Harm Reduction Includes Abstinence

According to the Harm Reduction Coalition, harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.  Harm reduction principles include: Accepts, for better and or worse, that licit and illicit drug use is part of our world and chooses to work to minimize its harmful effects rather than simply ignore or condemn them. Understands drug use as a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon that encompasses a continuum of behaviors from severe abuse to total abstinence, and acknowledges that some ways of using drugs are clearly safer than others. Establishes quality of individual and community...

September 18, 2017Read more...

09/12/2017 #TestItTuesday Alert: Square ‘Facebook’ Tablet not MDMA as Advertised

A blue square ‘Facebook’ tablet sourced from San Diego and sold as MDMA tested as TFMPP, caffeine, and methamphetamine. TFMPP is a synthetic piperazine that has effects often described as being somewhere between empathogens such as MDMA and entheogens such as psilocybin, mescaline, or LSD. The notes submitted to EcstasyData.org state: “'Effects started 90 min after ingestion. Some disorientation, slight euphoria, mild nausea. Stimulant - unable to sleep for the 12-14 [hour] duration of this pill. No hallucinations. Slight tinnitus. Diffuse paresthesias.” Always test before you ingest to avoid highly adulterated or misrepresented substances. Purchase your DanceSafe drug checking kit here.

September 12, 2017Read more...

Myth: Some People Never Stop Tripping After Eating Mushrooms

DanceSafe is here to debunk the myth that it's possible to "never stop tripping" after taking mushrooms.  The first, most prevalent issue with this claim is the fact that all drugs are eventually excreted from your body after a certain period of time. To figure out when most drugs will be around 97-99% excreted from your system, look up the drug's half-life and multiply it by five. In the case of psilocybin (the psychoactive ingredient in mushrooms that is broken down into psilocin in the body), its half-life is only around 1-2 hours, which means that it is no longer active in...

September 11, 2017Read more...

09/05/2017 #TestItTuesday Alert: High Dose Warning Issued for Bi-Layer ‘Skype’ Tablet

Warning! A bi-layer “Skype” tablet circulating the black market contains 258.8 mg of MDMA, almost three times the amount of a typical dose (~100 mg). An “extreme high dose” warning has been issued by SaferParty, a Switzerland-based harm reduction group. One side of the tablet is blue with colored speckles, and the other side is white. It is scored on its white side to make it easier to break up into smaller doses. Keep in mind that even if a substance tests positive for MDMA using DanceSafe’s drug checking kits, the reagents will not tell you how much MDMA is...

September 5, 2017Read more...

No, Fido is Not High on the LSD You Took

Long before “fake news” was a coined term, people started believing that if they were tripping (on LSD) or rolling (on MDMA) and they pet their dog or cat, their animal would begin feeling the effects of the drug. This myth spread like wildfire, and it is still alive and circulated today. However, there is no scientific backing to support this contention, and with what we know about how these psychedelics effect the body, this statement is false. The myth goes that excretions from the pores on your skin, notably your palms, will transfer trace amounts of whatever drug was ingested...

September 4, 2017Read more...

International Overdose Awareness Day is a Day to Remember, Reflect, and Take Action

Today, DanceSafe observes International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), a global event held on August 31st each year which aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths. It is also a time to pause and acknowledge the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have died as a result of drug overdose. Those observing the day help spread the message that the tragedy of overdose death is preventable. To participate, you can find IOAD events in your community here. Accidental drug overdose is currently the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States...

August 31, 2017Read more...

08/29/2017 #TestItTuesday Alert: DOC Sold as LSD on Alice in Wonderland Blotter

Blotter sold as LSD on Alice in Wonderland blotter tested as DOC (4-Chloro-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine), a synthetic psychedelic compound that produces notably long-lived psychedelic effects when ingested. According to Erowid, it is uncommon as a substance for human ingestion. DOC is a very dose-sensitive substance that is often sold on blotter paper. It is known for its long duration (over 12-24 hours), strong visual effects, a unique form of stimulation, and a significant body load. Because of its sensitive dose-response and unusually long duration, many reports suggest that DOC may be difficult to use safely. Testing your LSD using the Ehrlich’s reagent can...

August 29, 2017Read more...

You Cannot Identify a Substance using Sensory Information

Contrary to what popular belief, you can never identify a substance by sensory information alone!  Yes, really. Yes, including the DanceSafe team.  Substances on the illicit market come in a variety of colors, consistencies, smells, and tastes, and therefore there is no safe or accurate way to determine what something is by merely looking at, tasting, or smelling it. Something like MDMA, for example, can come in many different hues ranging from clear to brown, and can be crystals, ground up into a fine powder, or pressed into a tablet and sold as an ecstasy pill. Some MDMA even has a purple...

August 28, 2017Read more...

August 15th #TestItTuesday Alert: Pentylone Sold as MDMA at UK Music Festival

A blue Anonymous (Guy Fawkes) pill sold as MDMA at Kendal Calling, a festival in the UK, was tested onsite by The Loop and determined to contain 100 mg of pentylone and no MDMA. (Note: photo was blurry in submission to ecstasydata.org.) Pentylone is a stimulant in the valerone family, that is being marketed as MDMA in pill, powder and crystal form. Its effects are similar to MDMA, but wear off much quicker, causing people to continue redosing. With all of the valerones, including pentylone and its analogues N-ethyl pentylone, a-PVP, MDPV, and pentedrone, “redosing seems to disproportionately extend the time...

August 15, 2017Read more...