8 ms·
Always wondered what will happen to drug use and trade when at some point not too far in the future we start to have GM yeast that can produce opioids, cannabin
by dharma1 9y ago
Always wondered what will happen to drug use and trade when at some point not too far in the future we start to have GM yeast that can produce opioids, cannabinoids, and psychedelics easily at anyone's home.
YC SS 18 anyone, disrupting the $435 billion global drugs trade? :D
- mirimir 9y agoBetter yet, the ability to integrate synthesis in your body. So you can trip whenever you like. Burroughs predicted that decades ago.
- saiya-jin 9y agogiven how easily we get addicted to many things (even psychically to getting high, although the substance might not be addictive itself), that would be horribly bad idea
- std_throwaway 9y agoOur body already has this ability but does not use it often.
- mirimir 9y agoI'm sure that our bodies produce molecules that interact with the same receptors that psilocybin does. But that doesn't mean that our bodies produce psilocybin.
- code_duck 9y agoOf course... serotonin.
- CuriouslyC 9y agoPsilocin is 4-hydroxy-DMT, and psilocybin is just phosphorylated psilocin. DMT is itself just dimethyl tryptamine, which is a modified serotonin. Serotonin itself is itself just modified tryptophan (without the hydroxyl group). The body produces small amounts of DMT naturally, I wouldn't be surprised if that is also the case for Psilocybin. Biochemistry is messy and small amounts of many "unintended" products are created.
- feelix 9y agocan you elaborate on that?
- mdahlstrand 9y agoI'm guessing it's the production of DMT (similar to psilocybin and LSD) by the pineal gland that is being referred to. IIRC there's still a debate about whether it can cross the blood-brain barrier, but it seems quite likely. Ostensibly it's produced at birth and at death. Please excuse the lack of sources, but the book The Spirit Molecule kickstarted this line of thought if you're interested in learning more.
- peteretep 9y agoThis is less good in practice than in theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-brewery_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-brewery_syndrome
- mirimir 9y agoWoah. But I was imagining more conscious control.
- chrisweekly 9y agoYeah, made me think of "glanding" in the culture novels (iain m banks scifi)
- PeanutCurry 9y agoTo be fair, I can't speak to opioids but cannabis and natural psychedelics are already very simple to produce. The main reason not to try them isn't because they're hard it's because of not wanting to fail a drug test for work or not wanting to be arrested for possession.
- mrob 9y agoIt's much more difficult than biosynthesis of alcohol, which is so easy you can do it by accident. Leave a container of fruit juice uncovered and wild yeast will most likely ferment it. If you add dried yeast and cover it with an airlock (which can be as simple as a lose snap-fit lid (snap-fit so it won't get stuck and explode)) and it will most likely taste acceptable too. Fermenting alcohol is so easy that there's no practical way to enforce alcohol prohibition. It takes no specialized equipment (lights etc.), it's easy to hide, and you might be able to pass it off as an accident if you get caught. If you could make other drugs in the same way it would become very hard to enforce their prohibition.
- dalbasal 9y agoMany drugs are within that general level of simplicity to produce. They're plants and fungi, and growing them is as simple as regular plants and fungi. Psilocybin, mescaline, cannabis, even opium is pretty simple. The details difficulties are related to regulations, or stealth (for illegal producers).
- mrob 9y agoI grow regular food plants (chiles), and it's not that simple. You have germination, irrigation, fertilization, repotting, pest control, weeding, etc. If you just carelessly throw some seeds on the ground then they probably won't germinate or they'll get eaten by animals and you'll get nothing. If you forget to water them they'll die. You have to check them every day if you want them to grow reliably. Making wine is as easy as buying a carton of grape juice, adding some dried yeast, and covering the top with some aluminum foil. It won't be good wine, but it will be recognizably wine. People living under prohibition would be happy with it. If you try growing chiles with that level of effort you'll get nothing edible.
- discombobulate 9y agoProbably about the same.
- tpm 9y agoIt's already possible and easy to grow psychedelic mushrooms at home from growkits.
- ouid 9y agothe best way to save the rainforest is to make more efficient drug crops.
- FullMtlAlcoholc 9y agoCannabinoid GM yeast has already been created https://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/science/newly-risen-from-yeast-thc.html?referer=https://duckduckgo.com/ https://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/science/newly-risen-fr...