Caffeine = Drug

Let’s get it straight: Caffeine is most certainly a drug. In fact, it is the world’s most consumed psychoactive drug, meaning that it changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness or behavior. Caffeine is legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world. The definition of "drug," in the most common sense of the word, is: “a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.” According to Erowid, caffeine is an alkaloid and acts as a stimulant of the central nervous system, cardiac (heart) muscle, and...

September 25, 2017Read more...

Early Alert for Imagine Music Festival Attendees: Light Blue Dolphin and Orange ‘LV’ Pills Not Testing as MDMA

We are issuing an early alert for Imagine Music Festival attendees based on an anonymous tip from a member of the Imagine community. It has been brought to our attention that two different pills that were sold as MDMA were unidentifiable when tested by the community member. One pressed tablet is a round, light blue pill with a dolphin on it. The other is a round orange pill with the Louis Vuitton logo ('LV'). The reactions for the pills are: Orange LV Pill: Marquis: no reaction Mecke: no reaction Mandelin: unsure Simon: Blue Light Blue Dolphin Pill: Marquis: yellow Mecke: brownish yellow Mandelin: yellow Simon: no reaction Based on these test results, it...

September 22, 2017Read more...

09/19/2017 #TestItTuesday Alert: Domestically Sourced ‘Dolphin’ Tablet Contains N-Ethylpentylone and Caffeine

A round, salmon colored ‘dolphin’ tablet sourced from Little Rock, Arkansas tested as caffeine and N-Ethylpentylone, a substituted cathinone structurally similar to pentylone. Cathinones are colloquially known as “bath salts.” Little is known about N-Ethylpentylone and its effects, as its physiological and toxicological actions have not been characterized. The pill had the following reactions on the respective reagents: Marquis: Yellow Mecke: Light Yellow Mandelin: Yellow-Gray (slight orange) Always test before you ingest. Avoid misrepresented and highly adulterated substances by purchasing your DanceSafe drug testing kit here.

September 19, 2017Read more...

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...

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...

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...

Fentanyl Testing Strips Have Limitations But Are Better Than Nothing

Last week, DanceSafe began offering fentanyl testing strips for purchase on its website in response to the ever-growing number of deaths related to fentanyl, carfentanil, and other opioid analogues. While the testing strips can identify most fentanyl-related analogues, there are still limitations that every consumer and harm reductionist should be aware of, as discussed in this article by Canada’s CBC. While there is a concern that the strips could give consumers a false sense of security due to the potential of false negatives, there currently is no better alternative for people who are worried about adulterated drugs. DanceSafe’s original intent...

July 28, 2017Read more...

July 25th #TestItTuesday Alert: Blue Sun Pill Sold as Ecstasy Tests as Amphetamine

A blue pill sourced from Zurich, Switzerland is being marketed and sold as ecstasy (MDMA). Test results published on Friday show the tablet contains 21.1 mg of amphetamine, a common stimulant that is found in Adderall and black market drugs such as speed. As Erowid states, amphetamines are “the standard against which all other stimulants are measured.” Although a commonly used drug, an amphetamine experience is much different than an MDMA experience, so it is always important to know what substance you are consuming in order to properly prepare yourself. Purchase your DanceSafe drug checking kit here so you can identify...

July 25, 2017Read more...

Today Designated as International Drug Users Remembrance Day by INPUD

The International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) is a global peer-based organization that seeks to promote the health and defend the rights of people who use drugs. In a statement released today, INPUD dubs today, July 21, a day to “remember our community members, our loved ones, our friends, and our family members who have died as a result of the so-called war on drugs.” “People who use drugs are dying in increasing numbers,” the statement continues. “There are more than 200,000 drug-related deaths a year. Overdose deaths contribute to between a third and a half of all drug-related...

July 21, 2017Read more...

D.A.R.E to Resist Poor Drug Education

“D.A.R.E. - To Keep Kids Off Drugs.” If you were a kid growing up in the 80’s or 90’s, you remember this slogan. You might also remember going through the program in your elementary school, where police officers would come speak in your classroom and tell you to “Just Say No” to drugs. After years of evidence demonstrating the program’s ineffectiveness in actually reducing drug use among teens and adolescents, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has called for a reinstatement of the program. The D.A.R.E. program was founded in 1983 as a partnership between the Los Angeles Police Department and LA...

July 17, 2017Read more...