Oh yea the volumes he took are insane especially for 0 tolerance so don't think that you can enjoy or even survive those amounts yourself.
If I was going to recommend a dosage it would be under 1mg, even with a tolerance that is the dose I enjoy the effects of most and get the most euphoria from.
Buprenorphine is relatively hard to overdose on, unless you take another substance as well, such as alcohol or benzos.
I don't think what he did was that dangerous, as he mentioned, he didn't even have nausea, but it was certainly a waste. I've been taking Subutex for 7 years now, and something that most bupe users know is that it has a "ceiling" to the high. There is a point at which you will get as high as you can, and taking more will not compound the effect. For example, I've taken 4mg with a low tolerance and gotten super high, and taken 24mg with the same tolerance with the same effects. I learned this early on and it helped me make my supply last longer. I could snort/inject/plug half or a whole pill, then take two more pills (8mg) an hour or two later, with no noticeable effects.
I definitely wouldn't smoke the pills, because after injecting Subutex one or more times a day for the last 4 years, I definitely notice heart problems and extreme high blood pressure now. Now I just inject into my butthole, and although there is no rush (there wasn't a rush with IV, either), it is way better than sub lingual... you'll get very high for a much longer time than injecting or smoking.
To the OP, where are you getting this pure product? Online? The Suboxone strips are the closest I've ever seen to pure bupe around here. I don't know why you think people that take the pill form are "desperate", would you say someone taking Oxycontin are desperate for not having pure oxycodone? Pills aren't in any way desperate. I also don't get why you said "I don't know why someone would take the pill instead of pure form"... Of course you know why- because they go to a doctor or get them from someone who goes to a doctor.
The pure bupe isn't even an option for most people, and even if it was, there is no need for it if they're taking it for getting off other opiates. Or hell, even for recreational use. That's like saying "I don't know why someone would use a car instead of an helicopter". Most people don't have access for helicopters, and even if they did, cars do just fine for most instances.