This week, I’ll be talking about LSD testing. A somewhat taboo subject, the NY DanceSafe chapter, Ravelrie, Stay Safe Seattle & I really think this needs to be discussed. The appeal of and demand for LSD isn’t going away anytime soon, and now, for the first time ever, there are analogues that are deeply harmful & violently different than the drug you actually want.  There’s a lot of good information out there for people who are looking for it, but the problem isn’t just that we’ve got plebes running around. It’s that there’s now, and I do mean only in the last 5 years, a few different things that are very much NOT LSD, but people attempt to pass off as at events. In this post I’ll be briefly reviewing a few of the things commonly being passed off as LSD, but first I want to stress something.

Again, LSD is tasteless unless it is highly concentrated – as in more than would normally fit on a blotter or in a drop of liquid. Liquid LSD is usually a mixture of the crystalline substance and either distilled water or alcohol, which both lack a bitter flavor. If your sample has a taste, especially a bitter one, it may indicate the presence of another substance.

I’m not sure how to emphasize this point made by The Bunk Police more. If someone is trying to sell you on LSD being “good” because of how it tastes, that is either a dealer who doesn’t know what they are talking about, or actively trying to pass off another drug as what you’re asking for. In either case, fly you fools. That being said, here they are, the things you’re probably getting sold if you’re meeting some shady dude at a festival to buy.

That fun looking fella is DOI. DOI is generally seen as the more stimulant-y version of LSD for people in the know. For a lot of people, psychedelics have a significant amphetamine-like effect, and this stuff packs even more of a punch. I think this is important to note. This drug has been noted to be more stressful on the body while giving more energy, to the point where sleep is exceptionally difficult for days. This stuff is marketed as “good” LSD because of the stimulant punch. Ask anyone who has ever been done tripping and just wants to sleep whether they’d want to have that feeling stretched out for another 24-48hrs and you can see why I’m not an advocate. Also, it’s still a research chemical, so we have no idea if 30 years from now you’ll grow an ear or something. Just sayin’

Pictured above is 25C-C-NBOMe, which is one of the couple of different NBOMe bad ideas roaming the party scene currently. I wrote about NBOMe previously and maintain that NBOMe is worse than Ebola. I’ve been largely vindicated in that, but that’s the problem. This stuff is put on blotter and people are taking massive amounts, as it’s psychoactive at the microgram dose. This is the thing that’s been causing ODs & hospitalizations across the festival scene and is scarier than anything else out there. If you don’t test, you might find this stuff instead, which is bad news bears.

Sadly I wasn’t able to find a .gif to go 3 for 3, but AMT is another thing you might get instead of LSD. Differently than DOI, people who know what they’re taking take this because it’s reported to give symptomatology that seems to mix a couple of different drugs such as DMT, MDMA & psilocybin. However, there’s a butt-ton of side effects. Butt-ton is a technical term, it stands for, a bunch in combinations that will probably ruin your day. Additionally it’s got MAOI-style effects, which brings up an entire world of dietary complications that most LSD users will totally overlook. This means you go from zero to enzyme-level fucked up very quickly. Again, also a research chemical, so we got no idea what will happen to you. Your mitochondria could explode. We don’t know!

This isn’t meant to be garbage DEA-styled scare tactics, but to drive home one simple point. People want a drug, because the experience they attribute to taking that drug is something they want. They can’t find it, so instead of not having this experience, they either find other drugs that do similar things, or some pusher comes in claiming the stuff he’s got is that. These substances can mess your body up, while LSD is a physically harmless substance. Our current drug policy has allowed these terrible chemicals onto our streets & dance floors. Until we can change that, make sure you test your stuff, don’t believe the hype, and be excellent to each other. For more on this, check out #DFFryday on Twitter at 4:30 PM. We’ll be there, getting the word out.