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Announcing deductible gift recipient status (in AUS) & roll out of new terms of use

Hello everyone We have a couple of announcements: 1. Last week, we found out that the Australian Tax Office accepted our application to become a deductible gift recipient charity. This means if you are Australian, you can claim your donation to Bluelight as a tax deduction! Unfortunately this status is not global, but it is also a sign of our legitimate status as a charity working to reduce drug-related harms in our communities. We will soon be overhauling our donation portal to make it easier for people to donate in their own currency, as well as one-off or recurring contributions. We will let you know when the new portal has launched, but in the meantime, anyone can make a one-time tax-deductible donation in Australian dollars here. 2. Over the past couple of years, we've been engaging both US and Australian lawyers to update our terms of use. We've now finalised the wording and will be rolling it out soon. What does this mean for you? Some time over the next month, you will...

ARTICLE: 'The weaponization of antipsychotic injections'

This thread is for discussion of the article 'The weaponization of antipsychotic injections' by Tony Tomcykoski, AKA @ions. Feel free to post your thoughts about the article, and/or any questions you might have. Here in the Bluelight Article Discussion forum, we also invite article authors to respond to the discussion. Constructive criticism and civil debate are welcome; however, abusive comments will not be tolerated. The Bluelight User Agreement (BLUA) applies, as it does across our site. :)

[AUS] The Australian Ketamine Survey

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share the details of a new Australian study: The Australian Ketamine Survey (AuKS) aims to explore the characteristics of people who use ketamine in Australia, gain a basic understanding of why people use ketamine, and identify some harms and benefits experienced by people related to their ketamine use. Overview The proposed research aims to explore non-prescribed (illicit) ketamine use in Australia. There are indications that non-prescribed ketamine use has increased in Australia but little information about what this use actually looks like. We want to gain insight into who might be using ketamine in Australia, how they use ketamine, and why they use it. We want to identify the consequences of ketamine use, both the benefits and the harms. We will do this to inform future research and the provision of harm reduction and medical services to people who use ketamine in Australia. What the Study Involves The AuKS utilises an online survey of people...

Announcing the (new) Bluelight Merch Store + Partnership with Support. Don’t Punish!

Announcing the Bluelight Harm Reduction Merch Store + Partnership with Support. Don’t Punish! This merch is going to help us spread the word of harm reduction. Every design is crafted to carry our mission forward: helping others learn factual information about drugs and those who use them, support the community and help connect others to resources in order to create a safer more loving space for everybody. We’re proud to collaborate with Support. Don’t Punish, a global initiative challenging stigma and transforming how communities view addiction and harm reduction. Part of the proceeds from our collab designs go directly to their work. Explore the store here: https://bluelight-communities-ltd-shop.fourthwall.com/ Check out SDP and read their latest updates here: https://supportdontpunish.org/ Huge shoutout to Discord moderator Moody - @ClementinesRevenge - for her artistic direction of the merch shop! Note: this is our second attempt at a merch shop, after it turned out...

ARTICLE: '7-OH, kratom, and the criminalization of pain relief in America'

This thread is for discussion of the article '7-OH, kratom, and the criminalization of pain relief in America' by Jay Davis. Feel free to post your thoughts about the article, and/or any questions you might have. Here in the Bluelight Article Discussion forum, we also invite article authors to respond to the discussion. Constructive criticism and civil debate are welcome; however, abusive comments will not be tolerated. The Bluelight User Agreement (BLUA) applies, as it does across our site. :)

EGA presents Garden States - an outdoor ethnobotanical conference: 28 Nov to 1 Dec, Victoria, Australia.

About Garden States: Regeneration As Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) celebrates its 21st year in 2025 we’ll be holding a long-awaited outdoor ethnobotanical conference, getting everyone back to the garden and amongst nature. For decades, our iconic open-air, multi-day events have earned a place in people's hearts and minds as unique and special gatherings run by and for the community. Garden States: Regeneration is scheduled for Friday, 28 November to Monday, 1 December 2025. Be sure to mark these dates in your calendar! It will be an educational conference in a lush forest setting, approximately one hour southeast of Melbourne’s CBD, where attendees can camp among the trees and under the stars, all on one beautiful site, learning and growing together. As with our past events, attendees and presenters will travel from far and wide to converge at this one-of-a-kind botanical gathering. Offering an abundance of nourishment for both the mind and body, and endless opportunities to...

[Worldwide] Share Your Story: Research on Living with SSRI Antidepressants

Have you ever felt that your personal experience with antidepressants includes an untold story? What aspects of living with this medication do you feel are rarely discussed? My name is Javier García Martínez, and I am a PhD student researching the lived experiences of people taking SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants. You might know them by common brand names like Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, or Paxil, or by their generic names like Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Escitalopram, Citalopram, or Paroxetine. Like many of you, I have my own personal history with these medications. It is this lived experience that drives my research. I feel a strong need to explore the everyday realities of life with SSRIs—from the shifts, whether you experienced them or not, in ourselves, our relationships, or the world around us—which are often missing from research, patient information leaflets, and policies. This study aims to fill that gap. From changes to your body and mind...

[Worldwide] Help build a better scale to rate new drugs - that acknowledges both positives and negatives!

Hello! Our names are Raimondo Bruno, Shahni Watts and Stephen Bright – we are from the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Tasmania and Edith Cowan University. This project is part of Shahni’s Clinical Psychology master’s degree. We’re trying to make a scale (a questionnaire) for rating new drugs. New drugs come on to the market pretty rapidly. When they first come out, they typically haven’t had any testing, and sometimes they’re just plain awful (the synthetic cannabinoid that left people too heavily stoned for 72 hours comes to mind). We are hoping to come up with a quick but thorough way for people to record their experiences with a new substance. One of the ways this might be applied is in early warning systems where people who use drugs post reports on their experience with drug batches and new drugs. While this isn’t as good as drug checking (or having a safe supply) it is a good way for the community to help each other. Getting a questionnaire that is...