I think I can see yours and JWills20's points (correct me if I'm wrong): What's the point of knowing the symptoms of these chemicals, when you don't want to take most of them in the first place?
Well, there is a point in understanding the effects of these drugs. But they're not MDMA (or as it's colloqually refered to as 'Ecstasy'). I guess the point I'm making is it's important to differentiate between these drugs. I'm just afraid of an article which says things like this 'Ecstasy users reported taking X, Y, Z drugs of which the effects for X, Y, Z were reported as this'. Which just makes the community appear to be a bunch of people just after a quick buzz taking whatever they can get their hands on. The majority of users want MDMA, anything else they take is usually by mistake.
My thinking is that there are people who will take pills and powders without knowing what's in them -- or who have done so in the past. I figure that knowing the symptoms would help those consumers know what they took.
Yep, the majority of users take pills/powders without exactly knowing what it is. Unless you test it, who knows? The problem with trying to match the symptoms to the drugs is that it's just simply speculation. 'What did I take?' threads aren't allowed here for that very reason - it's all speculation. You could attribute a whole set of effects to X drug when infact it was Y drug (as the media does with the majority of Ecstasy articles). It's just not productive and misinforming.
Though I think I should include info on how to test samples before taking them. Besides reagent testing, are there other methods you think regular people can use?
Yeah definitely. I've never read one article which suggests the importance of testing. A test kit is really the only way for a
regular person to find out what they're taking. If you're fortunate enough to reside in Holland, there are test centres specifically designed for testing your substances. These resources are very pricey though, but could be worth a mention. The test kit is the cheapest and easiest way. If you don't know what they are, give it a google.
An article mentioning HR would be a refreshing read from the usual scare-mongering story.