Would addicts really pay more for Walter White’s super-pure Crystal Blue? Matt Yglesias of Slate weighs in from an economic perspective:
Ever since I started moonlighting in the Breaking Bad TV Club, people have been asking me: Does it really make sense that Walter White has positioned himself as some kind of high-end meth manufacturer? Won’t desperate junkies just settle for anything? There’s no doubt showrunner Vince Gilligan has cut some logical corners to make compelling television, but Moneybox’s view is that it’s not on the economics side. If anything is shady about the idea of premium meth, it’s the chemistry.
Matt argues that addicts would pay more if they had some way of knowing that the product was in fact purer. In a black market, there are no labelling requirements or purity laws to protect the consumer. If Crystal Blue got a good reputation, there would be nothing to stop imitators from cashing in with inferior substitutes.
Matt posits that the distinctive blue color of Walt’s meth could protect against brand dilution. The writers imply that it’s not easy to dye regular meth blue to cash in on Crystal’s good name. Declan said he tried that, but apparently his customers weren’t fooled.
It’s not clear how easy it is to cut Crystal Blue with bluish adulterants. Can you cut Crystal Blue with blue chalk? If it’s hard to cut Crystal Blue discreetly, the distinctive blue color might also serve as a marker of quality for end users. Breaking Bad paints a picture of a highly competitive retail meth market in ABQ with multiple pushers slinging for different suppliers. Meth addicts may be desperate, but they’re not stupid. If there’s a reliable way to tell good product from bad, word will get out fast. Customers will flock to suppliers with the blue product.
I’ve long argued that the street price is a red (blue?) herring within the plot of Breaking Bad. Walt makes lots of money because he can turn more of the highly controlled and expensive precursor into crystal meth. Declan’s cooks are wasting a third of his methylamine in every batch, whereas Walt can put nearly all of his to use.
Even if the product is to be sold in a highly diluted form, a more efficient manufacturing process will yield more doses. So, the big fish still have a compelling business interest to deal with Walt, regardless of whether they can sell the finished product for more money.
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