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A search for scientific studies about the permeability of caffeine through mammalian skin yielded several webpages describing caffeine's poor ability to be absorbed transdermally. While one page did describe caffeine as having "good penetrating capability", this was in a study in which the skin was exposed for 4 hrs using radioactivly labelled caffeine. Even then, with a 1 mg or 9.3 mg caffeine per 100 cm^2 area of skin the absorbed dose was calculated to be only 17% and 1.6%.
Assuming the entire 250mg dose of caffeine suggested by the soap manufacturer made it to the skin and was held there for 4 hours, the above research would suggest that one would expect a dose between 4 and 42mg of caffeine. This dose is less than a typical cup of coffee.

Well Alexander Shulgin devoted a large chunk of his life to researching "better living through chemistry", he even took the trouble of publishing hundreds of his chemical recipies and the results of his initial taste-tests (he was his own guinea pig) in two books PIHKAL and TIHKAL to ensure that the government could never censor his work. He's the sort of inspirational individual that would make me want to take a couple of years out to do a second degree in chemistry.

Well Alexander Shulgin devoted a large chunk of his life to researching "better living through chemistry", he even took the trouble of publishing hundreds of his chemical recipies and the results of his initial taste-tests (he was his own guinea pig) in two books PIHKAL and TIHKAL to ensure that the government could never censor his work. He's the sort of inspirational individual that would make me want to take a couple of years out to do a second degree in chemistry.

Um....what?

http://www.erowid.org/freedom/courts/supreme/supreme_case2_comment1.shtml

Is there something more recent?

Wow, almost the exact opposite happened to me, but with a different drug: Saliva Divinorum. I tried it about a year ago, and it flipped a switch in my brain. This is very similar in theme to what I experienced. I haven't been the same since either, but not for the better.

It showed me a universe of despair and loneliness and chaos, that I never ever want to return to. I think about death quite regularly now, and I'm terrified of dying (Although I am 'only' 25). It's scared me off of drugs pretty much completely, although your post has made me wonder if trying LSD again would help me (I have taken LSD, and it was fun).

Oddly enough, Salvia is legal in my country and many others. It's certainly much stronger in effect and more dangerous than LSD.
Never ever take it, and never ever EVER take it alone.

Wow, almost the exact opposite happened to me, but with a different drug: Saliva Divinorum. I tried it about a year ago, and it flipped a switch in my brain. This is very similar in theme to what I experienced. I haven't been the same since either, but not for the better.

It showed me a universe of despair and loneliness and chaos, that I never ever want to return to. I think about death quite regularly now, and I'm terrified of dying (Although I am 'only' 25). It's scared me off of drugs pretty much completely, although your post has made me wonder if trying LSD again would help me (I have taken LSD, and it was fun).

Oddly enough, Salvia is legal in my country and many others. It's certainly much stronger in effect and more dangerous than LSD.
Never ever take it, and never ever EVER take it alone.

If you want pot to be legal in California, here's your chance:

From Jack Herer's site:

"Jack Herer's Signature Collection

Its time to collect signatures for the Cannabis Hemp and Health Initiative 2008. The signature gathering has begun and ends around April 15, 2008. We would like to collect all of the signatures in 2-1/2 months."

"This initiative will legalize Cannabis Hemp for (a) industrial products, (b) medicinal preparations, (c) nutritional products, (d) religious and spiritual products, and (e) recreational and euphoric use and products.

It will also include amnesty, immediate release from prison, jail, parole, and probation, and clearing, expungement, and deletion of all criminal records for all persons currently charged with, or convicted of any non-violent cannabis hemp marijuana offense.

Were going to need 434,000 good signatures from registered California voters. This means that well need 700,000 to 750,000 signatures all together. The money you spend on our products will go to pay for printing petitions and renting offices around California. Well need lots of trained volunteers to help collect signatures. We have a training video that we used in the 1994 and 1996 initiatives in California. Here are the links for it:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four"

Spread the word!

More:
http://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/herer_jack/herer_jack.shtml

Fun fact: the powerful hallucinogen DMT is naturally produced in the human brain.

Thanks for providing them.

Erowid's effects page for cannabis lists "can precipitate or exacerbate latent or existing mental disorders" under negative effects. I will say that a friend of mine who was diagnosed with schizophrenia was strongly encouraged to stay away from pot. It can allegedly cause people with certain mental disorders to act out more and/or conflict with their meds.

