I mention this because, although it's fine and dandy that GNC has promised to sell "cleaner" supplements, the real issue is what is actually being sold at all. This is why this story is so

intriguing

.

To understand the absurdity of regulations that "govern" the supplements

(not unlike

the mayhem in the wild west), and why this particular event is so emblematic of it, we need to take a look at what

BMPEA really is. After this, what follows is pretty close to hilarious.



Forgive me for subjecting you to chemical structures, but even if you've never taken a chemistry course in your life, this point should be pretty obvious.





By simply "moving" one methyl group (red circle) a very short distance, amphetamine becomes BMPEA. Although it is not universally true that a small change such as this will result in similar properties of the two drugs in question, in this case it does. Both drugs are in the amphetamine class of stimulant drugs. As such, they are likely to have similar effects on the body, such as increasing heart rate and blood pressure, suppression of appetite, and insomnia. Although BMPEA has never been studied in humans (and if this doesn't bother you, it should), limited data from dogs and cats , and rats and rabbits showed similar pharmacological effects to that of amphetamine.



Now it gets really crazy. Make that really, really crazy.



If the chemical name amphetamine doesn't mean much to you, Adderall— one of the drugs used to treat ADHD in children—probably does. Amphetamine and Adderall are not simply similar, they are identical, all of which makes the following especially bewildering:







Drugs with abuse potential are placed on different lists by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Their classification (also called Schedule) is based on the abuse potential of the drug in question. Schedule 2, which is defined by the DEA as 'having a high potential for abuse,"

is the most restrictive category of all approved drugs. This makes it difficult for even patients with legitimate needs to obtain. I recently wrote about the folly of the DEA's plan to combat narcotic abuse.

(Schedule 1 drugs are "drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.")



Yes—what you are seeing is correct. Adderall is on the same Schedule 2 list as morphine and codeine. If you would like an example of a nonsensical policy, look no further. The DEA is trying to address the drug addiction epidemic in the US by placing stricter restrictions on certain drugs, and the FDA is either handcuffed by DSHEA from keeping untested drugs off the market, or, in this particular case, it actually had the authority to withdraw the damn stuff, but did nothing. It's sure nice to see our government agencies working so closely together.



The result: you can buy all the BMPEA that you want at your favorite supplement shop, while having to jump through hoops to get a prescription for a very similar drug for your kid. If this is not an example of governmental insanity, then nothing is.





Not surprisingly, GNC sells a "fat burning" supplement called Phenyl Core. It does not take much imagination to see where this is going. Yes, Phenyl Core contains a number of chemicals, including BMPEA.



I'm not as sharp as I used to be, so perhaps I'm missing something. So, if you can make any sense out of this, please let me know. And, if you need a little something to keep you awake so that you can research this, GNC offers a pretty good remedy to your problem.



Maybe some of the stores are even open all night. I'm not as sharp as I used to be, so perhaps I'm missing something. So, if you can make any sense out of this, please let me know. And, if you need a little something to keep you awake so that you can research this, GNC offers a pretty good remedy to your problem.Maybe some of the stores are even open all night. nonsensical policy, look no further.restrictionsactuallyhad restrictive Amphetamine

industry