⫸STICKY⫷ Welcome to DRUG STUDIES - an open discussion on what we're about

^ Agreed..but I have a tendency to believe (and hope) that BL wouldn't have a link to it at the top of the page if it wasn't beneficial to the site in some way, or if it was created by people with interests that conflict with mine.

Thats all good and well but just remember reducing drug availability is considered harm reduction, bluelight is a H.R driven site. Therefore technically bluelight and these surveys have an interest that conflicts with yours.

And not only just that, but when you think about what this information is being used for, what institutions are involving themselves with this. Trust me pharma company dosn't sponsor a drug survey because they want to genuinely help people who abuse/misuse their products.

Basically what i'm saying is bluelight and survey group may agree with some things you as a personal recreational drug abuser dont. And filling out these surveys without addressing them with critical thought is highly stupid if you're the type that is inclined to protect activities you enjoy and feel a right to engage in. So dont just go around thinking 'well i'd like to think they support my drug use', but it's more logical to go and directly study and work out who is involved in the survey, what the aims are, goals,ect.

Soon realise there is no actual way these surveys benefit us drug users.
 
To address some of the questions raised here:

Would you people actually consider what the consequences might be by filling out these stupid surveys?

Think about these things first:
Who is the benefit of this survey aimed at?
How does this survey benefit my interests?
Who and what companies and running/funding this survey?

Actually think about what this information is being used for, dont just mindlessly fill out surveys because they're fun.

Thanks for calling the survey stupid. While your points ARE worth asking, they aren't just for this study - they apply to any study related to drug (ab)use, and probably deserve their own thread. As such, I'm moving this out of the current study's discussion.

In most cases, you would be right that the information is being used by companies to determine what makes drugs so addictive, and how they can counter that while still meeting the basic need of the drug (ie, pain killers). Now, as to who is running and funding the surveys, we try to keep that in the opening post of any such study so you know going in - if not in the first post, then it is typically linked to the researcher's site which can give more information about the study as well as contacts for such questions to be raised if you are so inclined.

Such studies are aimed at a variety of people, but typically not a drug abuser or someone who uses them recreationally rather than by prescription. Does it server your interests? Depends upon who you are. Let me back up a second and remind our readers that while our site is being selected for help with this study primarily because so many of our members use drugs....not all our members abuse them or use them recreationally. Moreover, not all of the readers (members or lurkers) came here to abuse drugs - some came to educate themselves on the harm they are doing to themselves if they choose to use drugs - recreationally or not.

So, the results of such studies may change the drugs, or lead to changes in the ways drugs are obtained, but this works for all people - addicts, those on prescription, and anyone else who injests a substance. The results may indeed help drug abusers, in that it may lead to removal of some of the more harmful side effects or damage caused - did you think of that one? We all jump to the 'the drug won't be as much fun' which may be true, but isn't a given....nor is it the reason everyone is here, believe it or not.

^ Agreed..but I have a tendency to believe (and hope) that BL wouldn't have a link to it at the top of the page if it wasn't beneficial to the site in some way, or if it was created by people with interests that conflict with mine.

For what it's worth, BL has not 'partnered' with anyone other than Inflexxion; and with them only for a few surveys over the past year. We would not endorse or support a study that endangered our members, was irresponsible with it's intended results, or was generally against harm reduction. There needs to be some benefit to our members in taking the surveys - such as the reduction of harmful additives, or a better feedback to the drug makers in terms of what harm their drugs cause when abused. It is easy to sit back and say that BL is selling out the membership for fundings for the site, and to a degree, that is kinda of what's happening - these select surveys are helping the site financially. HOWEVER, we would not agree to any such situation if it weren't in the best interest of our members and readers.

Not all our members have the same needs, or reasons for being here. There are a variety of 'interests' to be met. Some can genuinely benefit from the results of these surveys, others can merely contribute their experiences in their answers and allow that history to help others. So, just because a survey doesn't meet an individual's needs does not mean it isn't meeting the needs or interests of other readers.

