Erowid

Erowid Center

Formation	1995 (29 years ago) (1995)
Founders	Fire Erowid Earth Erowid
Founded at	United States
Type	501(c)(3)[1]
Tax ID no.	20-3256212
Focus	Drug information and drug education
Area served	Worldwide
Membership	c. 2,000
Key people	Fire Erowid, (Executive Director) Earth Erowid, (Technical Director)
Affiliations	Bluelight.org Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
Website	erowid.org
Remarks	Over 90,000 unique visitors per day[2]

Erowid, also called Erowid Center, is a non-profit educational organization that provides information about psychoactive plants and chemicals.^[3][4]

Erowid documents legal and illegal substances, including their intended and adverse effects. Information on Erowid's website is gathered from diverse sources including published literature, experts in related fields, and the experiences of the general public. Erowid acts as a publisher of new information as well as a library for the collection of documents and images published elsewhere.

History

Erowid was founded in April 1995 as a small business; their website appeared six months later.^[5] The name "Erowid" was chosen to reflect the organization's stated philosophy of education. Using Proto-Indo-European linguistic roots, "Erowid" roughly translates into "Earth Wisdom" (*h₁er-, *weyd-).^[3]

In 2005, the 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization, "Erowid Center", was formed.^[6] The organization is supported by donations, and its website is free of advertisements. Although its primary focus is on the website, Erowid Center also provides research and data for other harm reduction, health, and educational organizations. The organization is based in Northern California.^[7]

Fire Erowid and Earth Erowid are the sobriquets of the two creators of the site. Both work full-time on the project, along with speaking at conferences, producing original research, and contributing to entheogenic research.^[3] According to the site, the creators' vision includes a "world where people treat psychoactives with respect and awareness; where people work together to collect and share knowledge in ways that strengthen their understanding of themselves, and provide insight into the complex choices faced by individuals and societies alike."^[4]

Erowid Center's mission is to provide and facilitate access to objective, accurate, and non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants, chemicals, technologies, and related issues.^[8] According to one study, "Erowid is a trusted resource for drug information—both positive and negative,"^[8] and Erowid has been extensively cited worldwide by book authors,^[9] scientific and medical journals,^[10][11] newspapers,^[12][13] magazines,^[14][15] filmmakers,^[16] radio and TV shows,^[17][18][19] Ph.D. students,^[20][21] web sites, and other media producers.

Projects

Online library

The library contains over 63,000 documents related to over 737 psychoactive substances,^[3][22] including images, research summaries and abstracts, FAQs, media articles, experience reports, information on chemistry, dosage, effects, law, health, traditional and spiritual use, and drug testing. As of July 2014^[update], over 17 million people visit the site each year.^[23]

The site generally contains more detail in the pages listed under plants and chemicals than in other sections. It does not have comprehensive information about the specific effects of most pharmaceuticals. Such information may appear elsewhere on the site, where one can read about people's individual reactions to various drugs.^[24]

Experience Vaults

Erowid allows site visitors to submit descriptions of their own personal experiences with psychoactive substances for review and possible publication. The site states that they welcome all perspectives regarding personal psychoactive experience, including positive, negative, and neutral. Their collection consists of more than 30,000 edited, reviewed, and published reports, as well as stating that they have another 55,000 unpublished reports undergoing review.^[25] Many of their reports are collected from Bluelight.org, and the two organizations have collaborated to categorize and publish trip reports.^[26][27]

DrugsData / EcstasyData

Erowid also runs DrugsData (formerly EcstasyData), an independent laboratory drug checking program co-sponsored by IsomerDesign and DanceSafe, which monitors the quality of American street ecstasy.

Launched in July 2001, its purpose is to collect, manage, review, and present laboratory drug checking results from a variety of organizations.^[28] Tablets of street ecstasy can be anonymously submitted to a DEA licensed laboratory for testing and then photos of the tablets and GC/MS test results are published on the project's website. EcstasyData has published testing results for nearly 3,000 samples.^[29] Testing costs have sometimes been covered by project funding (when available) and at other times are covered by those who submit tablets for testing. At least one published study uses EcstasyData.org as a primary source of data.^[30][31]

Erowid Extracts

Erowid Extracts, the bi-annual members' newsletter of Erowid, has been published each year since 2001. It provides updates on the organization's activities, results of surveys conducted on Erowid.org, experience reports, new articles on various aspects of psychedelic and psychoactive plants and drugs, and information about psychedelic culture and events. New issues of Erowid Extracts are sent to members, but past issues are available on the Erowid website.^[32]

Psychoactive Reference Library

Erowid and The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) collaborated on two large reference database projects. Erowid has provided expertise and work developing and coordinating the construction of an online psychoactive drug reference library, and MAPS has published a similar collection ^[33]

Document archiving

Erowid Center also archives and provides access to thousands of older texts in their online and physical libraries. By collecting and making these texts available, they attempt to promote an understanding of the changing contexts surrounding the use of psychoactive drugs. Major archiving projects include the Albert Hofmann collection, the Myron Stolaroff Collection, documents from Alexander Shulgin, and a complete archived snapshot of The Hive.^[34]

Reception

Due to the subject matter presented on Erowid.org, the site has drawn praise and criticism from both the media and medical officials. Edward Boyer, an emergency-room physician, and toxicologist, while admitting that Erowid has a plethora of useful information, once argued the site may cause more harm than good to potential drug users.^[35]

Anthropologist Nicolas Langlitz argued that Erowid also sometimes serves as a mechanism of postmarket surveillance or pharmacovigilance in the realm of illicit and experimental substances.^[36]