That said, he received the same warning about alcohol (Erowid doesn't have anything to say on this subject) and there are many different substances that specific groups of people should avoid. I don't think that's justification to deny those substances to the rest of us though. Should alcohol be outlawed because pregnant woman shouldn't consume it?

Thanks for providing them.

Erowid's effects page for cannabis lists "can precipitate or exacerbate latent or existing mental disorders" under negative effects. I will say that a friend of mine who was diagnosed with schizophrenia was strongly encouraged to stay away from pot. It can allegedly cause people with certain mental disorders to act out more and/or conflict with their meds.

That said, he received the same warning about alcohol (Erowid doesn't have anything to say on this subject) and there are many different substances that specific groups of people should avoid. I don't think that's justification to deny those substances to the rest of us though. Should alcohol be outlawed because pregnant woman shouldn't consume it?

http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=38709

More entertaining than meetings though probably even less productive; and you wouldn't want to do it twice in a day.

What's wrong with being stoned? ;)

As a legal argument I'd agree with that. However, don't we still have one problem?

And therein lies my problem with this. How can they prove how much they lost when they can't even prove how many people (if any) downloaded those songs from her? What if they lost nothing because nobody downloaded from her? Doesn't the plaintiff in a lawsuit usually have to prove how much damage, if any, they've suffered?

I remember way back when, drinking some belladonna tea to get the hallucinatory effects of atropine.. http://erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=30718 My experience posted up on Erowid, gah it's scary stuff.

I do advocate smoking ganja.

BTW, THC is much more soluble in fat than in EtOH. This Erowid article has good information on chemically extracting THC. I don't advocate that unless you know what the fuck you are doing. You know, something more than HS chemistry. Acetone is poisonous.

Anyway, I really do advocate that you (yes, you) smoke the sensimillia till yu eyes turn red certain. A fi bun mi sensi!

cocaine is an illegal substance throughout the US, imports and domestic distribution is prohibited, period.

Though it is completely tangential to your point, this statement is also patently false.

Cocaine is a Schedule II substance, meaning it legal for medical use, including imports and domestic distribution for that purpose (provided you have an appropriate license).

See?

So why the drug users use those drugs again and again and again?

The same reason I spend so much time dicking around with my computer - because I like doing things I like. Is that really so hard a concept to grasp?

Using such drugs for 'recreational' purposes is the stupidest (and quite damaging) way of recreation

Depends on what drugs you are using, and how you're using them. Some of them are harmless, some of them can kill you, and many are somewhere in between. Educate yourself.

Caffeine's LD50 is 192mg per kg, so you'd need about 15g, or more than 200 shots, to have a reasonable chance of topping yourself with espresso. The metabolic half-life of caffeine is about 5 hours, so you'd need to be doing the shots fairly quickly too.

At least one person has survived ingesting 24g, so while you can kill youself, you'd be more likely to knock yourself unconscious bouncing off the walls...
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/caffeine/caffeine_ faq.shtml#WhatHappens

Listen, I smoke pot every day. I have a job. I pay my bills. I did well in college. I have a nice home. I'm friendly with the neighbors. I'm good with kids. I love my family. Who is the victim here? If you believe I should go to jail for this, you're a far more dangerous man than I will ever be.

Do you drive your car while under the influence of pot? With the effects lasting up to 24 hours, it would be hard not to.

Hey, kids! Come ride in the car while daddy endangers the lives of everyone.

Not feeding your kids is criminal negligence, drugs or no drugs. Robbery and murder are felony offences, regardless of whether or not drugs, legal or otherwise, are involved. As far as dealing to stupid people goes, caveat emptor. It doesn't take a fucking genius to find Erowid. The buyer is no more a victim than someone buying their first bottle of vodka from a liquor store and then making themselves sick with it.

It's time to take some responsibility, or are you the sort of person who walks down the street with your eyes closed, hoping you'll fall through a manhole so you can sue the city for damages?

According to http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/caffeine/caffeine_ dose.shtml, the lethal oral dose ranges from 3-20g, depending on age, weight, rate of digestion, tolerance., etc. A 2g dose would probably not be fatal in most cases, but it's way too close for comfort. Indeed, there are reported cases of adults requiring hospitalization due to heart misbehavior triggered by as little as 2g, according to Wikipedia (citations given).

There was a similar case in Denver, Colorado

Here, it was blamed on drug use and not the true killer. Oh well. If it weren't for DEA misinformation perhaps this wii tragedy could have been averted.

