I’ve done these “bath salts” (MDPV and mephedrone) a few times. I didn’t take them because I have no access to other drugs (they’ve never even been sold in stores where I live); I’ve taken a wide variety of drugs, everything from your basic MDMA, ketamine and coke to things like 5-MeO-DMT and methoxetamine. The thing is, as shitty as the media makes these drugs seem like, a lot of people really do like them. I personally didn’t care for mephedrone and thought that MDPV was alright, but I know several people, long-time users, who have just outright named MDPV as the best drug out there and started using it regularly. So it is not just a fad among stupid, desperate teens.

As for whether MDPV is truly more dangerous than other, similar stimulants.. I don’t know. Drug-induced psychosis is not uncommon and it’s usually triggered when people binge on stimulants and then stay awake for days. It’s possible that these “bath salts” just seem more dangerous because they are new, mysterious and make the headlines much easier than meth or coke, which are old news. I’m not denying the possibility that MDPV (or mephredone, for that matter) could cause some actual damage though, but I’m not going to draw any conclusions before actual studies are done. One thing is certain, though; MDPV is highly addictive.

The thing is, there is a whole world of so called “designer drugs” out there, mostly stimulants and psychedelics. They’re all different and all work differently; just because they are new doesn’t mean they’re automatically shit. If only they weren’t instantly banned so we could actually learn how they work. Some of them are certainly dangerous, but many could be safer alternatives to the drugs we already know (like methoxetamine to ketamine). Now it’s up to the users to be the guinea pigs.

Cake is so addictive that eating just one high-grade slice of cake can lead to the urge to eat the entire cake, leading to feelings of bloatedness and sleepiness.

Lately, cake dealers have been targeting children in a new campaign by increasing their supply of  miniature cakes, known as “cupcakes” (or “fairy cakes” in the UK).  This especially harmful form of cake has a higher frosting-to-dough ratio, making  them even more addictive than the full-sized item.  Also, as a standard “hit” is generally one cake, truly addicted users may lose track of how many cupcakes they have eaten.  Additionally, as vendors of cupcakes can carry many different varieties (or “flavors” in street parlance), a user may be tempted to try all the varieties available, leading to cake OD faster than if presented with a single-variety whole cake.

Stop this menace now, just say NO to cake!

The absurdity is that Chick tracts pretend that witchcraft and magic are real and thus real threats. The reality is that American teenagers’ experience with “magic” is largely industrially mass produced Lord of the Rings tarot cards and the Celtic teen witch’s guide to love spells for high school crushes and light as a feather stiff as a board. If magic were real, more people would be publicly into it instead of these teenagers growing up into 35 year old World of Warcraft players with full time jobs in the tech industry.

Proof positive of the dangers of D&D!!

The internet offers this instead:

All the users I know understand and differentiate between classes and risk. They all seem to agree drugs like ketamine, crack, PCP, GHB, meth in any form, and the club varieties of Ecstasy are very dangerous, and can do a lot of damage immediately. They have a high risk profile. They also know drugs like heroin, regular coke and benzos are a bit safer, but still have their own risks, and potential for addiction, as well as disease transmission.

And everyone knows weed has very little inherent danger, but can cause or exacerbate emotional problems too.

Maybe it’s a function of familiarity and experience. It seems logical that training people to ignore obvious fear mongering causes them to take worse chances with unfamiliar drugs. But I don’t see it happening with people I know. They all seem to know the potential for harm, but sometimes take chances anyway, for whatever reasons. usually addictive personality types who can’t stand being sober.

I never understood the cognitive dissonance of the moral prohibition against role-playing something that isn’t real like magic spells and mythical creatures when playing actual aggressive, violent sports is strongly encouraged as a healthy alternative.

It’s a moral crisis to pretend to kill fictional creatures with “evil” magic but it’s okay to actively try to take off someone’s head in the name of sportsmanship. You can even get a free ride in college for it!

If I were to ever get rich, I’d start a scholarship program for role-playing and game-makers…

While the article is a little unclear (the quoted researcher doesn’t claim MDPV causes any kind of “permanent” state but the article seems to) reading between the lines I think the problem might be dosage.  If  the contents of a package can range from 50 to 2000 mg surely this explains the wide range of reported effects.  Imagine if a single light beer could contain anything from 1% alcohol to 80% alcohol – in this context beer would have to be labeled “The unpredictable scourge that causes no more than a slight euphoria in some, but instant death in others!”

Off to check out the scientologist approach now!