HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

The Real Breaking Bad: How the Drug War Creates Collateral Damage

Views:1039
@ReasonVids

88-year-old Bob Wallace, and his 85-year-old girlfriend, Marjorie Ottenberg fell in love 35 years ago backpacking to the tops of the highest peaks in the world.

Wallace is a Stanford educated engineer and Ottenberg is a former chemist and decades ago they came up with a water purification product for backpackers like themselves called Polar Pure out of their garage in Saratoga, Calif.

"For an old guy with nothing else to do, this is something that keeps us occupied," says Wallace.

Today, Wallace and Ottenberg are fighting the Drug Enforcement Administration and state officials to continue to operate their business. Why? The DEA says that drug dealers are using their product to make methamphetamine.

The DEA says meth heads are interested in Polar Pure's key ingredient, iodine crystals.

In 2007 the DEA reclassified iodine as a controlled substance and named Polar Pure in particular as a product that was of concern to the DEA. The DEA told Wallace and Ottenberg, they could continue to operate their business but they would have to pay a $1,200 regulatory fee, register with the state and feds, report any suspicious activity and keep track of each and ever person who bought a bottle of their product.

Bob says that the overhead alone would be too much to pass onto customers.

"So that's why I didn't bother with their rules, because I would be out of business if I followed their regulations," says Wallace.

The same went for camping stores and online outlets that stocked Polar Pure. Instead of dealing with the new regulations they just dropped the product, effectively killing Wallace and Ottenberg's business.

"Any time you deal with a government it's a hassle," says Ottenberg.

A spokeswoman for the DEA told the San Jose Mercury News that Wallace was "collateral damage."

"They are being put out of business, they are totally being put out of business," says Stephen Downing, a former Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief and a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

Downing says that that the DEA is the most out of control arm of the federal government today because they are given so much authority with very little oversight.

"Within the controlled substances act, the DEA is given authority chemicals as they come up," says Downing. "To make it easy for federal enforcement people to so called, do their job and make their quotas and have their show-and-tells, they pass these regulations that impact innocent people."

Downing also says that the metrics for stopping use and production of methamphetamine don't make sense.

The Justice Department's own National Drug Threat Assessment for 2011 said that the availability of methamphetamine was increasing in every region of the country and the rates of abuse were increasing as well.

About 6:47 minutes.

Written and produced by Paul Detrick. Field produced by Zach Weismuller and Sharif Matar.

Go to http://www.reason.tv for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