Thats all good and well but just remember reducing drug availability is considered harm reduction, bluelight is a H.R driven site. Therefore technically bluelight and these surveys have an interest that conflicts with yours.

...

Soon realise there is no actual way these surveys benefit us drug users.

Again, you assume that everyone has your interest - best way to get high. You can choose not to take such surveys, that is your right. But your knowledge and experience can help others - in the discussions all of you join in on the site's forums; but also by sharing this information in the surveys. Your choice, and maybe it benefits you personally or not, but the more who take the survey, the more it helps BL overall and keeps it online and available for you and everyone else.
 
^Man why dont you actually read my posts?
I was only refering to recreational users who would fill out the survey, who may misunderstand the survey, and not understand it isn't a positive for us recreational users.

Now i'm a recreational user, and so is the vast majority of the bluelight population. So that means the majority of people filling out that survey are likely to be recreational drug users. So i'm just letting that class of users know the negatives of participating in a survey. I'm telling people to actually use some critical thought before mindlessly giving information. Which is a positive thing. Is bluelight threatened by the fact some people might not fill out the survey after waking up to the fact it dosn't help them, and may cost bl some donations? Encouraging awareness and critical thought is a good thing.

I only mentioned recreational users, because they are the only type of drug users my posts were directed to, thats why i did that. It's not because i think bluelight is a recreational users utopia or something. I'm quite aware the website is focussed on H.R not pro-recreational drug use. As mentioned in said posts lol. But there is alot of misunderstandings about harm reduction. Not always a positive thing for us drug users. ie: reducing the availability of recreationally used drugs is considered harm reduction...

Okay think i got that clear. One thing that i noticed is you mentioned hypothetically 'better feedback to the drug makers in terms of what harm their drugs cause when abused'. Even if they knew, they arent going to make their drugs safer to abuse are they? They intentionally include compounds in some of their formulations to directly make abusing dangerous...

Okay well, can someone explain to me how giving information to a company that a pharm company has paid to collect information about its products for it. How exactly is this helping people.

Can you explain to me why exactly this pharm company is sponsoring the survey. Is the information given to this company going to cause them to change their products in a way which will directly benefit rec. users?

Theres plenty of places one can go to learn about H.R, without helping pharm companies make their drugs harder to abuse. Or assisting a 'team' who is out to jeopardise your interests in the long term.

Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to learn more about how and why individuals use prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. The study is being conducted by Inflexxion, Inc.

Benefits:
Although there are no direct benefits to you, by completing this survey, you will be helping researchers to better understand which prescription drugs are popular to use (and misuse) and the ways in which they are misused.

It is quite obviously trying to learn more about the habits of non-medical use, so they can determine the best ways to combat this.

This is off benefit to rec. users how? I mean just admit it's not helping rec. users. Don't write paragraphs of nothing, saying how it benefits bl financially. Unless you're braindead it is obvious this isn't beneficial to recreational users, but you cannot just admit the obvious truth can you, it may cost BL some donations. Quite bullshit how BL just pretends it's a positive thing for all drug users to participate in. Yeah until you think about the actual situation. What a load of bullshit.
 
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If you dont think Bluelight is a beneficial place, then why do you post here?

Perhaps the study is not beneficial to all recreational users, it would be very difficult to be able to benefit everyone. Bluelights mission is harm reduction, and that is the mission of that study, so it makes sense to team up, especially when we can help each other out in the ways that we do.

Such studies are aimed at a variety of people, but typically not a drug abuser or someone who uses them recreationally rather than by prescription. Does it serve your interests? Depends upon who you are. Let me back up a second and remind our readers that while our site is being selected for help with this study primarily because so many of our members use drugs....not all our members abuse them or use them recreationally. Moreover, not all of the readers (members or lurkers) came here to abuse drugs - some came to educate themselves on the harm they are doing to themselves if they choose to use drugs - recreationally or not.

