Ahh, to be young and stupid again. (No disrespect, just brings back memories.)

Safrole is a chemical more properly called 5-(2-propenyl)-1,3-benzodioxole, it is a Schedule I chemical and requires a DEA permit for purchase. What you are looking for is Sassafras Essential Oil. A very good quality sassafras oil contains up to 98% safrole, but 75-80% is much more common.

I would never condone and never engaged in any illegal activity. Having said that I do have a chemistry degree, and several years experience in applied organic synthesis ;). So if you are looking for a mentor with whom you could have a purely theoretical discussion about the finer points of say Wacker oxidation reaction or the like I will be glad to help.

So years ago I had this friend who also wanted to buy some sassafras essential oil. This friend spent weeks searching the internet, found several sources and ended up getting it from a Chinese wholesale supplier. I asked my friend for the links that he used, and not surprisingly most of them either don't work at all (including the one he ended up using) at all or the place no longer sells this oil. But there is one place that still does:

http://www.shop.mysticways.com/Sassafras-Essential...

It is expensive, my friend said that he paid about $50-60 per liter, vs $25 per ounce from this place. In fact with all the other chemicals and labware you going to need and considering the likely actual vs theoretical yields your production costs will be higher then street value at that price, but this is the best I can do for you.

Do your own homework, you might find it at a much more reasonable price. Alternatively if it you know your organic synthesis you can make safrole from phenol in 3 steps. Phenol is perfectly legal and dirt cheap. If you are lazy and have money you can buy Sesamol (3,4-Methylenedioxyphenol). It is a bit expensive but also completely unregulated. You can get it from China in kilogram quantities. It can be turned into safrole in 1 complicated reaction, or in 2 simple ones and you don't have to bother with methylenation which is not a reaction for a beginner organic chemist.

My final words of wisdom to you is that besides obvious legal risks doing this is an expensive proposition even if you are super thrifty. If you don't have access to a lab setting one up will cost at least $1000, and thats craigslist and patient ebay bidding prices. If you do it retail think more like $5000. You will need a dedicated room. You will spend about $500 on assorted chemicals, which you should not get from one place, people who work their are not stupid. Chances are the first time you try you will not succeed, or even the second. Making a batch will take about 40 hours of active labor, and about a week, that is once you know what you are doing. For first runs double that. This is not like the meth cooking you read about in the papers, where any idiot with a recipe can do it. It is serious organic chemistry which requires brains, preparation and practice. Don't even think about it unless you have taken Orgo I and II in college, an advanced organic synthesis course helps a lot. Good luck