Recently, there have been a few nasty developments in the world of legal highs. I was contacted by this week by GMTV and Radio 5 Live, asking for an interview about the “new” legal high Ivory Wave causing a stir. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give any interviews for various boring reasons and could only give a bit of advice over the phone/email, so I thought I’d write a post about it now I’ve got the time. Also, The UK’s old friend JWH-018 seems to be causing some trouble over the pond, having been linked a couple of deaths in Indiana. Finally, our government have made some more noise about the “problem” of legal highs which makes no difference for a good year or so and will only make matters worse when they manage to cobble some new legislation together eventually.

Ivory Wave

Ivory Wave has been around for at least a year, and before that, it was called Vanilla Sky. Guess what? It’s always been notoriously dodgy. In a quest to pump out the strongest ever “party powder”, its makers sacrificed safety for a marketing angle.

Earlier this year, the Irish government had a number of legal highs analysed including Ivory Wave and found that it contained MDPV (methylenedioxypyrovalerone), and lidocaine. Lidocaine is a local anaesthetic, added to numb your nose, both to dull the pain of snorting the other stuff and to make it more like cocaine. This isn’t news though – a load of similar products around before the cathinone ban contained it. MDPV on the other hand is worrying.

MDPV appears to be a dopamine and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, delivering plenty of stimulation but little in the way of euphoria. The vast majority of similar products available before April’s cathinone ban contained either mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) or a fluorinated analogue such as 3-fluoroumethcathinone. While these were also very stimulating, they delivered a much loved euphoria as well, so why would the makers of Ivory Wave depart from the norm and go for a subjectively worse compound instead? Because they just weren’t potent enough enough to earn Ivory Wave its reputation as the strongest legal high available.

A typical dose of mephedrone or similar analogue for a new user would be around 50 – 100mg, while a typical dose of MDPV is around the 5 – 10mg mark. Sure, at that dose, the effects of MDPV don’t seem like much compared to mephedrone et al, but when people are used to cheap cocaine or the majority of similar legal highs, they rack up their usual sized line and hoover up far more than an equivalent dose of MDPV. As a consequence, users were frequently terrified and unable to sleep for days on end. Well done, Ivory Wave, you truly are the strongest!

On April 16th, 2010, the UK passed legislation banning a huge number of compounds, including mephedrone, all common available derivatives including MDPV and a shitload of theoretical compounds that haven’t been made yet. Despite the original incarnation of Ivory Wave falling under the banning stick, on August 10th, there was a lot of fuss about legal highs including Ivory Wave hospitalising 22 people around the Edinburgh area, so what’s going on?

Well, firstly, just because MDPV got banned, it doesn’t mean the manufacturers couldn’t stick some new legal chemical in there and call it the same thing. I’m sure you’ve all seen a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar with “New improved recipe!!!!11″ plastered all over the packaging – this is the same sort of thing. Of course, it’s not as innocent as that – these are psychoactive substances we’re talking about – but it’s nothing extraordinary. Products like Charge+ or Beanz pills have changed their ingredients before, so that’s what I expected had happened with Ivory Wave.

That doesn’t appear to be the case. Several websites selling the stuff now claim both that Ivory Wave is no longer for sale in the UK, suggesting it still contains MDPV, and that Ivory Wave found in the UK at the moment is fake. This leaves us with several possible scenarios.

1. Ivory Wave available in the UK is the same stuff it’s always been, and has been illegally imported.
2. Ivory Wave available in the UK is fake, but still contains MDPV. If this MDPV had to be illegally sourced or manufactured, it’s more likely to be impure, and these impurities are doing some damage.
3. Ivory Wave available in the UK is fake, but still a new product with new, legal and dangerous chemicals in, trying to capitalise on the original Ivory Wave’s reputation

At first glance, it looks like we can ignore the first one. If it’s been around for ages, why are we only hearing about it now? Well, before the cathinone ban, Ivory Wave was definitely the strongest, but nowhere near the most enjoyable or popular product, so people tended to steer clear of it. However, when the ban came into effect, and somehow Ivory Wave was still around,  lots of people looking to find a “mephedrone replacement” would have stumbled across it. This spike in popularity makes scenario #1 as plausible as the rest, so for now, it’s anyone’s guess.

