Subject: rec.drugs Frequently Asked Questions [ FAQ ]
Summary: Introduction to rec.drugs and pointer
         to other FAQs (weekly posting)
Supersedes: <daemon.3la1@brahman.nullnet.fi>
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 96 03:00:45 EET

Archive-Name: drugs/rec-drugs-FAQ
Posting-Frequency: weekly
Version: 1.0c

     *** The QuickFAQ[tm] - Asking any of these will get you shot ***

Question:                                  Answer:

Where can I get the drug FAQs?             FTP/Gopher/WWW to hyperreal.com.
Can you mail me a FAQ...                   No.  See part B.
Is there strychnine in LSD (acid)?         No.  See part C question 1.
Gimme a recipe for LSD/XTC/speed...        No.  See part C question 4.
Can piss tests detect LSD/shrooms?         No.  See part C question 12.
Will banana skins get me high?             No.  See part C question 15.
What should I do before a piss test?       Drink lots of water.

                   REC.DRUGS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
                        (The New Miscellaneous FAQ)
                Maintained by:    gnosis@brahman.nullnet.fi
                Special kudos to: lamont@hyperreal.com

Note: This is *not* an attempt at a comprehensive FAQ on all aspects of
all drugs, that's what the individual drug FAQs are for.  Instead, this is a
guide on how to behave in rec.drugs, how to use net resources and an answer
to some *really* frequently asked questions.  Part A covers general stuff
regarding rec.drugs and net, part B lists the FAQs, and part C gives slightly
more detailed answers to the questions above and more.

A) The rec.drugs hierarchy

   rec.drugs is a forum where people interested in the use of mind-altering
substances, not necessarily even illegal ones, get together to share
information and swap stories.  If you are against drug use and post about
it, be prepared to have lots of references and solid info on hand, since
otherwise you WILL be flamed.  Also, don't even THINK about trying to buy
drugs on rec.drugs...  you won't get any, period.

   rec.drugs is subdivided into the following groups:

rec.drugs.cannabis       The drug cannabis (aka marijuana or pot).
rec.drugs.psychedelic    LSD, Ecstasy, magic mushrooms and the like.
rec.drugs.misc           Stimulants, sedatives, smart drugs et al.  

   rec.drugs.* was created on Wednesday June 19th 1995 by public vote.  It
is the successor of the venerable alt.drugs, which was created in 1986
as the 2nd oldest group in the alt hierarchy.  Please consult the
"alt.drugs is dead FAQ", posted weekly in alt.drugs.*, for the rationale
behind the change.  The following groups of interest outside the rec.drugs.*
hierarchy are considered valid and usable:

alt.drugs.caffeine       Coffee, tea, and more exotic caffeine sources.
alt.drunken.bastards     Abusers of the drug ethanol.
alt.hemp                 Various uses of the plant, focus on industrial use.
alt.psychoactives        Primarily nootropics, ie. "smart drugs".
alt.smokers              Nicotine addicts' discussion group.
rec.food.drink.beer      Beer discussion.
rec.food.drink.coffee    Coffee, with and without caffeine.
sci.life-extension       Additional "smart drug" discussion.
sci.med.pharmacy         Technical discussion about pharmaceutical drugs.
sci.med.psychobiology    Technical discussion about legal psychoactives.
talk.politics.drugs      The politics of drugs.

   All alt.drugs.* groups except a.d.caffeine are considered obsolete;
a.d.chemistry and a.d.hard are still usable but not recommended.

   Rumors abound about the Feds/the cops/the DEA monitoring rec.drugs,
but evidently nobody has been busted/investigated *solely* because of
posting.  But if you're going to admit to something illegal, it's a good
idea to post it via an anonymous server.  Just mail your message to
rec.drugs.misc@anon.penet.fi, and the rest is magic.  For more details,
mail help@anon.penet.fi.

   Here are some acronyms in common use on rec.drugs.*:

   5-HT      5-hydroxytryptamine aka serotonin (a chemical found in the
             brain; many drugs affect serotonin levels)
   DMT       N,N-dimethyltryptamine (an extremely powerful hallucinogen)
   DXM       Dextromethorphan (a hallucinogen found in some cough syrups)
   FOAF      Friend of a Friend
   LSD       Lysergic acid diethylamide (a popular hallucinogen)
   WoD       War on Drugs
   WoSD      War on Some Drugs (ie. alcohol, nicotine, caffeine excluded)
   YMMV      Your Mileage May Vary (ie. individual reactions are different)

   And finally, the unofficial IRC counterpart of rec.drugs.* is the channel
#drugs, which is reasonably active; also check out #pot and #hemp.

B) Other FAQs (WHICH I WILL *NOT* MAIL TO YOU)

   The following FAQs are posted regularly:

   Weekly:   rec.drugs FAQ
   Biweekly: Addresses FAQ, Natural Highs FAQ
   Monthly:  Anti War-on-Drugs Activists' List, The Drug Price Report

   There are a whole bunch of FAQs for individual drugs and drug classes,
which are posted highly irregularly.  All of the above as well as all of
the following can be found at hyperreal.com in the directory /drugs/faqs
thru FTP/Gopher/WWW.  If you can't connect, the problem is at your end,
not hyperreal's.