When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury d

I'd love to be on a jury. Though I've been called for jury twice I wasn't selected either tyme, I wasn't even called for questioning. For those who want to avoid jury duty though, all they have to say is they believe in Jury Nullifaction. This is exactly why I wanted to be on a jury, so I could rule against a bad law.

Yes there are pills/drugs that will let you go without sleep:

There is the patentend variety: Modafinil, Adrafinil and the soon to be released Armodafinil

There is the popular in the morning variety: Caffine

There is the herbal variety: Ephedra (Ma Hung)

There is the unpatented and "might get you in trouble with the law" variety: Cocaine, Amphetamines

And then there is the non-chemical "rythym method": Polyphasic Sleep

Yes there are pills/drugs that will let you go without sleep:

There is the patentend variety: Modafinil, Adrafinil and the soon to be released Armodafinil

There is the popular in the morning variety: Caffine

There is the herbal variety: Ephedra (Ma Hung)

There is the unpatented and "might get you in trouble with the law" variety: Cocaine, Amphetamines

And then there is the non-chemical "rythym method": Polyphasic Sleep

Yes there are pills/drugs that will let you go without sleep:

There is the patentend variety: Modafinil, Adrafinil and the soon to be released Armodafinil

There is the popular in the morning variety: Caffine

There is the herbal variety: Ephedra (Ma Hung)

There is the unpatented and "might get you in trouble with the law" variety: Cocaine, Amphetamines

And then there is the non-chemical "rythym method": Polyphasic Sleep

You're right that antioxidants in red wine might have some effect, but I would argue that the difference in the "buzz" one gets from red wine and the buzz one gets from vodka is minimal. Ethanol is a single molecule, C2H5OH. Remove the alcohol from red wine, and it is no longer psychoactive. If there's any objective difference between drinking wine and drinking beer, it's confined to effects on absorption and metabolism.

Subjective judgment of the "buzz" is likely highly dependent on social situation. Wine is a more refined drink, and people tend to think it's a more refined drink, and drink it in a more refined social situation. Does that mean it has a more refined buzz? Perhaps subjectively, but this more refined buzz is not something in the composition of the wine itself. Perhaps it's purely psychological, or perhaps it's related to the difference in consumption patterns between wine and vodka drinkers. There are too many variables involved to make any kind of accurate judgment.

Finally, it's far from a well-established scientific fact that mixing beer and liquor is a bad idea. One possibility is, when you start drinking liquor after you're already drunk from drinking too much beer, you can't really judge how much alcohol you're consuming and how fast you're consuming it, so you end up drinking too much and puking. There's also a school of thought that says that the difference is due to the carbonation, and another that says that it's due to the food or liquid content of the stomach. At the core, wine, beer, and hard liquor are all only alcohol delivery mechanisms.

I would argue that when you consume the alcohol is at least as important as how you consume te alcohol. The rate at which you consume alcohol determines how much alcohol is in your bloodstream at any given time, and different amounts of alcohol affect the brain in different ways (the neuropharamacology of alcohol is extremely complex, but Erowid is typically reliable when it comes to drugs). Also, there's the diurnal rhythm of alcohol metabolism. Getting drunk in the morning will leave you drunker longer than getting drunk at night, although, because acetaldehyde mediates many of the toxic effects of alcohol, if acetaldehyde metabolism doesn't follow the same rhythm, drinking in the morning could actually be better or worse for your brain. I'm sure there are some good papers on this topic, if you're interested.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Just synthesize it.

I wholeheartedly agree that anything you enjoy can be considered an addiction, but what if you want your life to be ruled by it? There's no reason people can't choose to spend the rest of their life doing coke, smoking cigarrettes, or playing around in the InterTubes.

David Lenson wrote an excellent essay on diversity of consciousness in his book On Drugs in which he proposes that society discriminates against those who prefer a different state of consciousness, such as being high or tripping or what have you. His point is that everything you do affects your brain chemistry, and that the pleasure response from "healthy" activities is roughly the same as from the "unhealthy" ones. The perceived difference between the two is artificially created by society, just like the concept of sobriety, which Lesson calls an empty notion. Are you sober after smoking tobbacco? What about after drinking coffee? And after taking adderall? Or prozac? Or psilocybin?

Like you said, the same is true for addiction. The difference between being addicted to something and simply really enjoying it is virtually nonexistant. I say give the masses whatever opium they want. Let people live as they choose.

It helps people clean their apartments too!

Be careful

Second issue is this: Not all controlled substances are against the law when used for religious purposes. Case in point is the North American Native American Church and their use of Peyote. Any member of said religion can partake of peyote without fear of prosecution, though some issues with European descended members does occur. So, in some cases, it DOES work in the USA. Especially when the Indians had been using it for thousands of years before the white man settled here.

I would like to see a few more test groups added to this. How about the average pot smoking teenager

It's been done. Being high impairs your driving, but quite a bit less than alcohol and many OTC drugs. Further, stoned people know they're impaired and correct for it. Drunk people think they're better drivers. Interestingly, insurance company reports find that marijuana is actually underrepresented in accident cases. Driving stoned may not be the best idea, but it's not as bad as you might think at first. You probably do things just as dangerous without thinking twice.

Physicists Watch Individual Electrons Flow

-in other news... Physicists discover new uses for the psychotropic http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mescaline/mescalin e.shtml

You'd think so, wouldn't you? But no, there are actually people who lick them and even make them into tea.

The toad of choice is the Cane Toad, a tropical green and red toad that's a favorite among aquarium habitues. It secretes a toxin, called bufotenine to ward off predators. Ingesting bufotenine - by licking the toad, or killing it and boiling it's skin for a foul-tasting TEA - will give you a high similar to that of psilocybin (a hallucinogen found in certain mushrooms).
http://www.erowid.org/animals/toads/toads_media3.s html

"Ever heard of water intoxication?"

Yes, and for those who want to know more:
wikipedia entry
erowid vaults
whoa - who knew water intoxication was so widespread and deadly?

Nootropics (smart drugs) have been around for many many years. The original piracetam has been taken by friends daily for 20 years. The effects are they eem to think more, be more intelligent, have more motivation to study/research and digest more from what they do study. A good little FAQ is at http://www.erowid.org/smarts/piracetam/piracetam_f aq.shtml And for general info on nootropics, just google "nootropics". I.e http://www.google.com.au/search?q=nootropics&start =0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozi lla:en-US:official

Actually, not all of the ADHD medicines are amphetamines, and have slightly different modes of action. The primary action of amphetamines, such as Adderal, is to trigger the release of neurotransmitters (primarily dopamine) from both the axon (the "sending" side of the synapse) and the vesicles in the axon that are storing the neurotransmitters for the next signalled release. This occurs by the drug triggering a reversal of the "pumps" that take the neurotransmitters back up into the axon or into the vesicles in the axon for storage. This is actually the source of much of amphetamines' reported neurotoxicity, the vast depletion of the neurotransmitters to a high degree. Ritalin, as with cocaine, does not appear to reverse the synaptic and vesicle transporters like amphetamines do, but instead appears to block the uptake of neurotransmitters at the synapse (mainly dopamine). This lessens its potential to be neurotoxic, but not completely. Strattera acts in a similar way, but only on norepinephrine transporters.

Just because these compounds are prescribed by doctors does not mean they are safe by any means. Nor should you necessarily trust anything our government has to say about recreational use or other ingestion not overseen by a doctor. Too many lies and exaggerations have shadowed the really important information. Instead, find out everything you can about these compounds, from multiple sources, know what they will do to you and why, what the potential risks and side effects are, and weigh for yourself the consequences of your actions. Know yourself, know your source, know your drug.

aloha
psilo

Nope, it is not related to DXM, but indeed the restriction is for a base ingredient of meth manufacture. Here is a link for more info: http://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/bi rch.pseudo.html

For the record, DXM is a pretty tame drug as well, as long as you aren't taking in serious quantities of antihistamines as well (an ingredient in many cough medicines, and the primary reason people get sick "Robotripping" Robotussin). Basically, with DXM alone you'll usually throw up before you can overdose. Of course, tripping in itself can be dangerous for some people.

the problem lies in the double standard. you know how it works, laws are passed to prevent bad stuff(tm), most people will go on and do bad stuff(tm) and the police won't care, while they will bug to no end the only good guys(tm)

I agree with your statement only if taken out of context. In this case, the double standard is in favor of pharmacuticals. Ephedrine is not only more dangerous than Marijuana, but it is also used to create methamphetamine. I'm not saying I agree with the ID laws, just that you should reconsider which one is really the "bad stuff".

Also should that actually end up in court infront of a jury, one thing that alot of people dont realize is that the jury can also look at the validity of the law.