If you find any new information making one of these scenarios more likely, please let us all know!

For now, I’d advise anyone to steer clear, especially the stuff in red foil packets as that’s the type most frequently mentioned in the myriad forum posts on the topic.

JWH-018

JWH-018 was the main synthetic cannabinoid found in Spice and similar products in the UK last year. Here’s a couple of posts and comment threads here for some background:

• JWH-018, Spice & Me
• JWH-018 Toxicology
• Synthetic Cannabinoid Discussion
• Smoking Mix Discussion

A large number of synthetic cannabinoids (along with GBL, BZP and related piperazines) were banned on December 28th, 2009, but remained legal in the US, where the market has exploded just like it did here before the – the only difference is over there, the most popular brand is K2 rather than Spice.

Well, that was the only difference until very recently. In May, the smoking of K2 was “linked” to two deaths in Indiana – a rather odd situation indeed! It seems there’s no conclusive evidence available to say that K2 actually caused these deaths – it could be the same as all those people that apparently died of mephedrone over here who didn’t actually take it (Eg, Gabbi Price). However, just because we’ve been consistently lied to by the British press, it would be unwise to immediately rule out the other possibility – that K2 is somehow killing these people. As it happens, we’ve also got some more evidence right here on this blog that supports that conclusion: this guy reports vomiting blood after oral ingestion of JWH-018.

Here’s what I think. JWH-018 is safe, at least in the short term, so it’s not responsible for what we’re seeing. I reckon we’ve got a harmful contaminant or impurity left over from the synthesis which is causing all the damage. If there was a bad batch going round, it would also help to explain why those two deaths are both in Indiana, although I’m not sure where that commenter hails from.

Unfortunately, once again, this is all speculation, but it’s speculation based on all the evidence we have available. Fortunately, David Kroll, who’s forgotten more pharmacology than I know, has arrived at that same conclusion – contamination. Be sure to check out his post for links to the original stories, more detail and more speculation.

If you come across any more stories or bad batches, let us know!

For now, I’d advise those in the US to avoid any new brands popping up, avoid K2 in Indiana and, if you’re buying pure JWH-018, avoid it like the plague if it doesn’t exactly resemble the previous batches you’ve bought.

Just like Carl Sagan before him, Prof. Brian Cox likes to get completely twatted when thinking about physics.

As it happens, I’ve just finished this guy’s book, Why Does E = MC²?, which was fantastic. If I ever get round to writing a new “expand your mind” book list, this will definitely be on there. Here’s what the book’s about:

This is an engaging and accessible explanation of Einstein’s equation that explores the principles of physics through everyday life. Professor Brian Cox and Professor Jeff Forshaw go on a journey to the frontier of 21st century science to consider the real meaning behind the iconic sequence of symbols that make up Einstein’s most famous equation. Breaking down the symbols themselves, they pose a series of questions: What is energy? What is mass? What has the speed of light got to do with energy and mass? In answering these questions, they take us to the site of one of the largest scientific experiments ever conducted. Lying beneath the city of Geneva, straddling the Franco-Swiss boarder, is a 27 km particle accelerator, known as the Large Hadron Collider. Using this gigantic machine – which can recreate conditions in the early Universe fractions of a second after the Big Bang – Cox and Forshaw will describe the current theory behind the origin of mass. Alongside questions of energy and mass, they will consider the third, and perhaps, most intriguing element of the equation: ‘c’ – or the speed of light. Why is it that the speed of light is the exchange rate? Answering this question is at the heart of the investigation as the authors demonstrate how, in order to truly understand why E=MC², we first must understand why we must move forward in time and not backwards and how objects in our 3-dimensional world actually move in 4-dimensional space-time. In other words, how the very fabric of our world is constructed. A collaboration between two of the youngest professors in the UK, “Why Does E=MC²?” promises to be one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of the theory of relativity in recent years.

