Writing-up Experienced consumers of novel substances wanted for GRASP (Global Research and Analysis of new Substances Project)

Tronica

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Please see the below invitation to participate in the GRASP research project!


Global Research and Analysis of new Substances Project

Hello Bluelighters

My name is Marc Grifell Guàrdia, and I am contacting you to ask for your collaboration on a research project I am developing with the collaboration of the three institutions I belong to: Energy Control (EC), the Autonomous University of Barcelona (AUB), Columbia University (CU) and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM).

The principal investigator of this study is Marc Grifell Guàrdia, from Hospital del Mar research Institute (IMIM) and Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). The research team is comprised of leading figures in the field like Dr. Carl Hart from Columbia University and Dr. Mireia Ventura from Energy Control, as well as members of different online communities.

The name of the project is GRASP (Global Research and Analysis of new Substances Project) and has been approved by the IMIM’s Institutional Review Board (CEIC).

The goal is to provide fast and reliable information about the subjective effects of new psychoactive substances (NPS) as they emerge in internet communities. We believe that there is a gap between trip reports or discussions and controlled trials with healthy volunteers. We want to implement a new methodology combining the speed of the self-reported information with the reliability of controlled trials.

For this reason, we invite you to help us develop this project. If you decide to participate, you will be invited to a private forum where free drug checking services will be provided to all participants (GC/MS and HPLC). There, you will asked to systematically report the effects of the NPS you have decided to test. Also, we hope you will engage in a discussion with the research team to design the second phase of this study. We believe that people like you can make a difference in the development of scientific knowledge if provided with the necessary tools. With your help, we will make self-experimentation a valid source of scientific knowledge. We hope that the reliable, balanced and timely information produced in this study will be able to shape drug policy.

If you want to participate, please send an email to [email protected]. We want to protect both your virtual and physical identity, so the only identifiable information will be the email address from which you send the message. Do not add any other information. Please make sure it’s anonymous and you check it regularly. You will receive a time-sensitive invitation there within the next 24 hours. You will have 72 hours after receiving the invitation to register.

Thank you very much on behalf of the entire research team,
Marc Grifell Guàrdia


EDIT: the project is now closed and awaiting findings!
 
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How interesting, I'd consider participating. I wonder if it could be a law enforcement operation though (fortunately i don't deal with substances that aren't technically legal or at worst gray area). Still, i suppose it could be a law enforcement operation (though not likely). Did anyone else here sign up???
 
I can categorically tell you it's not law enforcement - that is, I know the people involved. They are Energy Control. A Spanish drug checking service. https://energycontrol-international.org/

In any case, you remain anonymous through the process, at their request. You just get given an id number so the results of your sample can be provided back to you (you enter the number into a web portal I believe, something like that).
 
In terms of others that have done it, the project reported to me that 5 other Bluelight staff participated so far, and he mentioned that the Bluelighters were the most engaged in terms of providing detailed trip reports, etc. Which does not surprise me !!
 
while i would participate for the benefit of insight into the deeper spectrum of narcotic effects of substances, i fear this would in turn somehow contradict my personal beliefs/views of my very liberal drug views. but it sounds interesting nontheless.
 
while i would participate for the benefit of insight into the deeper spectrum of narcotic effects of substances, i fear this would in turn somehow contradict my personal beliefs/views of my very liberal drug views. but it sounds interesting nontheless.

Hi Zonxx. Curious as to why you have this fear that the study would contradict your views on drugs. Feel free to check out Energy Control's website - https://energycontrol-international.org/ - I think you can see from viewing it the kind of agency they are and what they support.
 
Hi Zonxx. Curious as to why you have this fear that the study would contradict your views on drugs. Feel free to check out Energy Control's website - https://energycontrol-international.org/ - I think you can see from viewing it the kind of agency they are and what they support.
Because while i participate on Bluelight to the extent of assisting with harm reduction with personal experience, i have concluded that such collected information whether attained with good nature or to condemn, usually in some way shape or form is either misconstrude from public documents, or shared and leaked where they're formulated in a particular way that makes the substance(s) that are subject to the study regarded in some way a negative light, and while i can respect the entire aspect or EC-I i have vowed never to contribute to the prohibition nor banning of substances due to potential risks, even those that may be extremely fatal such as carfentanil etc, while i believe some control should be exerted to a certain extent, i also can't possibly contribute towards the potential positive aswell as tenative negative outcome of the review/study and whom else has access to and or uses the information acquired, i'll consider this when i'm not extremely intoxicated, i can't possibly make any decisions in my condition except for finding a way to drink more water
 
The idea of withholding information by not participating, because it may be twisted and misconstrued, does not seem beneficial to your cause. Sure scientific results can be intentionally slanted, but if that's a predetermined goal of a study its a sham anyway and the results would be the same no matter if you contributed or not. So really you only have the possibility of forwarding your views by contributing your experiences as a legit study will take them into account.
 
I joined, though i am a little wary of shipping drugs (legal or not) overseas to spain for GCMS testing. That said, I will likely send samples in for testing. I wonder if it includes quantification (aside from mere identification). I also wonder if they will test plant material, though I doubt it.
 
I did send an email but got no answer, how long it took to get a reply for you guys?
 
No way, research Chems sound scary lol

I had a guy sell me something one occasion, he said it was meth.

It was DEFINITELY not meth.
It was fun at the time but THE WORST COME DOWN IVE EVER HAD.

I only wish I knew what it was.
I’ve deduced research chem simply because I know it’s cheap, easy to get hold of and he had a LOT on him
He didn’t even weigh my bag, he just had this brown paper bag of stuff that looked a little like crystal meth but the shards weren’t quite right.

From what I read online it seemed to be research chems. It didn’t last very long
 
Sounds like the perfect situation to have the substance tested. If a participant submits an unknown sample will they get access to results so they know what it was?
 
Sounds like the perfect situation to have the substance tested. If a participant submits an unknown sample will they get access to results so they know what it was?

Yes apparently those that send im compounds recieve the GC-MS data
 
Gcms data doesn't do much for ppl who can't translate the peaks of that graph into a word that tells you exactly what it is.do they have someone to spell it out for the general public?
 
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