Catch-22
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2001
- Messages
- 4,518
[14] Misinformation by Anonymous
Late August 2003, somewhere in Massachusetts, a 17-year-old male with reasonable experience with recreational drugs takes a mix of approximately 30mg of 5-MeO-DMT and some Syrian rue seeds, an idea he got from browsing Erowid.
After being found on the floor of his dorm, his friends called 911. Paramedics described him as "extremely combative". On arrival at the emergency department, he was found to have slight hyperthermia (105.2ºF/40.7ºC) and hypertension (136/66) and severe tachycardia (186BPM). After being sedated with benzodiazepines, he became less agitated. Later he developed rhabdomyolysis, but that cleared after intravenous hydration [1].
This is the offerings from the latest issue of Journal of Toxicology: Clinical
Toxicology, from an article entitled "Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor Poisoning Resulting from Internet Misinformation on Illicit Substances". The above case report is only the introduction to an article which although largely even-handed is generally damning of online "drug libraries". Positives such as that fact that "data found on drug Web sites are often preseted in a medical format, with specific pharmacokinetic information on duration to maximum effect and enzyme metabolism", are presented.
Largely a skeptical view is taken of not only the information, but also of the writers, with specific mention of Jonathan Ott. This is not the only article in medical literature to speak harshly of internet drug libraries. A letter to the editor in a 2001 issue of the New England Journal Of Medicine said that every drug website surveyed gave potentially harmful recommendations [2]. While other articles have given more positive reviews [3,4], the criticisms brought up above highlight many important points.
The fact is, most recreational drugs are dangerous, and have the power to kill. When any of us give our opinions via a medium capable of reaching so many people, we must ensure that we let neither our ego nor our ignorance get the better of us, and only say things that we know to be true. While this doesn't preclude us from speculating, it just means that when we are, we must acknowledge it. On relatively non-interactive websites such as The Vaults of Erowid, or The Lycaeum, the webmaster and his/her team of editors can relatively simply make sure that all information given is as accurate as possible. On forum based websites, however, this is far more challenging, and is largely up to the individual poster. What needs to be considered is that nearly any misinformation could potentially lead to a fatality.
Misinformation also detracts from the importance education has in the harm-reduction movement. Not only do inaccuracies reduce the authoritative nature of some websites, they also put the existence of the website in jeopardy. While many feel that the right to free speech is objective and universal, the fact remains that it is only a right that is afforded while the government wants it to be. Even in the US, the right to free speech isn't accorded to every example (fighting-words, or obsenity). It would be a terrible shame, if because of misinformation, websites with information about illegal drugs, became illegal themselves.
So, it is up to anyone who publishes information in anyway on drugs, to make sure it is as accurate as humanly possible.
1. Brush, D.E. et al. (2004) Monoamine oxidase inhibitor poisoning resulting from Internet misinformation on illicit substances. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 42 (2), 191-195
2. Boyer, E.W. et al. (2001) Web sites with misinformation about illicit drugs. N Engl J Med 345 (6), 469-471
3. Wax, P.M. (2002) Just a Click Away: Recreational Drug Web Sites on the Internet. Pediatrics 109 (6), e96
4. Halpern, J.H. and Pope, H.G., Jr. (2001) Hallucinogens on the Internet: a vast new source of underground drug information. Am J Psychiatry 158 (3), 481-483
Late August 2003, somewhere in Massachusetts, a 17-year-old male with reasonable experience with recreational drugs takes a mix of approximately 30mg of 5-MeO-DMT and some Syrian rue seeds, an idea he got from browsing Erowid.
After being found on the floor of his dorm, his friends called 911. Paramedics described him as "extremely combative". On arrival at the emergency department, he was found to have slight hyperthermia (105.2ºF/40.7ºC) and hypertension (136/66) and severe tachycardia (186BPM). After being sedated with benzodiazepines, he became less agitated. Later he developed rhabdomyolysis, but that cleared after intravenous hydration [1].
This is the offerings from the latest issue of Journal of Toxicology: Clinical
Toxicology, from an article entitled "Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor Poisoning Resulting from Internet Misinformation on Illicit Substances". The above case report is only the introduction to an article which although largely even-handed is generally damning of online "drug libraries". Positives such as that fact that "data found on drug Web sites are often preseted in a medical format, with specific pharmacokinetic information on duration to maximum effect and enzyme metabolism", are presented.
Largely a skeptical view is taken of not only the information, but also of the writers, with specific mention of Jonathan Ott. This is not the only article in medical literature to speak harshly of internet drug libraries. A letter to the editor in a 2001 issue of the New England Journal Of Medicine said that every drug website surveyed gave potentially harmful recommendations [2]. While other articles have given more positive reviews [3,4], the criticisms brought up above highlight many important points.
The fact is, most recreational drugs are dangerous, and have the power to kill. When any of us give our opinions via a medium capable of reaching so many people, we must ensure that we let neither our ego nor our ignorance get the better of us, and only say things that we know to be true. While this doesn't preclude us from speculating, it just means that when we are, we must acknowledge it. On relatively non-interactive websites such as The Vaults of Erowid, or The Lycaeum, the webmaster and his/her team of editors can relatively simply make sure that all information given is as accurate as possible. On forum based websites, however, this is far more challenging, and is largely up to the individual poster. What needs to be considered is that nearly any misinformation could potentially lead to a fatality.
Misinformation also detracts from the importance education has in the harm-reduction movement. Not only do inaccuracies reduce the authoritative nature of some websites, they also put the existence of the website in jeopardy. While many feel that the right to free speech is objective and universal, the fact remains that it is only a right that is afforded while the government wants it to be. Even in the US, the right to free speech isn't accorded to every example (fighting-words, or obsenity). It would be a terrible shame, if because of misinformation, websites with information about illegal drugs, became illegal themselves.
So, it is up to anyone who publishes information in anyway on drugs, to make sure it is as accurate as humanly possible.
1. Brush, D.E. et al. (2004) Monoamine oxidase inhibitor poisoning resulting from Internet misinformation on illicit substances. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 42 (2), 191-195
2. Boyer, E.W. et al. (2001) Web sites with misinformation about illicit drugs. N Engl J Med 345 (6), 469-471
3. Wax, P.M. (2002) Just a Click Away: Recreational Drug Web Sites on the Internet. Pediatrics 109 (6), e96
4. Halpern, J.H. and Pope, H.G., Jr. (2001) Hallucinogens on the Internet: a vast new source of underground drug information. Am J Psychiatry 158 (3), 481-483
