part of the store’s normal demographic, are often culprits. In particular I worked at a Target which despite being in the greater L.A. area (where we have a very Latino-skewed population) was normally patronized by a huge percentage of whites (and mostly middle-aged whites at that) with very few Latinos or blacks, other than the ones who worked there, ever setting foot in that store. Occasionally there would be small groups of young Latino kids (like 15-20 year olds) who came in wearing urban-typical clothing and would buy nothing but pseudoephedrine products. Yeah, it’s profiling, but it was painfully obvious.
Yeah, I know I’ve posted this before, but it’s one of my all-time faves:
Q. How do you spot three tweakers in a supermarket?
A. They’ve got the cart upside-down and they’re trying to fix the wheel.
I’ve heard that before, but I don’t quite get it - probably because I don’t hang out much with “tweakers”. (My experience with druggies is mostly heroin junkies and cokeheads, along with a few alcoholics) Are they unusually sensitive to squeaks or something?
One of the symptoms of the overdriven meth brain is an OCD-like compulsion to screw with things. Meth addicts will frequently have stuff like broken bicycles or lawnmowers around the house to tinker with for days on end, and I do mean days.
People on meth will exhibit behavior that would normally be associated with obsessive compulsive disorder - meaningless repetitive tasks like arranging objects, or a desire to fiddle (inexpertly) with everything in their immediate environment. Hence the term “tweaker”.
Right. It’s called punding. It’s fascinating to watch. I once saw some meth fiends stay up all night under halogen clamp lamps disassembling and reassembling the same carburetor over and over again.
And some of them look like this.:eek:
I’m going to have to have to check my baby girls diapers for meth. She seems to be obsessed with taking things out of drawers and putting them back in. I knew I smelled ammonia coming from her room.
Yep, I think you got a meth user there.
Let me ask you this: Missing teeth? Hard to understand speech? Has trouble with simple things like dressing herself? Frightened by loud noises? Keep your eye on her. It may take years, but she can come out of it, and become a normal teenager. Just some advice from someone who’s been there.
It’s sort of related, a little while ago, Australia rolled out a nationwide tracking system for the sale of products containing pseudoephedrine.
I think the take up rate of the program was ~90% of all pharmacies in Australia.
In the system you have to show your ID to purchase products containing pseudoephedrine, and your details are logged onto the computer system. Every pharmacy in the program can access the database, and for instance could see if you’ve purchased other pseudoephedrine products that day. It eliminates the possiblity of going from pharmacy to pharmacy buying 1-2 packets at each location to avoid suspicion.
Although on the downside it has caused an increase in the number of ram-raids and burglaries on pharmacies. 
Don’t forget trouble sleeping, and a need for constant reassurance. Obsession with watching the same movies over and over. . . OMG, I think the Celtling needs help too!
Are the folks who make it typically themselves users? I would have thought that the manufacturers would be a separate set of people, doing it just for the profit.
It’s simple enough to make that I bet most manufacturers are users at least if they are buying storebrand pseudophed to do it. I’m sure the “higher class” manufacturers have another source for pseudophed.
Of course simple is not the same as easy. That’s a pretty touch and go reaction to do in your kitchen.
Some are, some aren’t. There are many drug dealers who follow the old law of “don’t get high on your own supply” but since drug dealers are not really known for being morally scrupulous, it is not all that uncommon for some to be users as well.
Your real problems will start when they become convinced that you are an undercover narcotics investigator. Keep them away from firearms when it progresses to this stage.