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Cake day: July 16th, 2023

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  • Given this scenario, as a policy-maker I would start with statements explaining the issue in a press conference. This should create public support for further measures. I assume the properties of Intium are understood by the general public, as are the reasons for the heavy regulation. The least motivated of the abusers might even come to realise that what they are doing is bad.

    After this, my first short-term policy decision is to limit the amount of Intium supplements any one customer can pick up from the grocery store in one visit. Say six months worth (24 pills if once-weekly intake is normal). Stores in our world already do that sometimes when they are running a limited promotion and it’s not too hard to implement. Using existing infrastructure, just asking cashiers to made sure customers can only check out one box at a time.

    If these pills only contain trace amounts of Intium, this policy will make profitable backyard chemistry impossible. Going up a level, any organised crime boss will understand that paying people to visit multiple stores and collect enough supplements to process, will cost more than the value of the Intium gained. Of course I would also have the law enforcement agencies conduct investigations into such practices.

    If the problem still persists through corruption in supply chains or ineffective enforcement, I would use the population registry to compile a list of those creatures that truly need the supplements. A new government service would be created that mails these recipients their allocation of supplements. Existing government facilities like post offices or pharmacies can also start dispensing smaller quantities without any registration required.

    Creating an extra government agency is of course only logical if the costs of manufacturing the misused supplements outweigh the savings that such a service would provide.

    Concurrent with all of these steps, I would speak with the pharmaceutical industry and ask if it were possible to create a supplement that did not contain any Intium. Given the high-tech nature of your society, I believe this would be possible.