Guardian story - new drugs

[Mike_Power]

Evening all. I'm a journalist and am doing a piece on new drugs/RCs in a Weekend Guardian story. (i hate the term legal highs, but it may be used as a shorthand

I'm looking for people who have had good, bad awful, or wonderful experiences with UK-legal drugs - any of them, from 5-MAPB to the NBOMEs. I'd like to interview you, an document, non-judgmentally, but accurately and honestly, your experiences.

I know this will strike terror into some people's hearts, but my intentions are good, and I report on stuff like this all the time. I also appreciate that people will feel that my story will hasten the banning of these drugs, to which I would counter that they are all sold on the clearnet, with thousands of pages of discussion generated across the web every day.

I accept and recognise that journalists are (often quite rightly) not trusted, to which I would respond with this piece, that i just wrote.

http://www.mixmag.net/words/features/killer-pills-myth-or-murder
read it, see if you think it's accurate and useful, and if you want to add users' voices to a debate that is going on – with or without you, please get in touch.

I am writing this guardian piece to publicise this book, and to move the debate over drug policy into the 21st century.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drugs-2-0-R...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365627565&sr=1-1

PMs welcome. Interview will be anonymous, via skype, without video, before Sunday night.

thanks.

 

[Mailmonkey]

Approved.

On you go!

 

[Mike_Power]

wicked, thanks very much MM.

 

[Mailmonkey]

really don't thank me, you should be arsed off with me for unapproving it in the first place

Hope you get some decent input

 

[Mike_Power]

cool, fingers crossed. mp

 

[charlie clean]

Are you Guardian staff or is this article a freelance placing?

Good luck, either way; with zero experience of these strange, modern-times concoctions, I'm personally of no use, but I'm sure other, more yooful members more than compensate for my shortcomings in the area. Although you may not offer the customary Tesco voucher or free sample of plant food ( not for human consumption ), I hope this is seen not as stinginess but an absence of vested interest sponsorship and you find a generous response.

 

[Ismene]

I also appreciate that people will feel that my story will hasten the banning of these drugs, to which I would counter that they are all sold on the clearnet, with thousands of pages of discussion generated across the web every day.

I don't think the police or politicians are bothered about discussion on places like BL tho Mike, I think the problem is when you get articles in the Sun or even perhaps the G, it "creates a demand" for the drugs to be banned (even if that "demand" is only from Sun executives reading the Guardian and noticing your story). Anyone contributing to this is going to be cutting their own throat regarding access to drugs.

What's the point in even writing another article about legal highs? It's all been said hasn't it? We've lost the gorgeous drug methylone thanks to the last media shitstorm.

 

[Mike_Power]

I speak to people close to the ACMD and they do very much watch forums such as Bluelight. It's how they knew about MXE. They were debating that, privately, for over a year before the ban. They knew about naphyrone the day it launched. They knew about mephedrone for ages before they moved on it.

The EU, too, their RedNet project monitors Bluelight, and dozens of other fora, every single day. The cat's very much out the bag and this is not a private speakeasy. It's a megaphone.

OK, media coverage can be the tipping point, but how many stories has the mail ran on 6-APB? BBC, too. They covered it in a way that my piece won't. I'm not interested in knees jerking, thanks.

I won't pretend that writing my story is going to increase access to RCs/legal highs/novel psychoactive substances, whatever – it won't. But it will be accurate, informed, and written with the honest motivation of finding out what is going on, and of testing my hypothesis. It's my belief that drug laws are driving people towards riskier, more dangerous behaviours. That's bad policy, in my view.

Why do people take untested, possibly dangerous alternatives to banned drugs, such as 25I-NBOME? I'm meeting people later today with hard data that answers that question. I'm talking to someone in ten minutes about it, in fact.

In answer to other questions, I'm freelance, always have been. My biog is on my Amazon page. Next, yes, much has been written on the topic of legal hits, but even the question indicates a need for a new approach. These aren't legal highs, this is the mainstreaming of the RC market away from its original hidden roots. I think that's an interesting topic.

What happens when people are given the keys to the medicine cabinet? Under prohibition, and with drugs such as mephedrone, the answer is: go mental. That seems to me to be just as wrongheaded approach to drug legislation as banning all drugs and letting gangsters set public health policy goals. IE none. Look at the PMA story i did for Mixmag.