   Absinthe, Bibliography, Bong-Pipe, Caffeine, Cannabis Hemp (alt.hemp),
   Codeine, Dextromethorphan, Drug Testing, Eating Marijuana, Grain Alcohol,
   Gravity Bong, Growlights, Institute for Hemp, LSD, LSD-Tattoo, Marijuana
   Consumption, Marijuana Law, Marijuana Myths, MDMA (Ecstasy), MDMA
   Synthesis, Methamphetamine (Speed), Morning Glory, Natural Highs
   Australia, Neuropharmacology, Nutmeg, Opioid, Opioid Analgesics,
   Psilocybe Mushroom, San Pedro Potency, Smart Drink, Solvents, Thailand,
   Tryptamine Carriers, W

   For instructions on how to FTP, go over to news.announce.newusers
and get the help files, or buy a book on using the Internet.

   If you can't use FTP, Gopher, WWW or other services that need a direct
connection, fear not, you can use the FTP-by-mail services!  Here's a list
of server addresses, mail a message consisting of the word "help" to one:
ftpmail@sunsite.unc.edu, ftpmail@src.doc.ic.ac.uk, bitftp@pucc.bitnet

C) Really Frequently Asked Questions

   All directory and file paths refer to hyperreal.com.  Extensive references
for almost all the info below are available in a separate file.

1. Is there strychnine (rat poison) in LSD?

   No, there is no strychnine in LSD.  EVER.  It is physically impossible to
fit enough strychnine on a blotter tab to cause an effect; besides, since
strychnine is expensive and the manufacturing process never uses it, there's
absolutely no point in putting it there.  (No, it does not bind the
LSD to the paper or carry it across the blood-brain barrier or...)
Large-scale lab analyses of street samples have never found ANY strychnine
in LSD.  The 'speedy' effects of acid, often attributed to the mythical
strychnine, are in fact caused by a bad set and setting, not impurities in
the drug.  See the LSD FAQ and /drugs/psychedelics/lsd/strychnine.

2. Does LSD leave crystals in your brain/spinal fluid that cause flashbacks?

   No. LSD is water soluble and entirely cycled out of your system within
a few days.  Full-fledged "pathological" flashbacks can be caused by any
traumatic or extraordinary experience, including an LSD trip, but are not
directly caused by the drug.  See the LSD FAQ.

3. What happens if I take LSD while I'm on Prozac or other antidepressants?

   Certain antidepressants including SSRIs like Prozac will reduce the effect
of psychedelics, but there are two notable exceptions.  MDMA and a MAOI can
induce a hypertensive crisis which may cause death!  TCA or lithium and a
hallucinogen will increase the effect of the drug, often to an unpleasant
extent.  If you have a story, mail kbonson@helix.nih.gov to participate in
her study on this.

4. I have a recipe for making LSD with moldy rye bread and hair spray...

   No.  The -synthesis- of LSD is a very, very difficult process that
requires dangerous chemicals and lots of experience in organic chemistry.
Check out http://hyperreal.com/drugs/faqs/synthesis.html (also available
by FTP) for information on the synthesis of GHB, LSD, MDMA, methamphetamine,
methcathinone and N2O.  If you don't understand the synthesis, go read
organic chemistry, we can't put it "in English" for you.

As for some of the more famous recipes:
LSD from apple cores:   No.
LSD from Foster's beer: No, the recipe is some twit's idea of a joke.
LSD from orange peels:  No.
LSD from moldy rye:     A laboratory (not kitchen) can extract LSA, a related
                        substance.  See /drugs/psychedelics/lsd/ergot.culture.
LSD from morning glory: Another extraction of LSA, see the Morning Glory FAQ.
Meth from inhalers:     An extraction of l-methamphetamine, a much weaker
                        substance than real meth.

5. Can you overdose on acid/pot?

   No, overdosing on pot would require smoking or eating several KILOS of
the stuff within 15 minutes.  Overdosing on LSD is equally difficult.  There
is a case where a number of people snorted a massive overdose (equal to
around 1250 hits) of pure LSD tartrate, believing it to be cocaine; some
of them fell into comas and had other severe physical reactions, but lived
through the experience with no permanent physical or mental damage.

6. What is Ecstasy (E, X, XTC)?

   Ecstasy should be 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), but on
the street it is often a close chemical relative like MDA or MDE.  It
may also on occasion be a mixture of unrelated chemicals like LSD and/or
methamphetamine (speed).  Contrary to popular belief E is *not* laced
with heroin, heroin costs too much, is very different in its effects, and
is only very weakly active orally; the only possibility is a heroin/MDMA
mix for snorting or injecting.  What people think of as effects caused by
heroin are often just MDA or MDE.

