Vanity License Plate Spells Out Methamphetamine

[matcom]

<snip>

SEATTLE -- Most drivers may be puzzled by the vanity license plate C9H13N, but plenty of crooks likely nod their heads knowingly.

It's the chemical compound for methamphetamine, and despite a state law that prohibits references to alcohol or illegal substances on vanity plates, it may be perfectly legal.

Bradley A. Benfield, a spokesman for the state Licensing Department, said such a license has been granted to the owner of a black 2002 Audi registered in Seattle. The plate may be legal because the same compound represents amphetamine, a legal substance when used in medicine.

"This is a serious concern if there is a license out there with something on it that a reasonable person would consider related to an illegal substance," said Benfield. "It's pretty easy for something like this to slip through."

To revoke the plate, state officials would have to notify the owner by letter and refer the issue to a committee, consisting of representatives from the Licensing Department, Washington State Patrol, county auditors and vehicle licensing agents.

Out of 6.5 million vehicles registered in the state, about 83,000 have vanity plates. Last week, officials dismissed a complaint about one reading JOHN316, a reference to a New Testament verse, deeming it inoffensive.

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2005/05/24/vanity_plate_spells_out_methamphetamine/

[Mistress Quickly]

1. Um, hello?

Pull me over!

Morans.

[AntiCoup2K4]

2. Must be Dino Rossi's license plate

That stupid fucker has to be a tweaker.

[Squeech]

3. Wrong

I Googled it (mainly because I was curious that it didn't have any oxygen in it) and discovered that the formula cited was for garden-variety amphetamine. Methamphetamine, as the name implies, replaces one of the hydrogen atoms at the non-indole end with a methyl group (CH3), so the formula for meth is C10H15N.

There's an inside joke that you spell organic chemistry C-H-O-N, because those are the chemical elements that go into this stuff. And they're all in most of the important chemicals, which is why it surprised me that crank doesn't have any O. (And if you do too much of it, you're not gonna have any O's either, heh heh.)

If you're not already bored silly, you may be interested to note that THC, the best known component of marijuana, doesn't have any N.

Trust the Boston Globe to get this technical shit wrong. I mean, it's not as if we have world class institutions of higher learning here in the Boston area, *especially* one that's probably the world's foremost science and engineering school.

[matcom]

4. LOL LOL LOL

damned LIBERAL media :D

you must be bored to tears at the office today :hi:

[Squeech]

5. Hey Matcom!

Feeling better, I hope?

What I am today is super-cranky. Between this delightful weather, this piece of shit report program I've been slugging it out with for months, my conspicuous absence from DU crush threads, and my complete incomprehension as to how the filibuster compromise is good for our side, I'm just in a nasty mood. Even the fact that today was pay day hasn't improved matters.

[matcom]

6. 100% better thanks

i'm right there with you on the weather, filibuster mess, haven't checked out the DU crush rush and it isn't even pay day for ME! x(

:hi:

[northzax]

7. eh?

Suffolk has a decent science program, but I wouldn't call it the best in the world, did you mean Northeastern?

[candy]

8. I think it's hysterical.