That right there should answer your question about who it benefits. So it doesnt benefit you. Then dont take it, its that simple, but there are plenty of people who it does benefit, just as outlined above.

TLB said:
So, the results of such studies may change the drugs, or lead to changes in the ways drugs are obtained, but this works for all people - addicts, those on prescription, and anyone else who injests a substance. The results may indeed help drug abusers, in that it may lead to removal of some of the more harmful side effects or damage caused - did you think of that one? We all jump to the 'the drug won't be as much fun' which may be true, but isn't a given....nor is it the reason everyone is here, believe it or not.
This should be one that does benefit everyone. Even recreational users want to be safe, or they wouldnt be here.

One more thing I forgot to add, every person here has made the decision to not only do drugs, but to also educate themselves on them. I think they are capable enough to decide for themselves whether or not they want to take a survey :\
 
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My opinion is that insofar as we weigh the characteristics of the organizations whose surveys we're hosting, we'll need to open up similar discussion for every group whose surveys we host. Will this be sufficiently expedient to be viable? Otherwise, perhaps we should rely on letting participants weigh the relevant ethics themselves through informed consent, except in egregious clashes between bluelight and the surveying interest. This procedure will further motivate surveying groups to act ethically, to achieve a wider and more representative sample. I will admit that a pharmaceutical firm occupies a grey area here.

ebola
 
This is off benefit to rec. users how? I mean just admit it's not helping rec. users. Don't write paragraphs of nothing, saying how it benefits bl financially. Unless you're braindead it is obvious this isn't beneficial to recreational users, but you cannot just admit the obvious truth can you, it may cost BL some donations. Quite bullshit how BL just pretends it's a positive thing for all drug users to participate in. Yeah until you think about the actual situation. What a load of bullshit.

So you're concerned that the information gathered by this survey will simply better enable companies to reduce the recreational potential of their products.

I think that you're mistaken, for two reasons, and that you're not considering how access to better information on recreational use would benefit everyone.

First, that by reducing certain effects of a drug, e.g. euphoria, the recreational potential of that drug is reduced, isn't new news. It is highly unlikely that this survey will cause companies to realize, to their shock, that if they were to change a formulation to reduce effects like euphoria, they would thereby reduce the drug's recreational potential. The survey isn't letting anyone in on some big secret.

BUT - and you gave a great example of this - the survey might provide information that encourages a company to avoid harmful ways of reducing abuse potential. For instance, the survey might provide evidence that adding certain things to a drug's formulation, which make it more difficult and dangerous to abuse, does not actually reduce significantly a drug's recreational potential. Such knowledge would be beneficial to the company, and to consumers of all types.

Second, better information as to recreational use might enable governments to be more focused in measuring the abuse-potential of a given substance, i.e. better information might narrow the criteria used to determine a drug's abuse-potential, and thereby lead to the approval of drugs for sale that would otherwise have been, wrongly, rejected (or, similarly, lead to a less restrictive scheduling of a drug).

Finally, just an additional thought, if you're a proponent of allowing more recreational use, then presumably you believe that recreational use is currently so restricted for reasons which are irrational. You should want as much information flowing to policy-makers, and to people who certainly would welcome a loosening of regulations, as possible. And, if the truth is on your side, you'll eventually win the policy argument.
 
It seems this thread has been quiet for a while but i thought it the most fitting place to ask if there was anywhere within Drug Studies for researchers to ask about criteria that need to be met for having surveys posted here. Is there a set criteria or is it a matter of creating the survey and posting it here to find if it will be passed by the moderators. Again sorry if this in the wrong place, perhaps a mod can point me in the right direction or move this to where it needs to go.

My main question is - Are you allowed to ask for vendor information or pricing within surveys ? The questions, like all, isn't compulsory but i didn't want to cause any problems within the board. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks
Samuel
 
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