What are your barter items?

[Tartar Horde]

Scythe13 brought up a good point about drugs in a SHTF situation. Rightly or wrongly all of us use drugs in one way or another, be it the humble Aspirin or "recreational" types, and to be honest we take them for granted. It's very easy to go to the cabinet and get a cold remedy etc. In a serious breakdown where manufacture stops they would become hugely valuable. In this situation I think it would be very unwise to make it known you have supplies. When the local smackheads & crackheads can't get their government supplied drugs they will do whatever it takes to get what you have. They will sell their own mothers for whores to get a hit, you will be nothing to them. Imagine the OPSEC risk of having to meet them to barter! there will come a day when they have nothing to barter and will simply try ro rob/kill you for what you have, or they will make efforts to find out where you live and do the same.
I would keep my own supplies for my family/community, as in the long run given a total breakdown you can gaurantee you will need them. There will come a time when someone needs pain relief for a seriouse injury or disease, and that item you bartered for it will seem cheap when one of your family/community is in agony. A good selection of pain relief drugs would be a definate advantage to the health of your group.
Stressfull situations can have a detrimental effect on sleep paterns, this is very bad for survival chances as an individual, and effects the whole group if you are a member. I would not trade any type of stress relieving drug as getting a good nights sleep is priceless. From a group perspective having one of your members fresh and awake after a good nights kip is a huge advantage. That bottle of booze, or the pack of valium your Aunty had for "sleeping" will benefit you or your group far more than being traded.
One thing I would consider trading is the Inhaler type devices, Ventolin, Salbutamol etc. Many of our population have Ashtma and would need these when production stops. If you or your group do not need these a supply would be a valuable trading resource. You would of course run the same OPSEC risks, but would the people who need inhalers be junkies? that's your call.
What about the prospects for drugs/medicines when eventually everything runs out? any person or group that has a knowledge of botanical drugs would have a definate advantage in a post SHTF world. If you knew how to grow
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Valerianaceae) for example and had the knowledge to process the root you make your own "sleeping tonics" you would have a very tradable item. In Medieval times this was controlled by the monasteries who had a great knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses. The reason for its control was simply profit, the plant products they made were hugely valuable and served the whole community. I would definately look into medicinal plants that will grow in our climate if i was faced with the prospect of total breakdown.