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The drug revolution that no one can stop

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Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#2
I've never found any interest in taking anything stronger than an occasional beer but as a former chemist I find the research into these types of drugs fascinating. We really do need to look into areas that might be highly illegal if for no reason other than to learn how the brain works.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#3
post #2

I've never found any interest in taking anything stronger than an occasional beer but as a former chemist I find the research into these types of drugs fascinating. We really do need to look into areas that might be highly illegal if for no reason other than to learn how the brain works.

It's hard, though. Many chemists have accidentally killed themselves with experimentation, because there's no way to really know the results of your experiments without testing it on someone.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#4
post #2

I've never found any interest in taking anything stronger than an occasional beer but as a former chemist I find the research into these types of drugs fascinating. We really do need to look into areas that might be highly illegal if for no reason other than to learn how the brain works.

It's hard, though. Many chemists have accidentally killed themselves with experimentation, because there's no way to really know the results of your experiments without testing it on someone.

[citation needed]

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#5
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard, though. Many chemists have accidentally killed themselves with experimentation, because there's no way to really know the results of your experiments without testing it on someone.

[citation needed]

Check out the history of LSD. It almost wasn't invented. They tested it on animals, and noticed "some level of disturbance" or some such, but nobody had any clue what the effects were, and nobody really cared. Then someone decided to try it on themselves.

The only reason that was able to happen is because the legal and ethical restrictions were looser than they are today. In the meantime, several other such experiments have ended with the deaths of the chemists who decided to self-experiment.

I remember reading about several specific chemists. I'll try to find them. Maybe someone else can point them out while I look.

EDIT: I'm wrong.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#6
Custom drugs are all rage in Russia. Chinese plants make synthetic cannabioids with varying formulas which then happen to be not made illegal yet.

Those are moved into country, mixed with all kinds of chemical shit and sold as "курительные смеси" - mixes for smoking.

This fall dozens of people died from these nasty chemicals, usually in packs in one city or another. There was a law passed which makes all that stuff illegal but I'm not sure if it will pan out.

Why they proliferated so badly? I guess because the local market of [relatively] light drugs is underserved in general. For example, I happen to not have ever come in contact with weed and don't know a single person who can get some. But pretty sure there are a lot of advertisements like "курительные смеси 8 9XX XXX XX XX" mask-painted on pavements all around the city.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#7
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[citation needed]

Check out the history of LSD. It almost wasn't invented. They tested it on animals, and noticed "some level of disturbance" or some such, but nobody had any clue what the effects were, and nobody really cared. Then someone decided to try it on themselves. The only reason that was able to happen is because the legal and ethical restrictions were looser than they are today. In the meantime, several other such experimen…

To the best of my knowledge there haven't been any deaths among chemists bioassaying new compounds for psychoactive potential. This isn't surprising, considering the vast majority of the 'new' research chemicals coming onto the market were first synthesized by the same 5 or 10, all of whom were/are very cautious and well educated.

The closest I've heard of is the grad student who gave himself Parkinsons and later died while trying to make MPPP, but that was because he unknowingly messed up the synthesis and not because he was purposely experimenting with some new molecule.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#8
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[citation needed]

Check out the history of LSD. It almost wasn't invented. They tested it on animals, and noticed "some level of disturbance" or some such, but nobody had any clue what the effects were, and nobody really cared. Then someone decided to try it on themselves. The only reason that was able to happen is because the legal and ethical restrictions were looser than they are today. In the meantime, several other such experimen…

AFAIK, Hoffman didn't really "decide to try it on himself", but accidentally got some dose through his skin because of working without gloves and felt that something is not right. I don't remember where I got that — I guess it was his autobiography or something.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#9
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out the history of LSD. It almost wasn't invented. They tested it on animals, and noticed "some level of disturbance" or some such, but nobody had any clue what the effects were, and nobody really cared. Then someone decided to try it on themselves. The only reason that was able to happen is because the legal and ethical restrictions were looser than they are today. In the meantime, several other such experimen…

AFAIK, Hoffman didn't really "decide to try it on himself", but accidentally got some dose through his skin because of working without gloves and felt that something is not right . I don't remember where I got that — I guess it was his autobiography or something.

Can you imagine that bike ride home? Dude must have some mental fortitude. Basically took a thumbprint and walked it off

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#10
Oh, I really hate these articles. Intriguing headline and then a horribly long story with all these pseudo-artistic details like "immediately noticed a tense quality in the ambulance driver’s voice" wich is just too bothersome to actually read it.

Some TLDR, anyone?

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