Saturday, June 29, 2013

How To Make Money Selling Drugs

Although this title sounds like it's a story about the profession of pharmacy, it's not. It's the title of a recent documentary about the War on Drugs in America.

A shockingly candid examination of how a street dealer can rise to the level of cartel lord with relative ease, this documentary is an insider's guide to the violent but extremely lucrative drug industry.

Told from the perspective of former drug dealers, and featuring interviews with rights advocates Russell Simmons, Susan Sarandon, and David Simon (creator of "The Wire"), the film gives you the lessons you need to start your own drug empire while exposing the corruption behind the "war on drugs."

For example - "I don't know at what point exactly it started to be a problem. I just remember liking it more and more," rapper Eminem says of his addiction to prescription medications in a short clip from the documentary, How to Make Money Selling Drugs.


Read more at: Rolling Stone

Thursday, June 20, 2013

This Much Is True

You know, I often find it hard to write the next line in my blog. I've said pretty much all I have to say about the profession of pharmacy without repeating myself.

But, I think sometimes people misunderstand me. So, let me attempt to set the record straight.

I want the truth to be said.

Numero Uno - I'm not gay. Although I'll fight for gay rights and also against any other type of hate and injustices, I'm a fervent vagina enthusiast. I love women. I see the beauty in most women that others can't see, or refuse to see. But, I don't hate anyone who doesn't.

Numero Dos - I'm always going to side with "the people", the poor, the underdogs, the downtrodden, the exploited, the human beings from whom the robber barons steal, and whom the GOP hate.

Numero Tres - I don't toe any line. I voice my own opinions and share my own views like I see them, regardless of what anyone else thinks. I'm not here to be politically correct or to massage anyone's balls. I speak the truth the way I see it. Just listen to these gay guys explain how I feel.

This is the sound of my soul. If you want to hang around and listen, cool. If not, that's cool too.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Diogenes Of Manhattan

For the Cynics, life in accord with reason is lived in accord with nature, and therefore life in accord with reason is greater than the bounds of convention and the polis. Furthermore, the Cynics claim that such a life is the life worth living.

As a homeless and penniless exile, Diogenes experienced the greatest misfortunes of which the tragedians write, and yet he insisted that he lived the good life: “He claimed that to fortune he could oppose courage, to convention nature, to passion reason”


Man In Van from Sean Dunne on Vimeo.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Cynical Pharmacist Stats

I've been writing The Cynical Pharmacist for over two years now and it seems as though I've picked up a few loyal readers along the way. Mind you, I'm not out to keep track of who's visiting this blog, and truthfully, I really don't care. I author this blog for my own personal satisfaction. The way I see it, if you want to read what I have to say, that's great. If you don't, that's cool too.

But, the fascinating part to me of authoring this blog over the past two years is that what I think are the best posts and what my readers think are the best posts are vastly different. So, I thought I would share the top-ten most read posts according to the highest page views as of today. Drum roll please.

1. KeySource Medical Wholesale License Suspended. #1 by a wide margin. Who would've thunk?

2. The Real Drug Nazi. I thought this post would be #1.

3. How To Handle A Difficult Customer. Okay, kinda funny, but #3?

4. Which Car Do Pharmacists Drive To Work? Really? I never would have figured.

5. The Lonely Life Of A Cynical Pharmacist. WTF? Revealing, but who's interested?

6. Young Pharmacists Rule. Okay, kinda cool and entertaining, but #6?.

7. Carisoprodol Changes To Schedule IV. Really? Nothing you couldn't have learned elsewhere.

8. All Superheroes Must Die. Funny, but kinda important.

9. Who's Really Exploiting The System. Serious and factual, but #9?

10. So You Want To be A Floater, Huh? Okay, somewhat truthful in a humorous AZ way.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Smoking Alcohol

I'm always fascinated with the crazy new ways younger people keep coming up with to abuse drugs. Today I ran across an article describing a new technique for abusing alcohol.. smoking alcohol.

According to the abusers, when liquor is poured over dry ice, the vapor produced from that reaction is said to contain alcohol. So, instead of drinking the liquor in order to catch a buzz, the vapor is inhaled instead. It's being said that it's gives a "smoker" a quicker buzz because it is directly absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs, bypassing oral absorption and the first-pass effect.

And because the vapor is inhaled, and the liquor is not drunk, it's also been said that it's a calorie-free way to get drunk. One can supposedly abuse alcohol without weight gain. Here's a video report of it -



Notice that I said "supposedly" because I'm not sure that I buy into this purported chemical reaction. I don't see how anyone could "smoke" alcohol this way. Let me explain my reasoning, and please feel free to correct me if I'm missing something. And no, I'm not drinking while I type this.

The alcohol contained in liquor, ethanol, is hygroscopic and very miscible with water. While hydrated ethanol (<200 proof liquor) may be somewhat volatile over time depending upon temperature, getting it to break it's bond with water quickly and to vaporize requires the addition of heat and flame.

You see chef's use this technique (flambé) all of the time when they cook and flavor their dishes with certain liquors. They add the liquor to the dish during cooking to "burn off" most the ethanol content, while leaving the liquor flavor in the pan.

Dry ice is frozen CO2 (carbon dioxide). It is MUCH colder than the usual "water" ice. When water, ethanol, or liquor is added to dry ice, the dry ice "sublimates" (changes directly from a solid into a gas) much quicker, producing that cool cloud of smoke everyone is familiar with (vapor).

Now, here's where I don't understand the supposed chemical reaction. The way I see it, there is no "liquid" dry ice for the ethanol to mix with and be released. And the dry ice is so cold that it would also seem to reduce the ethanol's volatility, thereby keeping it hydrated instead of releasing it into a vapor. Then how does the alcohol vaporize? I don't think it does. I think it remains in solution.

So, while it may "look" like someone is "smoking" alcohol because of the sublimation of the dry ice, what they're really doing is just inhaling the carbon dioxide vapor. I'd bet there isn't any alcohol at all (or very minimally) contained in that vapor.

Personally, I would be very skeptical about "smoking" alcohol as being an effective or dangerous way to abuse alcohol. However, I do see it as a dangerous way to abuse carbon dioxide. Inhaling carbon dioxide is not safe, and can lead to hypercapnia. So, it should be avoided simply for that reason.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Magnesium | A Short Film

Everything worth doing in life requires constant focus and attention in order to succeed.

By being well-prepared beforehand, much of the heartache and regret that comes with experiencing the difficulties of poor choices or failures in life can be better managed, or avoided altogether.

The same applies to having unprotected sex.

If you're going to choose to have sex, then be well-prepared to do it safely - beforehand.

Otherwise, just like efforts to become a top gymnast, one slip up and you'll fall flat on your face.


MAGNESIUM from Sam de Jong on Vimeo.