So, if anyone wants to chat to me, go for it. I have a load of interviewees already in the bag anyway; I've been researching this story for almost five years now (wrote a book, out soon, which the guardian piece is plugging... but not in some posters' here's sense of plugging and I have interviewed hundreds of people, from JW Huffman and David Nichols to police leaders, politicians, web vendors, chemists, lab owners, accountants, addicts and casual users. But I like to keep abreast of new stuff, so I always reach out for new people to talk to.

So if anyone reads this and fancies a chat, get in touch.

Talking of which, I have an interview right now, at 830, and I need a cuppa. cheers.

 

[monstanoodle]

Why do people take untested, possibly dangerous alternatives to banned drugs, such as 25I-NBOME? I'm meeting people later today with hard data that answers that question.

Then, seemingly, you don't need to ask this site's resident members much at all if you already have the answers.
Are you just looking for validation to your thoughts? I'm not asking this in a nasty or hostile way (I could have fooled myself though 8) ), it's just this has happened before.

Here, as with other HR websites, the people who take such substances ask for information and advice, so that they don't end up going utterly batshit by taking something they know nothing about or mistaking it for another substance.
When they know that such substances as 25I-NBOMe are potentially very dangerous to use if you do not know the facts, how to take a safe dose and knowing what to expect (by doing research into it's related "molecular family tree" - if you will - and scientific research papers) then they can experience the substance with a little less to worry about and how to control their minds if something goes wrong mentally, to not be alone.... I'm rambling now, but are you getting the point?

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

People take these alternatives because they are legal and because prohibition has largely turned the banned drugs market to shit.

I.E people want legal, uncut drugs. It's pretty simple really. You'll find the same phenomenon, cut/sprayed/shit dope is responsible for the growth of the indoor dope growers market.

People are also getting used to having their drugs delivered straight to the door by the postman. Much better than shady deals down back alleys with even shadier people. If we're going to get mugged, we prefer to be mugged in the comfort of our own homes.

Ps As well as new drugs you might want to look into/mention new ways of taking drugs, paying particular attention to the incredible spike in the sale of baby 5ml oral syringes from chemists.
That's directly attributable to BL too.

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

Aside from all that Mike, and even taking into account your Mixmag article, I'd still remain very cynical about this and advise extreme caution to anyone who approaches you from here offering their words. Mixmag is one thing, the Guardian another. It's good that you're article in Mixmag went through perhaps largely untouched/unedited. But it's not surprising. Mixmag published Roflcoptr and that looked like it had detoured its way past any editorial input. Perhaps Mixmag editors are just lazy.

The Guardian aren't. The Guardian, in my experience, are zealous editors. I've had a few letters published in there. Some of them completely unrecognisable from the words I sent in. The Guardian have advertisers not to upset, it's not a clubbers magazine that might be expected to have a liberal approach to drugs. Ultimately, with the Guardian, you have to admit there is far far more scope for editorial interference.

I wouldn't trust the Guardian to represent my words. But good luck anyway. It's them I'm criticising, not you.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

I
It's my belief that drug laws are driving people towards riskier, more dangerous behaviours. That's bad policy, in my view. Why do people take untested, possibly dangerous alternatives to banned drugs, such as 25I-NBOME? I'm meeting peope.

Totally agree; the mephedrone ban only led to increased usage of more extreme, untested and harcore substitutes like mdpv and other totally untested amphematamine analogues. And eventually led me to benzos and opiates. Mephedrone would have been sufficient.

The pointless banning of 1st and 2nd gen cannabinoids. The day the bans were implemented the next generation appeared on sale. It would be a fuckin comedy if it wasnt quite serious stuff.

 

[Gaz_hmmmm]

Mike I've used some and may this weekend. So you could actually talk to me whist I'm high. I just wouldn't want my full name used or my BL username either.

Will you be also reporting on the fact that our Govt' can't relegalise the 'old 'drugs' because of American influence/bullying backed by the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or will that be brushed under the carpet because the media doesn't like to admit our Govt' is influenced too much by the US Govt'/Corporations who have interests in certain drugs staying illegal?

When referring to certain substances will you not be making up daft slang names that people (Muppets and people who've not tried said substance and are wanting it and trying to come across as if they had used it before.) don't use until media has laid on the bullshit?

