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[FearfulJesuit]

Scientists create a breed of yeast that turns sugar to morphine.

[wierd]

There were reports many years ago of oranges that produce THC as well.

this is only scary to people who have panic attacks over psychotropic compounds, and who get their panties all tied up and wet over the idea that these compounds will cease being rational to regulate.  In short, moral panic type people.

More rationally, the dangers of this new yeast will simply be that people can become very intoxicated by an infection of this yeast. It will just prompt more effective antifungal treatments for yeast infections, and will lower the costs of manufacture of high quality morphine, which is a useful precursor to a large number of very useful pharmeutical compounds.

The dangers of misuse of this new organism are mitigated naturally by the consequences of that misuse-- people who misuse it will end up comatose, and possibly die.

Sane and rational people would not misuse this organism. I fail to see the reason to feel terrified by it.

[ArKFallen]

Sane and rational people would not misuse this organism. I fail to see the reason to feel terrified by it.

Rationality is a thing people are fond of preaching but not practicing earnestly. Sanity is a thing humans are not, on a whole, fond of having all the time. Why temporary insanity is an excuse for crimes, especially those of passion.

[wierd]

I consider myself a sane and rational person. I do not have any plans to misuse this organism. I can think of no legitimate reason TO misuse this organism. Misusing the organism would have similar effects to misusing opium poppies-- Those that doe so, incur their own punishment through misuse.

For those that are honestly exposed to the organism and end up poisoned, I have some measure of concern, but for those that would seek to grow it explicitly to produce morphine, to produce high power morphine derivatives, like Heroin, the difficulties in keeping the organism contained and the resulting outbreaks of toxicity that it would cause would greatly curb its misuse, naturally.

[FearfulJesuit]

It might be a good thing, all things considered- if any fool with some sugar water can make homebrew morphine, that's morphine that cartels aren't trafficking. But I expect it'll increase the number of morphine addicts.

[scriver]

Now imagine getting a yeast of that kind infecting your stomach, like with auto-brewery syndrome. Constant opium high!

[Jopax]

So the folks running the local hobby store/hobby club are planning to have some sort of convention this summer. Since we're kinda chummy with them (since they're really cool people) they have invited our little group of artists to have some sort of exhibition there.

In exactly two months I'll be displaying my works physically.

I AM NOT READY FOR THIS TO HAPPEN JUST YET OH GOD I HAVE SO MUCH THINGS TO IMPROVE OH GOD OH GOD

[Helgoland]

Now imagine getting a yeast of that kind infecting your stomach, like with auto-brewery syndrome. Constant opium high!

IIRC there was a guy like that who basically had a brewery in his gut. Spoiler alert: It sucked.

[wobbly]

Scientists create a breed of yeast that turns sugar to morphine.

How is this situation so much worse then say, poppy seeds?

There are plenty of legal plants around that produce drugs. I actually own a psychotropic cactus. Completely legal to own & grow. Illegal to process or consume. I have no idea how to produce mescaline from it & have no interest in finding out, it's just sitting in my backyard looking completely innocent.

[Descan]

Scientists create a breed of yeast that turns sugar to morphine.

How is this situation so much worse then say, poppy seeds?

There are plenty of legal plants around that produce drugs. I actually own a psychotropic cactus. Completely legal to own & grow. Illegal to process or consume. I have no idea how to produce mescaline from it & have no interest in finding out, it's just sitting in my backyard looking completely innocent.

The main reason it's different is because it's basically "Make a bio-reactor, stick sugar in it, collect and purify, profit!" rather than "Wait for poppies to grow, harvest your large fields, process poppy latex into morphine and then into heroin, purify, then sell." The processing is harder with poppies, you need large fields (which can be discovered) to get a profitable amount, and you need the workforce to harvest it, or possibly machinery.

I don't think that it'll change much in regards to drug use. Maybe make heroin prices go down, but I don't think it'll cause a whole lot of problems that way. Heroin isn't exactly one of those "Man, I would totally do that if it were cheaper!" things.

[Helgoland]

I don't think that it'll change much in regards to drug use. Maybe make heroin prices go down, but I don't think it'll cause a whole lot of problems that way. Heroin isn't exactly one of those "Man, I would totally do that if it were cheaper!" things.

You'd think so, but you'd be wrong.

[Aseaheru]

 Meanwhile, the war on drugs has done odd things like severely limit production of hemp (for oil, rope, fabric, etc.) and poppies(oil) and, in some cases, increase the crime rate by a not insignificant percentage...

[Helgoland]

There's low-THC hemp though which is even subsidised by the EU, and I can buy poppy seeds at the supermarket...

[Bohandas]

Meanwhile, the war on drugs has done odd things like severely limit production of hemp (for oil, rope, fabric, etc.) and poppies(oil) and, in some cases, increase the crime rate by a not insignificant percentage...

Then it's successfully done it's job of aggrandizing the cotton and private prison industries.

[Loud Whispers]

I don't think that it'll change much in regards to drug use. Maybe make heroin prices go down, but I don't think it'll cause a whole lot of problems that way. Heroin isn't exactly one of those "Man, I would totally do that if it were cheaper!" things.

You'd think so, but you'd be wrong.

We decadence of the Romans now