cannabisnews.com: Debate On Recreational Drug Web Sites Debate On Recreational Drug Web Sites Posted by CN Staff on January 27, 2003 at 20:05:02 PT CBSNews with Dan Rather Source: CBSNews.com "I thought, you know, hallucinogens were fun things to do on a Friday night," says a young man, who does not want to be identified. The drug overdose that almost killed him came from an exotic combination of chemicals and plants that promised the high of his life. He says the recipe for how to mix what he took came from an Internet site called: http://www.erowid.org Erowid.org is just one of a growing group of Web sites devoted to recreational drugs. There are links to everything, from how to make GHB to how to test ecstasy for purity. But, as CBS News Correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports, Erowid's reports on side effects, on precise doses and its long list of recipes make it the encyclopedia of altered states. It's well known on college campuses. The young man who almost overdosed says: "I've seen kids with the drugs in their hand looking up doses all the time." "I was stunned at the volume of information there," says Dr. Ed Boyer, an emergency room physician at the University of Massachusetts. Boyer was on duty the night the young man came in unconscious. Boyer is worried about these Web sites being used by the young. "I don't believe it's responsible for children," says Boyer. "It's just too hands on - too much of a cook book. "Too much of a cook book for some of the substances." But Boyer also uses sites like Erowid to stay current on the drug abuse he may have to treat. "I use Erowid all the time," he says. "Every physician I know, every law enforcement person I know who wants to find out the very latest in drugs goes to Erowid." The authors of the Erowid site declined an on-camera interview. But they defended their work by e-mail, writing: "We are a library" with "no interest in encouraging anything but learning and care." Rick Doblin, who runs an ecstasy Web site, is friends with the authors of Erowid. The sites, he argues, are designed only to give the good and the bad of recreational drugs, not to encourage drug use. "We believe the decision to use or not use drugs should be in the hands of the individual," says Doblin. "I think providing access to tools is not the same as encouraging people to use them." For the young man who overdosed, and his parents, it's a cautionary tale about the freedom of the Internet. The Web gave him access to unlimited information, but that included a brand new way to flirt with death.Source: CBS NewsPublished: January 27, 2003Copyright: MMIII CBS Broadcasting Inc.Contact: evening cbsnews.comWebsite: http://www.cbsnews.comRelated Article & Web Site:Erowidhttp://www.erowid.orgIllicit But Informed Acts - ABC Newshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7235.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by malleus2 on January 29, 2003 at 13:20:06 PT How about some specifics, please? Every time I read one of these 'testimonials', I can't help but wonder at something somebody else here said a long time ago about doing research before you take anything.The thrust of the guy's argument went: nothing can stop stupid people from being stupid. If this kid didn't follow directions and mixed up a witche's brew of toxic herbs and whatnot, then he's very lucky he's not a recipient of those Darwin Awards...which are always posthumous. A pity; now he'll live to breed more stupid people.That site is chock-full of real information that is free of the typical dreck about drugs. That cops and other public servants/taxpayer revenue bloodsuckers are reading it (and probably this site as well) to learn the truth says a lot. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on January 28, 2003 at 15:06:35 PT A Wish I wish I could say how drugs make a person feel without fear. I wish I could be honest. If we continue to try to educate young people about drug use then we should be able to tell them the truth. Why isn't the truth enough to keep young adults from going off the deep end? Why is our society so afraid to say that drugs are fun? They are fun! That's a fact yet I don't want to do drugs anymore. Why can't we believe that most young people will experiment, have fun, then decide it's time to get on with life? Isn't that just a part of growing up? [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by i420 on January 28, 2003 at 14:58:02 PT One way or another .. I think those websites would SAVE more lives than they will harm. If these kids don't get the information there they will get it elsewhere even by word of mouth. Now do you want your son/daughter buying drugs from someone who made it from a trusted internet site with the correct information or from someone who made it from memory who got the recipe second-hand from joe-blow down the road ??? Remember the Billy Joel song "we didn't start the fire"??? Drugs have become an everyday part of society so much it will never be stopped. The smartest thing they could do is just provide them to the people like they do alcohol. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by John Tyler on January 28, 2003 at 10:53:43 PT Before the internet Before the internet there was the library. It was full of useful information, like Carlos Castanada's books, Carl Sagan's books, Tim Leary's "High Priest", "The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross", "LSD and the Search for God", "Red Dirt Marijuana", etc., etc. Information is a fact of life. This was true before the internet. The internet just makes it easier. Knowing how to read and write is a form of power. The power of communication. It is up to the individual to use it wisely. Nobody complains about the library being a source of dangerous information. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 27, 2003 at 22:13:17 PT AlvinCool Keep up the good work. I appreciate reading your letters to the editor. I hope you get published. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by AlvinCool on January 27, 2003 at 20:45:31 PT Just another LTE Actually both of you are on the far ends of the spectrum. I don’t know anyone that wants crack, estasy or marijuana sold at Wal-Mart. I do know many people that would like marijuana coffee houses and small amounts sold through that type of outlet. A place where you would go, relax, enjoy both marijuana and stimulating conversation. You could purchase an amount large enough that you could take it home and enjoy it with guests later. If you wanted to grow a small amount yourself you could, as long as it was in a lock down area, but most would just go to the coffee shops.I see a multitude of people that want marijuana distributed in this manner. I see many people that advocate harm reduction for hard drugs. I don’t see a movement advocating picking drugs up at the local 7-Eleven, as your article indicates, and I doubt any sensible person does either. So we have a prohibitionist that thinks that marijuana is just another drug and all drugs are bad and a severe stoner that feels any drug is a good drug. You remind me of the Star Trek episode where one person was black on the left side and one black on the right side. They were forever locked in a struggle with no outcome. Perhaps that is what you both really want. The stoner gets anything he wants from a massive black market and you get to write the horrors of it. Legal Dope Would Still Wreak Havoc [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Toad on January 27, 2003 at 20:13:47 PT Long Live Erowid This site is a treasure chest of information, providing plenty of info for would be trippers. Check out lots of good stuff on Magic Mushrooms, or whatever turns you on. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 27, 2003 at 20:07:13 PT Video & More Here is the direct link to the CBS article. Thought some of you might want to check it out.http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/27/eveningnews/main538154.shtml [ Post Comment ] Post Comment