See also

• Bluelight (web forum)
• The Hive (website)
• Drug rehabilitation
• Responsible drug use

References

1. "Erowid Center | Grass Valley, CA | Cause IQ". www.causeiq.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
2. "Erowid.org—Unique Visitors per Day." Archived 2019-03-22 at the Wayback Machine Erowid.
3. Emily Witt. "The trip planners." Archived 2020-05-03 at the Wayback Machine New Yorker. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
4. "About Erowid: Mision, Vision, and Crew". Erowid.org. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
5. Erowid, Fire, Erowid F. "Erowid: 10 Years of History." Erowid Extracts. Jun 2005;8:12-14, Erowid.org, archived from the original on 2020-05-18, retrieved 2010-02-08
6. Guidestar Entry, Guidestar, archived from the original on 2013-12-11, retrieved 2012-07-05
7. Where is Erowid located?, archived from the original on 2020-05-18, retrieved 2013-04-07
8. Murguía, Edward; Tackett-Gibson, Melissa; Lessem, Ann (2007). Real Drugs in a Virtual World: Drug Discourse and Community Online. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739114551. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
9. Khan JI, Kennedy TJ, Christian DR (2012), Basic Principles of Forensic Chemistry, Springer.com, ISBN 9781934115060, archived from the original on 2012-01-12, retrieved 2012-05-31
10. Corazza O.; et al. (2012-03-05), "Phenomenon of new drugs on the Internet: the case of ketamine derivative methoxetamine", Human Psychopharmacology, 27 (2): 145–9, doi:10.1002/hup.1242, PMID 22389078, S2CID 29318833
11. Ambrose J.B.; Bennett H.D.; Lee H.S.; Josephson S.A. (May 2010), "Cerebral vasculopathy after 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine ingestion", The Neurologist, 16 (3): 199–202, doi:10.1097/NRL.0b013e3181a3cb53, PMID 20445431, S2CID 35035721
12. Simonini, R. (2012-02-12), "A Psychonaut's Adventures in Videoland", The New York Times, p. AR17, archived from the original on 2018-09-17, retrieved 2012-05-31
13. Valerie Vande Panne (2010-09-01), Higher education: How to do drugs in Boston, Thephoenix.com, archived from the original on 2012-02-04, retrieved 2012-05-31
14. Piore, A. "Chemists in the Shadows". Discover Magazine. Mar 2012
15. Jacob Sullum (2012-02-23), Rand Paul Blocks Synthetic Drug Bans, Reason.com, archived from the original on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2012-05-31
16. Sauret, E. (2010), Dirty Pictures, Dirtypicturesthefilm.com, archived from the original on 2019-09-17, retrieved 2012-05-31
17. Hubert, Martin (February 27, 2010), Erowid: Halluzinationen aus dem Netz (PDF), Wissen.dradio.de, archived from the original (PDF) on September 18, 2020, retrieved June 24, 2022
18. Edell, D. "Dr. Dean Edell Show". April 2006
19. Childs, D. (2008-01-16), A Homebrewed High? Poppy Tea Hits the Web, Abcnews.go.com, archived from the original on 2019-09-23, retrieved 2012-05-31
20. Fotiou, E. (2010), From Medicine Men to Day Trippers: Shamanic Tourism in Iquitos, Peru (PDF), University of Wisconsin-Madison, archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-02-14, retrieved 2012-05-31
21. Moraes, A.G. "Alterações anatomopatológicas em corações de camundongos submetidos à inalação crônica de cocaína crack". 2009
22. Erowid Extracts: August 2018, Number 30, Erowid Center, archived from the original on 2020-05-20, retrieved 2018-09-01
23. Erowid Extracts: July 2014, Number 26, Erowid Center, archived from the original on 2020-05-04, retrieved 2015-11-16
24. "Erowid Experience Vaults: Complete Substance and Category List". erowid.org. Archived from the original on 2020-05-18. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
25. "Search Results : Erowid Experience Vaults". Archived from the original on 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
26. "Erowid Experience Vaults: Bluelight Experience Report Collection". erowid.org. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
27. "Love reading experience reports? Then Help Erowid!". Bluelight.org. 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
28. About EcstasyData.org, EcstasyData, archived from the original on 2015-11-16, retrieved 2010-02-08
29. Test Result Statistics: Summary Data, EcstasyData.org, archived from the original on 2023-07-12, retrieved 2012-05-31
30. Tanner-Smith EE. "Pharmacological content of tablets sold as 'ecstasy': results from an online testing service". Archived 2019-03-22 at the Wayback Machine Drug Alcohol Depend. 2006;83(3):247–54.
31. Tanner-Smith EE. "Corrigendum to 'Pharmacological content of tablets sold as 'ecstasy': Results from an online testing service'". Archived 2019-04-18 at the Wayback Machine Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008;93(1-2):190.
32. Erowid Extracts, Erowid Center, archived from the original on 2012-01-29, retrieved 2012-03-10
33. "MAPS/EROWID Psychedelic Bibliography Projects". Archived from the original on 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
34. "Box, Paper, Scanner - Archives at Erowid". Erowid.org. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
35. Davis E. (2004-04-30), Don't Get High Without It, LA Weekly, archived from the original on 2005-03-24, retrieved 2012-05-31
36. Nicolas Langlitz (2009-06-01), "Pharmacovigilance and Post-black Market Surveillance", Social Studies of Science, 39 (3): 395–420, doi:10.1177/0306312708101977, PMID 19848184, S2CID 7513456

External links

• Drugsdata.org
• DMT-Nexus