drug war
,
methamphetamine
,
bob wallace
,
marjorie ottenberg
,
dea
,
raid
,
breaking bad
,
polar pure
,
iodine
,
controlled substance
,
leap
,
crime
,
police
,
stephen downing
,
breaking bad (tv program) cops
,
libertarian
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reason.org
,
reason (magazine)
,
paul detrick
    Thumbnail for Sex and the Supreme Court: The True Story of Lawrence v. Texas8:48
    Sex and the Supreme Court: The True Story of Lawrence v. Texas
    ReasonVids
    1010 views
    Thumbnail for You have 2 cows3:46
    You have 2 cows
    AOUisgay
    1396 views
    Thumbnail for Change.org's Ben Rattray on Why the Tech Industry Holds the Key to Renewing Capitalism5:50
    Change.org's Ben Rattray on Why the Tech Industry Holds the Key to Renewing Capitalism
    ReasonVids
    970 views
    Thumbnail for Implementing Pot Legalization in Colorado and Washington24:02
    Implementing Pot Legalization in Colorado and Washington
    ReasonVids
    928 views
    Thumbnail for Kek, was not expecting that0:25
    Kek, was not expecting that
    AOUisgay
    1954 views
    Thumbnail for Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, & The Triumph of Independents1:36
    Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, & The Triumph of Independents
    ReasonVids
    939 views
    Thumbnail for what if he was telling the truth?0:51
    what if he was telling the truth?
    bestofupgoat
    411 views
    Thumbnail for Huwhite child already grasping music vs shitlet monkeshines 0:25
    Huwhite child already grasping music vs shitlet monkeshines
    bestofupgoat
    423 views
    Thumbnail for Biggest Executive Order of our lifetime0:19
    Biggest Executive Order of our lifetime
    bestofupgoat
    133 views
    Thumbnail for Blacks are incompatible with Western Civilization (A Rhodesian explains.)32:54
    Blacks are incompatible with Western Civilization (A Rhodesian explains.)
    AOUisgay
    2292 views
    Thumbnail for BitcoinStore.com: A Young Entrepreneur Talks Real World Uses5:06
    BitcoinStore.com: A Young Entrepreneur Talks Real World Uses
    ReasonVids
    868 views
    Thumbnail for Bradley Manning Rally in Fort Meade4:01
    Bradley Manning Rally in Fort Meade
    ReasonVids
    909 views
    Thumbnail for A Libertarian Builds Low-Cost Private Schools for the Masses7:26
    A Libertarian Builds Low-Cost Private Schools for the Masses
    ReasonVids
    910 views
    Thumbnail for Mama Bear5:39
    Mama Bear
    AOUisgay
    481 views
    Thumbnail for Best Political Speech by an Entertainment Celebrity: Who Will Win?1:52
    Best Political Speech by an Entertainment Celebrity: Who Will Win?
    ReasonVids
    962 views
    Thumbnail for Trực tiếp Nguyễn Phương Hằng tại vườn thú | Camera Việt Nam1:00
    Trực tiếp Nguyễn Phương Hằng tại vườn thú | Camera Việt Nam
    invidious
    144 views
    Thumbnail for Iran Missile Barrage POUNDS Tel Aviv: Israel Vows MASSIVE Response | Watchman Newscast LIVE24:39
    Iran Missile Barrage POUNDS Tel Aviv: Israel Vows MASSIVE Response | Watchman Newscast LIVE
    invidious
    28 views
    Thumbnail for The Social Media Mob vs. the Novel6:50
    The Social Media Mob vs. the Novel
    ReasonVids
    988 views
    Thumbnail for Remy: What are the Chances? (An IRS Love Song) | ReasonTV2:14
    Remy: What are the Chances? (An IRS Love Song) | ReasonTV
    invidious
    359 views
    Thumbnail for Vampires, Puppies, and Sharknado 2: The Cannes Film Festival's Movie Market2:37
    Vampires, Puppies, and Sharknado 2: The Cannes Film Festival's Movie Market
    ReasonVids
    905 views
    Thumbnail for Live Webathon Edition of the Reason Podcast! Ask Us Anything1:31:47
    Live Webathon Edition of the Reason Podcast! Ask Us Anything
    ReasonVids
    833 views
    Thumbnail for Why Not Vote Third Party? We Asked California Voters.6:02
    Why Not Vote Third Party? We Asked California Voters.
    ReasonVids
    903 views
    Thumbnail for Hong Kong Protesters Combat the Surveillance State7:47
    Hong Kong Protesters Combat the Surveillance State
    ReasonVids
    1235 views
    Thumbnail for David Attenborough Narrates the Discovery of the jew Tunnels 1:14
    David Attenborough Narrates the Discovery of the jew Tunnels
    bestofupgoat
    437 views
    Thumbnail for What DeSantis Did to Disney’s Dream City19:17
    What DeSantis Did to Disney’s Dream City
    ReasonVids
    1123 views

points

Permalink
Reply
drug war
,
methamphetamine
,
bob wallace
,
marjorie ottenberg
,
dea
,
raid
,
breaking bad
,
polar pure
,
iodine
,
controlled substance
,
leap
,
crime
,
police
,
stephen downing
,
breaking bad (tv program) cops
,
libertarian
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reason.org
,
reason (magazine)
,
paul detrick
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle