Erowid: The Source for Factual Drug Information

I prefer informative websites that operate more as libraries than as pamphlets. In other words, I respect organizations and sites that present information in such a way that is relatively unbiased so that the reader can arrive at their own conclusions, regardless of preconceived beliefs or notions. When it comes to researching psychoactive drugs, plants, and pharmaceuticals, Erowid.org is second to none at providing the most comprehensive informative look at these various substances.

Erowid is an extremely well-researched, easily navigable site concerning the many aspects of psychoactives. Over two hundred fifty common psychoactives, chemicals, plants, smart drugs, pharmaceuticals, and herbs are showcased in their own special "vaults." These vaults include categorized information covering many different aspects of the specific substance, ranging from legal status to chemical composition to statistical trends. Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency's website focuses only on the harmful effects of Schedule 1 drugs, Erowid provides even the most nitty-gritty details such as a substance's chemical structure, reactivity, and availability.

The Erowid staff makes extensive use of published scientific essays and studies in order to formulate their vaults and uphold fact to the greatest extent possible. Essays and scientific information from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Association for Psychiatric Health Services (NAPHS), and many other nationally recognized authorities can be found in the vaults. In addition, Erowid invites questions concerning various aspects of psychoactives which are answered by the staff to the best of their ability and published on the site for other readers to peruse.

The library of psychoactives

Credit: BBC

Copyright: BBC