Also, some of you may remember I wrote about getting a new HD telly and I asked for some suggestions on what to watch. The stuff you lot mentioned was excellent, but now I’ve got one for you. Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Solar System (DVD, Blu Ray), which is what the video above was pieced together from, not only looks incredible but was the best documentary we’ve seen in a long time:

Prepare to immerse yourself in an alien world as if you were standing there yourself. Giant ice fountains rising over 100km high; an ocean hidden beneath a frozen crust of ice; storms twice the size of Earth coloured blood red by a vortex of dust and gases; immense volcanoes that could rip a planet apart – this series reveals the true and awesome beauty of our solar system. Using the very latest breathtaking images sent directly from space, groundbreaking CGI transforms the static into the dramatic. Travelling from the Sun to the far-out reaches of Neptune, the series has at its heart the latest scientific knowledge beamed back from the fleet of probes, rovers and telescopes currently in space, and offers a vivid and unprecedented tour of the world beyond our planet.

I promise you this will “expand your mind” far more than whatever profound secret of the universe you think you’ve unlocked via a quick chuff on your DMT pipe.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I said I’d do a Music On Drugs post aaages ago in this preliminary post, but, well, I just haven’t got round to it.

If you read that post linked above a while ago, hopefully you’ve made some effort when it comes to “getting your shit together” and you’ve at least got some speakers that can handle a low frequency or two, because today’s musical instalment is a dubstep mix “retelling” Jeff Wayne’s musical version of War of the Worlds, and dubstep sounds just terrible on laptop speakers.

If you have no idea what I’m on about, please read that post first.

Anyway, this mix is by a chap called erwtenpeller and is an hour long, so make sure you’re sitting comfortably. I mean it. Once you click play, if anyone has to go for a piss, there’ll be at least some kind of diabolic outrage.

Hat tip to SlicedMind for the suggestion.

We’ve finallllly done it! Last December (2009), you may remember a tonne of legal highs got banned for a number of bullshit reasons, including our super popular Mellow Yellow. Well, now, after months of anticipation, Coffeesh0p.com (John & Jo’s Coffeeshop Ltd ) has bought out another new, amazing incense: Meen Green!

It’s in the same “homemade” packaging as the Mellow Yellow, but it still looks awesome. The incense itself is a lovely green colour, very fluffy and burns evenly.

So How Can You Get Some For Free?

Before I continue, I’m afraid it’s only available to those in the UK for now. If this changes, I’ll be sure to let you know. So, if you’re in the UK, here’s how to score a freebie:

1) Comment on this post asking for some! I’ll give 3g to the first commenter and 1g to the next 10 commenters! I want some feedback though, so you have to let me know what you think of it.

2) If you’re on Twitter, retweet this message! I’ll pick a handful of people to give some to, depending on how many people participate.

3) Place an order with Coffeesh0p for £30 or more and we’ll throw in a free gram. This offer will be available for a couple of days at least, but after that, we can’t guarantee it.

In case you can’t tell, I’m super excited.

While we were in the Dominican Republic, Jo accidentally got addicted to ABC’s The Bachelorette. Naturally, I’ve been obliged to watch every episode since.

"She's so amazing and beautiful, I love her with all my heart. Do I wish we could spend more one-on-one time together? Absolutely!"

We’ve just finished watching an episode (it comes out Monday nights in America, so thank christ for SurfTheChannel.com), but to spice it up a bit we came up with the following drinking game:

Drink whenever any of the following phrases are mentioned:

Alone time/One-on-one time

All the blokes on the program will say this at least once each

Heart (as a metaphor)

This phrase is widerife among everyone. Hearts beating fast, etc, don’t count.

Absolutely (instead of “yes”, not as a modifier)

Because in America, “Yes” isn’t extreme enough.

[Girl's name] looks/is beautiful/amazing

Again, all the blokes will say something this obvious each episode.

Chemistry/connection

This is a new addition (09/06/2010), designed to replace some of the other rules as the series progresses and the format changes. This phrase is prolific, so hardcore drinkers only, please.

