Erowid

Last updated
Erowid Center
Founded1995
FoundersFire Erowid, Earth Erowid
20-3256212
Legal status 501(c)(3) [1]
FocusDrug information
Drug education
Location
Area served
Worldwide
Members
~2,000 members
Key people
Fire Erowid, (Executive Director)
Earth Erowid, (Technical Director)
Affiliations Bluelight.org
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
Website www.erowid.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
RemarksOver 90,000 unique visitors per day [2]

Erowid, also called Erowid Center, is a non-profit educational organization that provides information about psychoactive plants and chemicals. [3] [4]

Contents

Erowid documents legal and illegal substances, including their intended and adverse effects. Information on Erowid's website is gathered from diverse sources including published literature, experts in related fields, and the experiences of the general public. Erowid acts as a publisher of new information as well as a library for the collection of documents and images published elsewhere.

History

Erowid was founded in April 1995 as a small business; their website appeared six months later. [5] The name "Erowid" was chosen to reflect the organization's stated philosophy of education. Using Proto-Indo-European linguistic roots, "Erowid" roughly translates into "Earth Wisdom". [3]

In 2005, the 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization, "Erowid Center", was formed. [6] The organization is supported by donations, and its website is free of advertisements. Although its primary focus is on the website, Erowid Center also provides research and data for other harm reduction, health, and educational organizations. The organization is based in Northern California. [7]

Fire Erowid and Earth Erowid are the sobriquets of the two creators of the site. Both work full-time on the project, along with speaking at conferences, producing original research, and contributing to entheogenic research. [3] According to the site, the creators' vision includes a "world where people treat psychoactives with respect and awareness; where people work together to collect and share knowledge in ways that strengthen their understanding of themselves, and provide insight into the complex choices faced by individuals and societies alike." [4]

Erowid Center's mission is to provide and facilitate access to objective, accurate, and non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants, chemicals, technologies, and related issues. [8] According to one study, "Erowid is a trusted resource for drug information—both positive and negative," [8] and Erowid has been extensively cited worldwide by book authors, [9] scientific and medical journals, [10] [11] newspapers, [12] [13] magazines, [14] [15] filmmakers, [16] radio and TV shows, [17] [18] [19] Ph.D. students, [20] [21] web sites, and other media producers.

Projects

Online library

The library contains over 63,000 documents related to over 737 psychoactive substances, [3] [22] including images, research summaries and abstracts, FAQs, media articles, experience reports, information on chemistry, dosage, effects, law, health, traditional and spiritual use, and drug testing. As of July 2014, over 17 million people visit the site each year. [23]

The site generally contains more detail in the pages listed under plants and chemicals than in other sections. It does not have comprehensive information about the specific effects of most pharmaceuticals. Such information may appear elsewhere on the site, where one can read about people's individual reactions to various drugs. [24]

Experience Vaults

Erowid allows site visitors to submit descriptions of their own personal experiences with psychoactive substances for review and possible publication. The site states that they welcome all perspectives regarding personal psychoactive experience, including positive, negative, and neutral. Their collection consists of more than 30,000 edited, reviewed, and published reports, as well as stating that they have another 55,000 unpublished reports undergoing review. [25] Many of their reports are collected from Bluelight.org, and the two organizations have collaborated to categorize and publish trip reports. [26] [27]

DrugsData / EcstasyData

Erowid also runs DrugsData (formerly EcstasyData), an independent laboratory drug checking program co-sponsored by IsomerDesign and DanceSafe, which monitors the quality of American street ecstasy.

Launched in July 2001, its purpose is to collect, manage, review, and present laboratory drug checking results from a variety of organizations. [28] Tablets of street ecstasy can be anonymously submitted to a DEA licensed laboratory for testing and then photos of the tablets and GC/MS test results are published on the project's website. EcstasyData has published testing results for nearly 3,000 samples. [29] Testing costs have sometimes been covered by project funding (when available) and at other times are covered by those who submit tablets for testing. At least one published study uses EcstasyData.org as a primary source of data. [30] [31]

Erowid Extracts

Erowid Extracts, the bi-annual members' newsletter of Erowid, has been published each year since 2001. It provides updates on the organization's activities, results of surveys conducted on Erowid.org, experience reports, new articles on various aspects of psychedelic and psychoactive plants and drugs, and information about psychedelic culture and events. New issues of Erowid Extracts are sent to members, but past issues are available on the Erowid website. [32]

Psychoactive Reference Library

Erowid and The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) collaborated on two large reference database projects. Erowid has provided expertise and work developing and coordinating the construction of an online psychoactive drug reference library, and MAPS has published a similar collection [33]

Document archiving

Erowid Center also archives and provides access to thousands of older texts in their online and physical libraries. By collecting and making these texts available, they attempt to promote an understanding of the changing contexts surrounding the use of psychoactive drugs. Major archiving projects include the Albert Hofmann collection, the Myron Stolaroff Collection, documents from Alexander Shulgin, and a complete archived snapshot of The Hive. [34]

Reception

Due to the subject matter presented on Erowid.org, the site has drawn praise and criticism from both the media and medical officials. Edward Boyer, an emergency-room physician, and toxicologist, while admitting that Erowid has a plethora of useful information, once argued the site may cause more harm than good to potential drug users. Boyer has since come to cautiously admire Earth and Fire, and no longer refers to their site as 'partisan,' though he still sometimes argues that Erowid minimizes adverse effects and includes too much unreliable – and potentially harmful – data in its quest to present all sides. Boyer argues, "Erowid is so comprehensive, and so much of the information is correct that, unless you're an expert in medical toxicology, you may miss the dangerous information that's close to the surface." [35]

