In a few hours, I will begin a two-hour (one-way) drive to the pharmacy to pick up a 30-day supply of generic Adderall.

It’s not for a lack of any closer pharmacies, and it’s not because of the stimulant shortage. I have to drive this far because of new DEA rules.

I used to get Adderall from my local Buy n Large pharmacy without a problem, until a few weeks ago. I asked the head pharmacist what had changed, and he explained everything to me while expressing extreme sympathy for my situation. Apparently, the DEA recently sued Buy n Large for $3 billion for “not doing enough to keep drugs from flowing into communities”, and part of the settlement agreement included a new restriction: that controlled substances can only be dispensed if the prescribing physician is local (defined as within 50 miles). He recommended I try other pharmacies in town, but all others I called had taken up a similar policy.

I live in a rural area which, like most rural areas in America, is underserved by healthcare specialists including psychiatrists. When I moved here, I had to drive two and a half hours to the nearest megacity in order to be seen by a psychiatrist in a timely manner (<90 days). I do most follow-up appointments by webcam so it wasn’t too much of a problem… until now.

I like to create original media. Nearly every piece of worthwhile art I’ve ever created was made possible by my medication. The periods I go without it are the dark ages of my life. That’s why I’m willing to make the drive today.

It pisses me off that I have to waste so much time, energy, and gasoline because a cop in a boardroom somewhere decided that too many people were getting Adderall and the best way to combat this “problem” would be to make it more of a pain in the ass for people to get.