I know there’s only four rules, but it’s on for two whole hours (25% of which is adverts for incredibly cheap fast food – we also saw an amazing offer to buy six gallons of milk and get a seventh free – who the fuck is buying this much milk?! Anyway…) and the amount of repetition and stating the obvious is truly mind blowing.

Don’t forget, I still want suggestions for my list of drugs blogs!

It’s about time we dug out some of the best drug blogs on t’internet. I originally started this blog because there wasn’t anything else decent to read, or what was available was too obscure to be found easily, but there’s much more out there now.

I thought we could collect up a nice list of suggestions from you lot, maybe have a vote, then produce a list of the top drug blogs that everyone should be reading.

Let’s have some suggestions in the comments then!

(Oh, and the new misses is supposed to be writing summary of our honeymoon in t’Dominican Republic, but it seems that she’s been spending all her time in the kitchen since we’ve been back. I’ll have a word…)

Following some rather depressing blog comments, I reckon it’s about time we had another competition in the name of science!

What Can You Win?

The winner will get a super awesome double size bottle of Blue Lagoon, a new liquid herbal high, and a 10g bag of Mexican Dream Herb. The two runners up will just get the Dream Herb.

What Do You Have To Do?

I want to hear the best science joke you’ve got. There’s a few to get you started at the end of this post. Obviously, I don’t expect you to write some new comedy gold, but at least have the decency to tell a joke in your own words and not just lift it from the first google result for “science joeks lol”. Post your entries in the comments below this post!

Who Can Enter?

If you’re in the UK, this competition is for you. If you live anywhere else, you can still win the stuff, just as long as you’re willing to PayPal me the postage costs. Usual rules apply, like being over 18, not mentally unstable or pregnant.

When Will The Winners Be Picked?

Over the next weekend probably. Who knows when exactly… depends when I’ve got 5 minutes. Get off my case already! Jeez.

This post is now the place to comment on the JWH-018 Toxicology article.

Not that there are any points, but bonus points for backing up what you say with peer reviewed research. Please keep the discussion scientific. You can talk about dodgy vendors if you must, especially if there’s a bad batch going round, but please don’t link to them or turn this into a customer support thread. If you want to talk about individual smoking mixtures, please do so Here.

Ok, go:

I’m creating this post so you lot can discuss smoking mixtures. Feel free to talk about the pros and cons of different individual products, but don’t talk about the vendors themselves. Comments like ‘This shiz I got from buydrugslmao.com is suhweeet” will be deleted.

Ok, go:

No, this post won’t be a detailed guide to clandestine hexamethylene triperoxide diamine manufacture, sorry! Instead of terrorism, today’s post will focus on a great harm reduction technique called bombing (or parachuting for us in the far-less-extreme UK).

The Problem:

You have a bag of a drugs. That bag of drugs can be snorted, or it can be eaten.  Unfortunately, your nose wasn’t meant for hoovering up monster lines of chemical. Apart from the physical irritation to your delicate mucous membranes, vasoconstrictive drugs like cocaine or mephedrone will restrict bloodflow in the vessels lining your nose, which could lead to ischaemia, or the damage of tissue as a result of poor blood perfusion. If that wasn’t bad enough, pretty soon, your nose might start pouring with snot or just feel bunged up when the drug wears off, as the blood vessels open back up to compensate – your nose isn’t blocked with snot or drugs necessarily, but by these vessels filling up with blood, which closes off your nostrils, making it harder to breath.

Suppose at this point, you still have most of your massive bag of drugs left – what do you do? Perhaps the most instinctive thing to do is reach for something to unblock your nose, such as a decongestant spray or some “Vaporub” type stuff, so you can continue your hedonistic nasally-orientated pleasure-binge. It might surprise you to learn that this won’t help out your stinging nostrils as much as you think. These kind of products work by constricting those same blood vessels that were constricted earlier, adding to the ischaemia. If that wasn’t enough, continued use of these kinds of products could give you rebound congestion – as soon as you stop using them, your vessels open back up to compensate and before you know it, you’re adding an extra “b” to every word you say ended with a bilabial phone.

That’s just the physical side of things. