Quote Originally Posted by 00tec View Post
Ephedrine, or more commonly pseudoephedrine is still legal (have to get from behind the counter). Amphetamines (commonly derived from ephedrine) are schedule II.
Sure, OK. The difference in chemical structures of amphetamine and ephedrine hydrochloride comes down to two changes; a hydroxyl group is swapped out for a ethyl group and amine group is chlorinated. The changes are primarily done to change a drug from a semi-soluble to a salt which is completely soluble. The reason amphetamine was put on the schedule was because it's not practical to administer to the average patient in it's raw form, so it had very little pharmaceutical viability. Technically, Ephedrine and pseudoephedrin are different from amphetamine, but it's the difference between 'chartreuse' and 'sea green'. They are both green.