Staying Safe(r) – Your Guide to Online Drug Resources
- Salient Mag
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
By Anonymous
Ever turned to Google to work out if combining two drugs is a good or bad idea and been presented with nothing but rehabs’ SEO bait, hard to digest primary research, and even the Drug Enforcement Agency’s thoughts on rolling?
Genuinely useful and detailed information on staying safe when using drugs can be hard to come by, especially on Google. And while frank information about drug use may be found on Reddit, this is almost always unverified and anecdotal.
So where can you find accessible, detailed information on harm reduction?
The PsychonautWiki is a godsend for anyone who intends to use substances. An open encyclopedia of “psychonautics” – the exploration of altered states of consciousness – the site provides an extensive database of substances.
From obscure research chemicals like Bromo-DragonFLY, to staples like LSD, it’s hard to come across a substance the wiki hasn’t covered. Each substance’s page includes dosages and typical durations for each stage of the experience, sorted by the different ways you can ingest it.
Particularly useful is the Subjective Effects section. Here, every possible effect that the drug can bring about is listed, with detailed explanations of how the effects are manifested.
Under the Toxicity and Harm Potential section, the wiki lays out the risks involved in using the drug, dangerous interactions with other substances like SSRIs, and safer practices for use. Many pages also provide experience reports from other users, scientific information on how the substance works, and links to other sources.
While most information on the site is cited and reviewed by a team of moderators, as it is a public wiki, crucial information should be double checked with other sources.
TripSit provides a super easy to use, interactive drug combination guide. You can toggle the substances you’re considering using and see how they all mix together, with explanations of why they might be risky.
Also extremely useful are TripSit’s concise and well cited factsheets with general advice for safer use, testing, and dosage recommendations.
Lastly, TripSit provides an anonymous online webchat where you can get urgent advice while you’re under the influence, or just find someone to talk to about your experience.
Know Your Stuff Pill Library
Know Your Stuff’s database of pills that they have tested is not a substitute for getting your “stuff” tested. However, it does provide a way to get a rough idea of whether a pressie contains the advertised amount of a substance, or if it contains it at all. Some pills tested by KYS have contained extremely potent synthetic opiates, cathinones, and toxic non-drug substances.
Know Your Stuff’s website is also a great repository of local knowledge. They regularly update their blog with up-to-date information on how the drugs market is changing and put out warnings on dangerous substances showing up in their testing.
Visiting Erowid feels like a solar flare has sent your computer back to 1999, but underneath its outdated skin is an amazingly expansive library of both anecdotal and scientific information. Erowid is mostly known for its experience reports, where thousands of users have contributed detailed descriptions of their experiences. Here, you can find a description of almost every possible combination, situation, and hallucination. Anecdotal reports are no substitute for scientific sources, but they can be very useful for researching what you can expect from a substance, and how you can get the desired effects more safely.