All too true, but unfortunately all too many people in the US don't kow about jury rights and nullification. Actually some politicans, prosecuters, and judges try to make sure people on jury either don't know about them or are told they can't use them. Recall the case, Raich v. Ashcroft a few years back in CA? After the state passed the medical marijuana initiative the feds busted a group on drug charges and when the trial started the judge specifically told the jury they couldn't use state law as a basis for an acquittal.

Ask any Jew about what Hitler did just after coming into power.

After Hitler and the NAZIs came to power they tried to get European Jews to leave Europe before any camps were opened. In 1933 the NAZIs signed The Haavara Agreement with Jewish leaders wherein Jews were encouraged to move to Palestine. Because the British didn't want more Jews settling there the NAZIs trained Jews in fighting and gathering intelligence to be used against the British.

The only way voting would mean anything to me is if we could vote to have no government at all. As long as there is someone in charge making laws over us it violates our natural rights and makes us slaves, as beautifully said by Lysander Spooner.

Agreed! That's one reason I support FIJA, Fully Informed Jury, as well as Jury Rights & Jury Nullification.

Harvey R. Ball invented the yellow smiley in 1963...

1963. Huh. That even predates the smiley LSD blotter that showed up later that same decade...

Uhh, alcolhol isnt mindbending. Acid is. MDMA is. DMT is. 5-MeO-DMT is. Go to erowid and get some idea of what mindbending is.

My only experience with kava comes from using it as an anti-anxiety supplement. As a high school senior worrying about SATs, I decided I would take a supplement of kava twice daily to see if it's effects really work. The wikipedia article notes:

"Other interesting uses of kava include dispensation to military personnel (Fiji) to aid in vigilance and anxiety reduction; to provide concentration, focus, and muscle control before sports and music performances; to reduce the anxiety associated with public speaking and other public performances; use in corporate board rooms to aid in mental clarity, sociability and improved decision making."

Whether it was placebo effect or not, the ~month I took kava provided unmatched sleep and a decent boost in mental clarity and concentration. My math SAT scores finally hit 790, not quite perfect, but a number I definitely should have reached earlier, and I felt fine.

I stopped taking Kava because of the precautions of liver damage. Reading now that it is mainly FUD intrigues me, mainly because I remember feeling all in all better taking kava as a supplement.

On a totally unrelated note, I have been intrigued by organic and drug chemistry for a long while, and noticed the following simularity between MDMA (ectasy) and methysticin (one of the active ingredients in kava). The active group on many phenethylamines tends to be the 4 position of the phenyl ring and on MDMA there is a methylenedioxy on the 3 and 4 positions. This same structure occurs on methysticin, and I have long wondered if kava's narcotic effect comes from this similarity. However my highschool chemistry is far from enough to seriously evaluate this and I would love to hear if anyone has any idea.

I don't suppose that hashish, a highly potent mixture of the resin glands of the plant, having been used for thousands of years would convince you that the potency alarmism is a red herring even if it were true (which it isn't)?

Right; and tobacco doesn't cause lung cancer, people who were going to get lung cancer anyway are probably drawn to/self-medicating with tobacco.
When people get hallucinations long after taking LSD ('flashbacks') that's not the LSD, people who get random hallucinations are drawn to/self-medicating with LSD.

If you want to smoke it then fine, but please don't spread rubbish like this for kids to read and get the impression that it's harmless.

and some studies have shown it does more damage to your lungs than smoking a pack of cigarrettes.

ugh. I hate when people bring this one up. Yes smoking a pack or marijuana is worse than smoking a pack of cigarettes. Luckily a 'pack' of joints is an unbelievable amount of substance. Where a smoker could easily smoke a pack a day, if one smokes good pot the dosage is MUUUCH smaller. I can get quite intoxicated every night, including sharing a couple nights with my girlfriend for a week and only use 1 gram/week.

Basically what I'm getting at, is how long does one gram of tobacco satisfy an average smoker?

Actually there is a very good substitute for alcohol, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ghb/). It is toxic at high dose (and mixed with alcohol), but at normal levels it feels the same as alcohol and is much healthier and without the hangover effect...

Never done Heroin, have done video games, ahh, Pool of Radience, Zelda....

Anyway, if you can't get clean, there is a description on http://www.erowid.org/ about how to make your heroin pure chemically. As noted, I haven't used the technique, don't really vouch for it, and there is a warning about it making synthetic heroin poisonous, but if you are a user, you might want to check it out. Seems better than shooting up dirt or feces. Yuk.

-A

PS Generally a "pro-chemical" website, the user stories from the heroin section sound pretty hairy...