In the context of this debate, anthropologist Nicolas Langlitz argued that Erowid also sometimes serves as a mechanism of postmarket surveillance or pharmacovigilance in the realm of illicit and experimental substances. [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

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3,4-Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, and molly or mandy, is a potent empathogen–entactogen with stimulant and minor psychedelic properties. Investigational indications include as an adjunct to psychotherapy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety in autism spectrum disorder. The purported pharmacological effects that may be prosocial include altered sensations, increased energy, empathy, and pleasure. When taken by mouth, effects begin in 30 to 45 minutes and last three to six hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Club drug</span> Category of recreational drugs

Club drugs, also called rave drugs or party drugs, are a loosely defined category of recreational drugs which are associated with discothèques in the 1970s and nightclubs, dance clubs, electronic dance music (EDM) parties, and raves in the 1980s to today. Unlike many other categories, such as opiates and benzodiazepines, which are established according to pharmaceutical or chemical properties, club drugs are a "category of convenience", in which drugs are included due to the locations they are consumed and/or where the user goes while under the influence of the drugs. Club drugs are generally used by adolescents and young adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DanceSafe</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2C-B</span> Psychoactive drug

2C-B (4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine) is a synthetic psychedelic drug of the 2C family, mainly used as a recreational drug. The substance was first synthesized by Alexander Shulgin in 1974, and gained an initial reputation for potential psychotherapeutic use, but its use has been limited to mainly recreational use. To date, there is limited scientific information regarding the drug's pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects in humans. The existing studies primarily classify 2C-B as a stimulant, and hallucinogen, and less commonly as an entactogen, and empathogen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2C-E</span> Chemical compound

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscimol</span> Chemical compound

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The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is an American nonprofit organization working to raise awareness and understanding of psychedelic substances. MAPS was founded in 1986 by Rick Doblin and is now based in San Jose, California.

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References

  1. ↑ "Erowid Center | Grass Valley, CA | Cause IQ". www.causeiq.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  2. ↑ "Erowid.org—Unique Visitors per Day." Archived 2019-03-22 at the Wayback Machine Erowid.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Emily Witt. "The trip planners." Archived 2020-05-03 at the Wayback Machine New Yorker. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  4. 1 2 "About Erowid: Mision, Vision, and Crew". Erowid.org. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Erowid, Fire, Erowid F. "Erowid: 10 Years of History." Erowid Extracts. Jun 2005;8:12-14, Erowid.org, archived from the original on 2020-05-18, retrieved 2010-02-08
  6. ↑ Guidestar Entry, Guidestar, archived from the original on 2013-12-11, retrieved 2012-07-05
  7. ↑ Where is Erowid located?, archived from the original on 2020-05-18, retrieved 2013-04-07
  8. 1 2 Murguía, Edward; Tackett-Gibson, Melissa; Lessem, Ann (2007). Real Drugs in a Virtual World: Drug Discourse and Community Online. Lexington Books. ISBN   9780739114551. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
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  14. ↑ Piore, A. "Chemists in the Shadows". Discover Magazine. Mar 2012
  15. ↑ Jacob Sullum (2012-02-23), Rand Paul Blocks Synthetic Drug Bans, Reason.com, archived from the original on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2012-05-31
  16. ↑ Sauret, E. (2010), Dirty Pictures, Dirtypicturesthefilm.com, archived from the original on 2019-09-17, retrieved 2012-05-31
  17. ↑ Hubert, Martin (February 27, 2010), Erowid: Halluzinationen aus dem Netz (PDF), Wissen.dradio.de, archived from the original (PDF) on September 18, 2020, retrieved June 24, 2022
  18. ↑ Edell, D. "Dr. Dean Edell Show". April 2006
  19. ↑ Childs, D. (2008-01-16), A Homebrewed High? Poppy Tea Hits the Web, Abcnews.go.com, archived from the original on 2019-09-23, retrieved 2012-05-31
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  22. ↑ Erowid Extracts: August 2018, Number 30, Erowid Center, archived from the original on 2020-05-20, retrieved 2018-09-01
  23. ↑ Erowid Extracts: July 2014, Number 26, Erowid Center, archived from the original on 2020-05-04, retrieved 2015-11-16
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  25. ↑ "Search Results : Erowid Experience Vaults". Archived from the original on 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  26. ↑ "Erowid Experience Vaults: Bluelight Experience Report Collection". erowid.org. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
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  28. ↑ About EcstasyData.org, EcstasyData, archived from the original on 2015-11-16, retrieved 2010-02-08
  29. ↑ Test Result Statistics: Summary Data, EcstasyData.org, archived from the original on 2023-07-12, retrieved 2012-05-31
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  32. ↑ Erowid Extracts, Erowid Center, archived from the original on 2012-01-29, retrieved 2012-03-10
  33. ↑ "MAPS/EROWID Psychedelic Bibliography Projects". Archived from the original on 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  34. ↑ "Box, Paper, Scanner - Archives at Erowid". Erowid.org. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  35. ↑ Davis E. (2004-04-30), Don't Get High Without It, LA Weekly, archived from the original on 2005-03-24, retrieved 2012-05-31
  36. ↑ Nicolas Langlitz (2009-06-01), "Pharmacovigilance and Post-black Market Surveillance", Social Studies of Science, 39 (3): 395–420, doi:10.1177/0306312708101977, PMID   19848184, S2CID   7513456
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