7. Does MDMA cause brain damage/Parkinson's disease/deplete spinal fluid?

   No, although investigations on possible brain damage continue; there
is certainly no drastic brain damage though.  The Parkinson's rumors come
from a journalist confusing MDMA with MPTP, a product of screwed-up opiate
manufacture which has nothing at all to do with MDMA.  See the MDMA FAQ.

8. Are shroom kits legal, and do they work?

   The spores in the kits contain no psilocybin, so they are legal, except
in California.  They work, but only if you're willing to put effort into
growing.  See the Psilocybe Mushroom FAQ and /drugs/psychedelics/mushrooms.

9. Will marijuana do <X> to my body?

   Marijuana does *not* cause brain/immune/reproductive system damage,
concentrate in the brain/testicles, enlarge breasts in males or damage
chromosomes.  It *can* cause lung ailments such as cancer, and driving
while stoned *can* cause accidents.  MJ smoke is *not* 10 times worse than
tobacco, they are roughly equal, it may even be less harmful.  See Marijuana
Myths or the Cannabis Hemp (alt.hemp) FAQ for more details.

10. I just got a microdot of synthetic mescaline...

   No.  An effective dose of mescaline would not fit in a microdot or
on blotter, and mescaline in the black market is extremely rare anyway.
Most of what is called mescaline is in fact LSD.

11. My friend told me that pot is often laced with acid...

   No.  Pot is one of the cheapest drugs around, and just about anything
added to it would make it more expensive.  If somebody tells you that
their pot was laced, almost always it just means they got hold of some really
good pot and/or just got much more stoned than usual.  If the pot was laced
with acid, the acid would be destroyed by the heat when you smoked it.
Occasionally pot laced with PCP, opium, or heroin is available, if so
you will be told since it costs much more.

12. Help, I have a piss test next week and...

   Summary: Stop smoking and drink water.  8 glasses a day for two weeks
should put you in the clear, but even a week is often enough.  Herbs like
Goldenseal do *NOT* help.  Adulterants like Drano, bleach, or vinegar do
*NOT* help and are likely to be noticed.  Most urine tests cannot detect
LSD, psilocybin or low doses of MDMA.  See the Drug Testing FWI file,
available at hyperreal and http://www.csun.edu/~hbcsc096.

13. What is "skunk"?

   Skunk is a type of hemp (cannabis).  It originally meant Cannabis indica
in general, but over the last 20 years has come to refer to a name of
particular sativa/indica cross. While Dutch skunk is famous, the name
did not originate there (although the cross now known as skunk may have).

14. What are the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)?

   The drugs phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), l-deprenyl
(ElDepryl, Selegiline) and plants containing harmaline (passionflower,
Banisteriopsis caapi and Peganum harmala).  THAT'S IT!  Prozac, MDMA, beer,
wine, cheese, chocolate etc are things you should AVOID when on a MAOI,
they are *not* MAOIs themselves.  Combining MAOIs and other drugs is
potentially dangerous, do research beforehand.

15. Can I smoke or eat <X> to get high?

All of the following either don't work or very little is known about them.
Funny as it may seem, black market drugs are probably safer.  Substances
marked with (*) are very dangerous and can -KILL- you.

Aspirin:.No, and aspirin is lethal in high doses. (*)
Banana skins:   No, the Anarchist Cookbook's "bananadine" is a myth, along
                with almost all the drug recipes in the book.
Catnip:         No, unless you're a cat.
Chia pets:      No.
Cloud 9:        No, it contains only a bit of ephedrine (a mild stimulant).
                A cup of coffee is much stronger.
Coke & aspirin: No, and aspirin is lethal in high doses. (*)
Cough syrup:    Yes, if it has dextromethorphan (DXM).  Some DXM cough syrups
                will make you sick though, see the Dextromethorphan FAQ.
Dramamine:      Yes, but it's *really* nasty stuff.  Hallucinations that seem
                like reality and no euphoria.  See /drugs/misc/dramamine. (*)
Herbal E:       No, see Cloud 9.
Jimson weed:    Yes, but it's a deleriant like Dramamine.  Many people every
                year are killed by overdose.  See /drugs/natural/datura. (*)
Laughing gas:   Yes, if it's medical or food grade and you're careful (people
                have died from suffocation).  See the Nitrous Oxide FAQ.
Moldy rye:      No, and you'll get quite sick if you try. (*)
Morning glory:  Yes, but it causes nausea.  See the Morning Glory FAQ.
Nutmeg:         Yes, but most people find it unpleasant, primarily due
                to horrible taste, nausea/vomiting, and 3-day hangover.
                See the Nutmeg FAQ and /drugs/natural/nutmeg.
Peanut shells:  No.
Poppy seeds:    No, the seeds contain no opium.
Toads:          Yes, some *rare* toads, namely Bufo alvarus, secrete a
                smokeable venom containing the powerful hallucinogen
                5-MeO-DMT.  See /drugs/psychedelics/tryptamines.
Yubah Gold:     No.

In addition to the favorites above, a number of obscure legal herbs and plants
can be used as drugs; most of the common ones contain only ephedrine or
caffeine though.  See the Natural Highs FAQ and /drugs/natural for more.