3 ms·

THC and CBD is kind of meh. The real fun (for perverse values of fun) is when someone starts making heroin starter that can reliably turn sugar into enough opia

by olefoo 8y ago

THC and CBD is kind of meh. The real fun (for perverse values of fun) is when someone starts making heroin starter that can reliably turn sugar into enough opiate to risk an overdose. And then bootleg biologics and other patent drugs, I would totally buy a yeast that let me make my own Humira and let me control the supply; even if possessing it meant a hefty prison term.

rwmj 8y ago
They did that a while back: https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/article/stanford-researchers-genetically-engineer-yeast-produce-opioids https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/article/stanford-r...
Broken_Hippo 8y ago
THC and CBD have a much broader user base, though. Lots of folks will use one recreationally and will try the other medicinally before considering medical-grade heroin or even recreational heroin. Even in that case, occasional users are more willing to take a lesser amount by mouth and as a bonus, the yeast gives us another way to make legal opiods. IIRC, we also use yeast to make insulin now. Which does mean that things like Humira - or at least precursers to it - might some day be made like this. The bigger issue with Private Person making it rather than the labs is that Private Person doesn't always do safety procedures. Sure, You the Individual might, but random Private Person probably won't. Better to buy treatment from somewhere else and look for solutions to high drug prices in other ways until we can make this safe for the general public. (Also, if you are using Humira: Sorry about that bad health luck).
cr0sh 8y ago
> The real fun (for perverse values of fun) is when someone starts making heroin starter that can reliably turn sugar into enough opiate to risk an overdose. I personally think "the real fun" will be when it is possible to create electronic devices that "interface" with the brain to create similar-opioids-type "highs". If you do some digging (it's been a while since I last found it) - supposedly some research who at one time worked at ASU actually did come up with such a method; I can't recall what it stimulated with - I want to say ultrasound, but it might have been transcranial magnetism. I honestly don't know if you can still find his work out there; I wish I had more information...

by olefoo 8y ago

rwmj 8y ago

They did that a while back: https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/article/stanford-researchers-genetically-engineer-yeast-produce-opioids https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/article/stanford-r...

Broken_Hippo 8y ago

THC and CBD have a much broader user base, though. Lots of folks will use one recreationally and will try the other medicinally before considering medical-grade heroin or even recreational heroin. Even in that case, occasional users are more willing to take a lesser amount by mouth and as a bonus, the yeast gives us another way to make legal opiods. IIRC, we also use yeast to make insulin now. Which does mean that things like Humira - or at least precursers to it - might some day be made like this. The bigger issue with Private Person making it rather than the labs is that Private Person doesn't always do safety procedures. Sure, You the Individual might, but random Private Person probably won't. Better to buy treatment from somewhere else and look for solutions to high drug prices in other ways until we can make this safe for the general public. (Also, if you are using Humira: Sorry about that bad health luck).

cr0sh 8y ago

> The real fun (for perverse values of fun) is when someone starts making heroin starter that can reliably turn sugar into enough opiate to risk an overdose. I personally think "the real fun" will be when it is possible to create electronic devices that "interface" with the brain to create similar-opioids-type "highs". If you do some digging (it's been a while since I last found it) - supposedly some research who at one time worked at ASU actually did come up with such a method; I can't recall what it stimulated with - I want to say ultrasound, but it might have been transcranial magnetism. I honestly don't know if you can still find his work out there; I wish I had more information...