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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

#31

Post by [deleted] »

Alex3917 wrote: post #7
sillysaurus3 wrote: post #5

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…

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 die…

[deleted]

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#32

Post by vinceguidry »

jrapdx3 wrote: post #28

This article fits in with another thread here earlier today where I commented about using any drug entails some finite risk of bad effects. The apparently common belief that "designer drugs" shouldn't be "illegal" is certainly not supported by the article. I'm not sure what makes it so hard for some people to grasp the intrinsic dangers of ingesting "designer" drugs. Our physiology is complex and quirky, rendering al…

I'd much rather take an illegal drug than a legal, 'under the radar' one. The personal risks of possibly getting thrown in jail are vastly dwarfed by the risks of ingesting an untested and completely unknown substance. The sad thing is that even the illegal ones often involve a terrible externalized human cost. Illegal drugs are consumed at scale, exploiting the producers and transporters, legal ones are consumed individually, personalizing the risk.

I've nothing against the yearning to alter one's consciousness, however temporary it might be. But alcohol might be the only way to do it without assuming either great personal risk or great moral hazard. And alcohol can be so, well, boring. One of the great sadnesses of the world we live in.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#33

Post by nemo1618 »

sehr wrote: post #9
krick wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Hoffman's "Bicycle Day" dose was 0.25mg[1], whereas the mythical "thumbprint" dose is upwards of 1mg (perhaps substantially more)[2].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_lysergic_acid_diethy...

[2] http://insanebraintrain.blogspot.com/2011/07/massive-dosing-...

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#34

Post by jseliger »

I'm surprised no one has posted a link to this yet, but Mike Power also wrote Drugs Unlimited (http://www.amazon.com/Drugs-Unlimited-Revolution-Thats-Chang...), which covers this topic extensively. I wrote about it here: http://jakeseliger.com/2014/10/31/drugs-unlimited-the-web-re...

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#35

Post by poizan42 »

NicoJuicy wrote: post #25
guard-of-terra wrote: post #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 i…

I actually read about a terrifying drug made by cheap materials in Russia (easy to self create) named Crocodile... Skin gets eaten and it's very horrifying to see long term users, carefull not for the weak of heart :s http://goo.gl/wiAXNx

That's just impure desomorphine though

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#36

Post by [deleted] »

NicoJuicy wrote: post #25
guard-of-terra wrote: post #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 i…

I actually read about a terrifying drug made by cheap materials in Russia (easy to self create) named Crocodile... Skin gets eaten and it's very horrifying to see long term users, carefull not for the weak of heart :s http://goo.gl/wiAXNx

[deleted]

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#37

Post by benbreen »

"Technology and drugs have always existed in an easy symbiosis: the first thing ever bought and sold across the Internet was a bag of marijuana. In 1971 or 1972, students at Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory used ARPANET—the earliest iteration of the Internet—to arrange a marijuana deal with their counterparts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

This is fantastic. Anyone know of an article that delves into this more? Assuming it's true, I'm surprised it isn't more widely known.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#38

Post by barrkel »

jrapdx3 wrote: post #28

This article fits in with another thread here earlier today where I commented about using any drug entails some finite risk of bad effects. The apparently common belief that "designer drugs" shouldn't be "illegal" is certainly not supported by the article. I'm not sure what makes it so hard for some people to grasp the intrinsic dangers of ingesting "designer" drugs. Our physiology is complex and quirky, rendering al…

I commented about using any drug entails some finite risk of bad effects. The apparently common belief that "designer drugs" shouldn't be "illegal" is certainly not supported by the article.

I can see your line of thinking: X has risks, X should not be done, thus make X illegal and X will not be done and the risk will no longer exist.

But that's not the way the world works. Making X illegal does not prevent X being done. Instead, it creates incentives try and find people doing X and put them through the criminal system. That introduces a whole separate set of risks. And making X illegal reduces the probability that problems created by X will be treated in time. Another set of risks. Etc.

The question you should be asking is: are the risks of X greater than the risks of making X illegal?

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#39

Post by Phithagoras »

The Government in New Zealand had an interesting response to this sort of thing. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23703-new-zealand-law-...

Seems like it might be the most effective idea, since, if there are legalized drugs, the majority of the drug oriented population is likely to stick to the safe, approved drugs, and, those who are inclined to push limits can easily go into research without fear of persecution.

Re: The drug revolution that no one can stop

#40

Post by [deleted] »

NicoJuicy wrote: post #25
guard-of-terra wrote: post #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 i…

I actually read about a terrifying drug made by cheap materials in Russia (easy to self create) named Crocodile... Skin gets eaten and it's very horrifying to see long term users, carefull not for the weak of heart :s http://goo.gl/wiAXNx

[deleted]
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