The end of the year is rapidly approaching and I’m super eager to be in a position to give these projects more time and energy. Even so, I can’t continue this work without the outside support of crowdfunding contributors.You can throw any amount of money to my Open Collective , or feel free to use my links to directly CashApp or Venmo funds. If you’re international and need PayPal, I can provide this on request.
Wasteland (Amsterdam)
During my visit to Amsterdam during Thanksgiving week I met up with the lovely folks at Unity to learn more about Pink Unity and what they’ve been up to since my last visit in 2017. The conversations were very productive and gave me some ideas of how I could advocate in the nightlife space for better harm reduction and to change the harsh policies around G use.
Pink Unity in part provides harm reduction education and supplies in nightlife settings, but more specifically for queer folks and on topics like chemsex. I was invited to Wasteland with the crew, which is [one of] Europe’s largest and longest running fetish parties. The space was massive: 6 stages, 4 dance floors, dungeon rooms, etc. and it was pretty hard to get anywhere in the venue—it was probably about 8000 people.
Every time there’s an interaction with a guest, especially if they took a quiz, this was documented by the crew. I guess they have to do tedious things like this as a method of measuring the impact. The majority of the materials were in Dutch, which made it challenging for me to engage folks without pulling over another volunteer, but things went pretty smoothly overall and that would make 2 events on the books volunteering with Unity, now. I still love their quiz cards. I finally found my version of this that I had started in 2018 after this prompted me to go digging through my backup hard drives and old laptop files. As I do not volunteer or work for DanceSafe anymore, I obviously would redesign them. If I remember correctly, the only reason they were never printed was because it was going to be expensive to get printed—then I completely forgot about this project.
Recent Drug Checking Results:
903066 - Road Trip - MICRODOSED Gummies + Functional Mushrooms - Orange
4-AcO-DMT - Psilacetin, also known as 4-acetoxy-DMT or 4-AcO-DMT, is a semi-synthetic serotonergic psychedelic drug that is often considered an alternative to psilocybin, as they are both believed to be prodrugs of psilocin.
Why Does This Test Result Matter?
These results are unsurprising, especially after getting the results back on the non-microdosed version of this product. My feedback remains the same:
903138 - Codeine + Promethazine Syrup
methylparaben - A chemical preservative used in cosmetics, foods, and other products to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold
benzyl alcohol - Used as an antimicrobial preservative in human medicine and as well as a solvent in the production of fragrances, perfumes, paints, and adhesives
diphenhydramine - This is just the active ingredient in Benedryl 🥴
Trace: etizolam - A thienodiazepine drug that is benzodiazepine analog. Clinically it is regarded as a benzodiazepine due to its mode of action.
Why Does This Test Result Matter?
There are 0 opioids in the entire bottle, my guy. It is just Benedryl in syrup. Given that there are trace amounts of etizolam, I’m willing to bet there are active amounts of etizolam throughout the bottle, but at clinical doses of .25-.50mg, it likely was only minimally detectable in the 1mL or less sample that was submitted to GCMS testing. While both substances are sedatives, neither are opioids. I can’t imagine that the euphoria would be remotely the same, and depending on the concentration of diphenhydramine (DPH), you may find yourself having unsettling deliriant effects.
The FTIR Spectrometer struggled to detect either substance—likely due to the syrup—but also because it doesn’t require a very high dose of either drug to experience sedation. This means that it was likely below the threshold for detection for the FTIR, especially in an aqueous solution (that also had sugars and flavoring creating a lot of additional interference). On the off-chance that a bottle like this was intended to be consumed for cold and cough, the user would experience absolutely no relief from either.
903161 - Random Off-White Pill in a Baggie (found in a bar booth)
Mannitol - Used as a low-calorie sweetener because the intestines don't absorb it well or as a diuretic to treat swelling caused by heart, kidney, or liver disease.
Why Does This Test Result Matter?
Considering it was found in a baggie in a bar, I’m assuming this wasn’t someone’s medication and they were sold a pill that is only going to make them have to take a piss. It’s not necessarily dangerous, but at least the manufacturer could’ve used a helpful supplement like b12? Just seems rude, tbh.
Expected 2C-B #1 + Expected 2C-B #2
N-Ethylpentylone - A substituted cathinone and stimulant drug that was the most common drug of the cathinone class to be identified in Drug Enforcement Administration seizures in 2018. N-Ethylpentylone has been reported to cause lethal heart palpitations and hallucinations. It has been linked to a number of overdose deaths and mass-casualty incidents.
Why Does This Test Result Matter?
Not even close to the same drug. It’s possible the vendor visually confused the product, since it does look like other 2C-B I have tested. Either way, N-Ethylpentylone is reportedly a bad time. I’ve never heard a single positive user report, even when dosing low. Luckily, 2C-B is commonly dosed between 15-30mg which seems within range for lower doses of NEP, however, with so little user data or research on this drug we don’t actually know how high of a dose it takes to experience harsh side effects.
Expected 4-AcO-DMT that was believed to be 2-CB
Irgacure 907/MTMP (MMMP)- A substituted cathinone (synthetic cathinone). It used in the production of UV curable inks, to speed drying during printing, and in colored coatings and its toxicity in humans is unknown. This product is intended for research and forensic applications.
Why Does This Test Result Matter?
I’ve seen this shit before. I’m not sure why it’s becoming an adulterant. It’s possible that it is a precursor to popular recreational synthetic cathinones, but instead of it being synthesized into something else, it’s being sold as is. Other than the Marquis test result looking mildly similar to 2-CB, I don’t know how this would have been mistaken for 4-AcO-DMT or 2-CB. Visually, it was a bit odd to me, but at the end of the day a lot of white powders and crystals all look very similar. There seems to be no information on the psychoactive effects of MMMP.