Is it really that much more difficult in the chemical synthesis to methylate that amine group than stopping at amphetamine? I always see speed paste (amphetamine) and it's far cheaper than meth. Hell I just got 5 g paste from Snapback for $30, whereas meth is generally at minimum $80/g. Is it just a far more potent compound and an all around more exclusive/tweaker high only for those willing to carry around a meth monkey on their back compared to just amphetamine? I did 60 mg Vyvanse once so that's the only stimulant experience I have, haha. I'd appreciate the good minds on this forum helping me answer this one.
Basically, from a clandestine chemist's perspective, why would you not go the extra mile to convert your amphetamine to meth or rather just get to that target product another way. I just don't see it being that lucrative to synthesize amphetamine when you could be making meth and selling it for a lot more. Illegal synth is illegal synth so you may as well be making the thing that gets the most bang for the buck, even MDMA is better, but I'd imagine the toughest to synthesize even moreso than meth, although probably not that bad if you start with safrole already having that methylenedioxy component. Maybe less yield per amount of expensive precursor material used? Idk
Just curious, is it possible to be a casual meth user?