As 2017 unfurls, we're prepping for some big changes in the world, and at Erowid. There are many reasons to be hopeful in our field, and always more information that requires review and improvement. For example, there's fantastic progress in expanding on-site and lab drug checking in many countries, but we're also seeing a corresponding uptick in misunderstandings surrounding drug analysis.

At Erowid, the primary server needs replacing. It's been seven years since we installed the server that currently hosts most of Erowid and EcstasyData. The new machine will make it possible to provide additional services, faster response times, and better handling of the constant blizzard of robot attacks. We're looking to raise $7,000 USD in the next month for this upgrade. (http://erowid.org/donate)

UI/UX updates are underway, and we're starting the process of finding part-time paid help in the Portland and Grass Valley areas.

Stay safe, take less, be hopeful, enjoy the good, and work to re-engineer the not-so-good!

January 1907: The US Pure Food and Drug Act went into effect. The new law began regulating the labeling of products containing alcohol, opiates, cocaine, and cannabis, among other ingredients.

Fire and Earth are speaking at CIIS
(Jan 26, 2017) in San Francisco CA
http://ciis.edu/public-programs-and-performances/public-programs-event-calendar/erowid-fa16

Earth and Fire will be in conversation with Matt Tarnas Segall about Erowid's Psychoactive Encyclopedia. They will talk about the origins and history of Erowid, their personal stories and backgrounds, and where their work is headed. (Tickets still available)

Students for Sensible Drug Policy Conference
(Mar 24-27, 2017) in Portland, OR, USA
https:/ssdp.org/events/ssdp2017

This annual conference addresses timely topics in drug policy, harm reduction, leadership, organizing, and advocacy.

The Demise of Shulgin's Folly In 1981, Sasha and his compatriot Peyton Jacob bid on a surplus nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer at the old Ford Ord Army base. They soon found themselves in possession of a 1969 model 60-MHz Hitachi NMR, later dubbed "Shulgin's Folly".

Shulgin Patronyms & Family History Archiving efforts at the Shulgin Farm have unearthed more about Alexander Shulgin's family history, genealogy, and naming traditions. Material evidence of Sasha's interests, like the Rubik's Cube, is mixed in with photos of relatives and other mementos.

3-MeO-PCP Vault Includes dosage, effects, images, and law pages for this relatively new psychedelic dissociative. 3-MeO-PCP, like PCP, causes euphoria and dissociation at low doses, and delirious ambulatory psychosis at high doses. Careful!

Fundamentals of Responsible Psychoactive Use - Spanish "#1 - Investigue los riesgos de salud y los peligros del psicoactivo en cuestión, y de la clase o familia de sustancias a la que pertenece." The fifth in the series of translations of Erowid's guide to relating responsibly to psychoactive plants and drugs.

The new feature documentary, The Sunshine Makers, about '60s LSD producers Tim Scully and Nick Sand, is coming out in cinemas and video-on-demand in the US on Jan 20th.

Directed by Cosmo Feilding, friend of Erowid, it's got some great footage and brand new interviews with key players. Watch the trailer:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hOiqI5fyRK4

EcstasyData is an Erowid project that conducts laboratory testing of ecstasy tablets, research chemicals, and other drugs. We publish our results online along with analyses from other testing programs.

• 
  Pink Apple (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
  Contains MDA.
• 
  Oreo (Dallas, TX)
  Contains MDMA & MDA (trace).
• 
  Pink Moon Rock (Orange County, CA)
  Contains N-Ethylpentylone.

Erowid is often mentioned in articles and books. Mentions may include positive or critical reviews, as well as citations of Erowid content.

• Mengenal Kratom: 'Jamu Alternatif' Para Pecandu
  
  CNN Indonesia (Dec 2016)
  ["For kratom, there are at least 290 testimonies of detailed reports of user experiences recorded and posted on Erowid since 2001... "]
• Why Psychedelic History Matters
  
  VolteFace (Dec 2016)
  "Without official recognition, Erowid especially has maintained themselves at the level of an institution, providing a framework for what is largely thought of essentially as a body of folk knowledge."

1. BoNDD [DEA] Microgram - Issue #9 (June 1968)
   The 1960s issues of Microgram bring our attention to the rate of information exchange among colleagues prior to email. This issue announced the new 38-year-old head of the BoNDD, papers of interest, and "Hog" (PCP) and "LBJ" (JB-366, an anticholinergic) samples.
2. Oddity: Dutch Testing Service Defines Pure MDMA as 84% Pure
   For technical reasons related to the differences in masses of different molecular forms of MDMA, the DIMS service reports pure MDMA crystal (MDMA HCl) as being 84% pure. To reach 100% purity by their definition would require one have MDMA freebase oil.
3. N-Ethyl Hexedrone Fact Sheet
   A summary of known information about N-ethylhexedrone, put out by BEWSD (the Belgian Early Warning System on Drugs).

• The Philosopher's Stone (D. cabrerana...), by Slippery Sclera
  "T-4:30+ The effects of the plants are fading. The peak is decidedly over. The next 3 hours are a gentle return to near baseline. When I go to bed I am exhausted. My dreams are complex and deeply detailed"
• Remember to Have Respect for Bliss (LSD...), by Student of Life
  "A stray ray of light crept between my eyelids, and when I slowly opened my eyes all the jeweled lights were spread over as lines over my visual field. The stray light was the strongest one of them, and in my mind it was as if I the heart of god was gazing at me."

Rumor & Ethic: Careful Communication as a Harm Reduction Measure This talk from the Mind States VI conference reviews how, while the best known examples of harm reduction include things like needle exchange and pill testing programs, peer-to-peer communication is also an important component.

• Is 2C-B a research chemical?
For a more complete list of new content at Erowid go to: What's New

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