Originally Posted by daswig

First off, it's "percocet". You realize that analgesics like Tylenol #3 and #4 (with Codeine) are OTC in places like Canada, right? That's right, you can go into a drug store and buy them just like you buy tylenol WITHOUT Codeine here.

Here's the thing. Everybody who WANTS illegal drugs in the US can already get them. Want pot? How hard is it to find? Want crack? How hard is it to find? Heroin? Easy to find. So since illegal drugs are so easy to get, what's teh big deal about making the less dangerous pharmaceutical grade drugs available? We've reached the point that it's far easier to find illicit opiates on the street than it is to find a doctor to perscribe legitimate opiates. I know this, because I have certain health issues that require me to take them for real medicinal purposes. (That's how I knew I was old....I stopped looking for drugs for recreation, and started looking for drugs for medicinal purposes.)

You're familiar with Prilosec, right? It's an acid inhibitor that's used to stop heartburn. When it was perscription only, it was running $3 a pill, not counting the doctor's visit. Now, it's less than $.50 a pill, because it's OTC. That's for the same exact thing that used to cost $3.

Regarding your "but you can hurt yourself!" idea, well, if you take over 4000 mg a day of tylenol (that's just 8 "extra strength" 500 mg capsules), it can kill you. Eat a whole bottle, and you're in SERIOUS trouble. I've yet to meet a pharmaceutical drug that makes somebody more dangerous to themselves or others than Meth or PCP. Yet it's not terribly hard to get them.

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