Series: Drugs Uncovered: Part 8 Of 17

The Insiders

TALES OF EXPERIENCE

Instead Of A Doctor's Guidance, Illegal Drug Users Rely On The First-Hand
Accounts Of Peers. But Some Sources Are Wiser Than Others

Greensworth took his last trip just after 2pm on Saturday 20 August 1997.
It was two-thirds of a 'cottage industry' LSD tab and the effects lasted
eight hours and 42 minutes.

He knows all of this because afterwards, as with his previous 27 trips, he
discussed the experience with his fellow 'trippers' and added the findings
to his painstakingly compiled collection, Do Not Exceed The Stated Dose.

Far removed from the dull, addled stories of the 'and this one time, man, I
was so wasted...' variety, familiar from many a student diary, Do Not
Exceed The Stated Dose is a wry, informative collection of 28 LSD
'experiments' conducted over six years. It's also a stand-out example of a
growing informal drug-insiders' network, users coming increasingly to lean
on their peers as the most reliable source of information.

Information from more established sources, government bodies or drugs
groups in receipt of public money, has, in the past, seemed limited:
understandable, perhaps, given official reluctance to be seen to be
endorsing drug use. So finding out the lowdown on drugs (other than that
they can lead to a life of poverty and crime) has meant users doing it for
themselves. This is the bulletin board principle, and it's not surprising
that the internet has become a key resource. Information and advice on new
substances is readily available by simply asking a chatroom and drawing on
hundreds of other people's experiences. The first port of call is rarely
government-produced literature. Greensworth (his drugs moniker), a
28-year-old engineer from north London, explains that his collection grew
from these first few experiences, kept as a roughly printed sheaf,
developing into a third edition: a handsome cream-bound set of seven copies
distributed among the 32 guinea pigs. Each of the copies is to be cared
for, read and then passed on to the next in the list. They were also made
available to anybody showing interest in taking LSD, on a safety-first
principle. Besides being of interest as a sort of collective drugs diary,
Do Not Exceed The Stated Dose also contains a guide for first-time drugs
users which, though specifically for the use of LSD, is relevant for all drugs.

Advice ranges from planning your trip in advance and choosing a comfortable
base, away from tall buildings, in which to experience LSD, to a checklist
of foodstuffs, clothing and gadgets to have handy during the trip.

The model for this endeavour is Dr Alexander Shulgin, the infamous
pharmacologist from California, who is responsible for the creation of over
120 new substances. His 1991 book, PiHKAL, Phenethylamines I Have Known and
Loved, is the ultimate drug diary, documenting hundreds of first-hand
experiences.

Reading or hearing of someone else's experiences is how many drug-taking
judgments are made. Perhaps that is why Shulgin's PiHKAL has never been out
of print, and why the internet is bursting with sites offering first-hand
accounts. One website, Urban75.com, offers 'bullshit-free' advice .

Another example is the site ecstasy.org which claims over 9,000 daily
visitors. Its purpose is to make accessible objective, authoritative and
up-to-date information about ecstasy. A section allows users to submit
their own drug diaries under such headings as 'relationships', 'positive
experiences' and 'disillusionment'.

Some of the descriptions make you balk with their pseudo-poetry. Here is a
first time account entitled 'Empathy Through Ecstasy': 'A wave of warmth
overcame me on my way down. For the first time in my life I knew what
empathy felt like. I thought that everyone was my friend. The world seemed
like a better place.'

But such sites do not merely offer blissed-out dispatches. 'I dropped three
white doves and a fido dido [ecstasy pills]...' writes another contributor.
The effects were 'too strong', resulting in vomiting and a visit to the
paramedics. 'For the next couple of days afterwards I was an emotional
wreck, paranoid as hell, shaking... '

Other sites provide more wide-ranging information on a variety of drugs.
Due to the independent nature of the site erowid.org, it is now cited by
leading research agencies as a useful first port of call for anyone who is
keen to learn more. Besides the online information about psychoactive
plants and chemicals, erowid.org also lists a compilation of experiences
and articles contributed by users, parents, health professionals,
researchers, teachers and lawyers. It's certainly popular enough: the site
claims over 18,000 visitors each day and around 2.8m unique visitors on a
yearly basis.

Greensworth claims that the 'just say no' approach is never going to work
with the curious. So it's better to make sure, he says, that the potential
user says a well-informed yes.