Bluelight.org

Hello to the Bluelight community

On 31 August, it will be International Overdose Awareness Day. The tag line for this year's campaign is - Don't let a day go by without doing something to #endoverdose

It could mean having naloxone handy, or using a reagent test kit or fentanyl strip on your gear, or avoiding use when alone where you may not have someone able to call for help if things go wrong. It could be advocating for safe consumptions sites and drug checking services in your part of the world. Or just sharing solid harm reduction advice here at Bluelight.

Over the years, and especially the last 12 months, we've tragically seen some of our Bluelight friends die from overdose. So let's spread the word and look after each other as best we can - we know harm reduction can save lives.

And on that note, we want to let you know about a Canadian initiative supporting harm reduction called DRUGS the musical! It's a fundraiser for Canadian harm reduction groups, as well as an online...

There are reports of different batches of this compound being wildly different potency and quality. As well there are reports going back months that it has given people organ damage, hospitalizations, and other very serious side effects in standard sized oral dosages.

In addition to this, it is speculated that this is the compound which contributed to the OD of our dear recently departed friend on BL.

Avoid this compound at all costs right now, and if you are to use it, start small, and titrate!! Please be careful.

Love you all,

deficiT

I have confirmed this with family. CaptainHeroin, who has been a senior moderator here for so long, has recently passed away from a tragic OD. He has helped me for very many years with harm reduction, along with countless others. He helped me laugh when no one else could. It is with great sadness I announce this to the BL community. I am weeping.

Today marks 20 years since the passing of our friend, Ryan Haight, who we knew fondly as “Quicksilver.” Each year, Bluelight turns “black” on February 12th in remembrance of all whom we’ve lost and as a solemn opportunity to reflect on our mission of harm reduction.

As a community, Bluelight does not condone or condemn drug use. Instead, we seek to encourage open discourse designed to empower wiser choices and deliver our message of harm reduction where it is most likely to be received.

Whether you’re a longtime member or new to our community, Bluelight invites you to be part of this important dialog. In doing so, you will join a growing number of people around the world committed to challenging outdated stereotypes around drugs, drug use and addiction, while providing informational resources and encouragement for those seeking treatment or in recovery.

On behalf of the entire Bluelight community, please join us in our mission of reducing harm through honest and accurate...

At Bluelight.org we encourage collaborative partnerships between academic researchers and our community. In 2016 we were approached by Liam Engel with a proposal to utilise data from Bluelight for his PhD, using an engaged and participatory approach. Liam is now Dr Engel (well done!) and we are thrilled to announce research from our collaboration has been published in the journal Addiction Research and Theory.

Abstract:

People who use drugs understand drugs and drug use in ways that are often different to the way knowledge of drug use is constructed within the dominant medico-legal discourse. Their experiences are, more often than not, represented in negative ways within dominant discourse, a disconnect that can create adverse consequences for people who use drugs, through the production of stigma and shame leading to poor health and social outcomes. A key difference in how drugs are understood by people who use drugs is the capacity of the former to recognize positive aspects...

A study titled 'Cannabis as entheogen: survey and interview data on the spiritual use of cannabis' was recently published in the Open Access 'Journal of Cannabis Research'. The Bluelight community contributed to the survey, along with other online communities, including the Shroomery and DMT Nexus.

Abstract:

This article uses qualitative interviews and quantitative survey data to explore spiritually motivated use of cannabis. Of 265 survey participants who reported their motivations for cannabis use, 25% indicated a spiritual motivation (the corresponding figure for psychedelics was 69% ). These spiritual cannabis users reported experiences with cannabis that, at least in some ways, tended to resemble experiences with psychedelics. In interviews, spiritually motivated cannabis users often emphasized that overuse would diminish the impact of the cannabis experience, which supports previous research that has identified a build-up of tolerance to the effects of cannabis. Some...

Bluelight Research on Ketamine as a Treatment for Depression and PTSD

Bluelight would like to congratulate Tharcila Chaves and her colleagues on their recent publication: The use of ketamine to cope with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder: A qualitative analysis of the discourses posted on a popular online forum. The paper was published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

The abstract is quoted below:

Background
Because of the shortcomings of traditional pharmacotherapy for major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there has been growing interest in the rapid mood-enhancing effect of ketamine.

Objectives
To analyze what has been posted about ketamine use for dealing with self-reported depression and/or PTSD on one of the biggest international message boards on the internet.

Methods
Qualitative study with online observation of threaded discussions on Bluelight. In-depth online searches were conducted in 2018. Twenty-nine...

Hi Bluelighters! Want to find out the latest info about the COVID-19 epidemic, discuss how it affects the lives of those who use drugs, read the experience of others who have had the virus, or vent about how the virus or the measures enacted to combat it have affected you? During the pandemic, we will be regularly updating this handy listing of COVID-19-related threads that can be found throughout the forum:

Basic Drug Discussion

[Opioids] Oxycodone for Coronavirus, will Oxy ease any of the symptoms? (Mar. 19)
[Heroin] Covid-19 What about the junkies? (Mar. 20)
Has Covid-19 affected drug supply/anything drug related in your community? (Mar. 21)


Cannabis Discussion

Cannabis use and COVID-19. (Mar. 29)
Lawmakers push congressional leaders to include marijuana businesses in coronavirus relief bill (Apr. 23)


Sports & Image Enhancing Drugs

The Official SIED Coronavirus Thread v. My Nuts & City is shutdown (Mar. 18 )
If I catch Corona should I stop taking AAS? (Mar. 22)
Corona...

Over the past 6mo of 2019, we saw an incredible growth in the size of our database, far outpacing anything in our 20y history. While we might initially say "YAY! We are growing and really active!!!" this is not entirely true. It is partly true, and we'll bump the stats thread with that bit. But this is not site traffic, this is the SIZE of our database. We've identified that is tied to the ability to upload attachments in some parts of the site. As such, we are switching off the ability to upload attachments. If you need to share a picture, please get it hosted somewhere and use the image linking that is available. We're sorry for the inconvenience, but this is necessary to keep the database manageable. Thank you.

It has now been 19 years since Bluelight first went “black,” in remembrance of one of our members. Ryan Haight, who many knew as “Quicksilver,” was an exceptional young man and a friend to many here at Bluelight. He was not the first loss this community suffered, and sadly, he has not been the last. It’s for this reason that we take this day each year as a solemn opportunity to remember all whom we’ve lost and reflect on our mission of harm reduction.

Over these past 19 years we’ve watched the world transform in the wake of the opioid epidemic. Few families can now say they have not been impacted in one way or another. As a result, society and medicine have increasingly rejected outdated stereotypes and misperceptions around drugs, drug use, addiction and overdose. As a community we feel our mission is as critical and timely as ever.

Whether you’re a longtime member or new to our community, Bluelight invites you to be part of this important ongoing dialog. We do not...