 

[BlindHelperMonkey]

hey mike, i have experience and have friends with vast experience. i would be prepared to give and arrange for you, as many interviews in whatever medium that you so wish. however, i will expect payment for my time and for the previously stated fact that any publicity, regardless of intent - contributes to its eventual ban



tl;dr email me for research chemical horror stories

 

[lurching]

Aside from all that Mike, and even taking into account your Mixmag article, I'd still remain very cynical about this and advise extreme caution to anyone who approaches you from here offering their words. Mixmag is one thing, the Guardian another. It's good that you're article in Mixmag went through perhaps largely untouched/unedited. But it's not surprising. Mixmag published Roflcoptr and that looked like it had detoured its way past any editorial input. Perhaps Mixmag editors are just lazy.

The Guardian aren't. The Guardian, in my experience, are zealous editors. I've had a few letters published in there. Some of them completely unrecognisable from the words I sent in. The Guardian have advertisers not to upset, it's not a clubbers magazine that might be expected to have a liberal approach to drugs. Ultimately, with the Guardian, you have to admit there is far far more scope for editorial interference.

I wouldn't trust the Guardian to represent my words. But good luck anyway. It's them I'm criticising, not you.

This.

Seems risky, and not worth it (except perhaps for Mr.Article's bank account and portfolio).

 

[Ismene]

I speak to people close to the ACMD and they do very much watch forums such as Bluelight. It's how they knew about MXE

Ok, but methylone was being used and discussed for donkeys years before it got banned. It got banned because a story about a related drug mephedrone appeared in the mainstream press. Within 3 months of that happening it was gone.

They knew about naphyrone the day it launched.

But no-one ever really used naphyrone did they? Apart from methylone it's always been rather comforting that the ACMD are so clueless that they ban drugs that no-one was ever using in the first place - like "Ivory wave", whatever that was.

I'm not interested in knees jerking, thanks.

In that case could you at least try not to name any of the drugs? Particularly the good ones? They're the ones that will be targeted for banning. I remember when the police busted someone the only information they had about the drug were two photocopies - an article in the Guardian and a page from Shulgins book.

But it will be accurate, informed, and written with the honest motivation of finding out what is going on

The trouble is your audience Mike. The only people getting their information about drugs from Guardian articles are policemen and politicians. And how "accurate" about a drug can you really be in the space of an article? You could read a thousand pages about a drug and still have very little, if any, genuine knowledge of it. Particularly if you havn't experienced the drug itself.

 

[Ceres]

FWIW the rednet project are months behind reality and completely out of touch with what's actually happening, it's a bunch of academics accepting grant money and feathering their own nest with it and furthering their own careers.

 

[Jackeh]

I had a wonderful experience with AMT if you're interested in talking about it. I'd have a nice bit to add that some readers (those who usually stay away from drugs) may not know about. Some people think if you try any drug, you'll end up addicted. AMT and similar drugs seem to build a tolerance quickly. The first time was incredible, but when I tried it a week later it wasn't the same. After waiting a month or two and trying it, it felt as good as the same time too. Basically it means drugs like that don't have any addiction potential.

 

[Ismene]

^^

Just bear in mind, if he mentions your glowing review of it, AMT will be banned.

 

[Ben So Furry]

^Fuck no. Get your hand off my aMT. Please NO.

Ok, but methylone was being used and discussed for donkeys years before it got banned. It got banned because a story about a related drug mephedrone appeared in the mainstream press. Within 3 months of that happening it was gone.

They knew about naphyrone the day it launched.

But no-one ever really used naphyrone did they? Apart from methylone it's always been rather comforting that the ACMD are so clueless that they ban drugs that no-one was ever using in the first place - like "Ivory wave", whatever that was.

I'm not interested in knees jerking, thanks.

In that case could you at least try not to name any of the drugs? Particularly the good ones? They're the ones that will be targeted for banning. I remember when the police busted someone the only information they had about the drug were two photocopies - an article in the Guardian and a page from Shulgins book.

But it will be accurate, informed, and written with the honest motivation of finding out what is going on

The trouble is your audience Mike. The only people getting their information about drugs from Guardian articles are policemen and politicians. And how "accurate" about a drug can you really be in the space of an article? You could read a thousand pages about a drug and still have very little, if any, genuine knowledge of it. Particularly if you havn't experienced the drug itself.

Well said Ismeme. :D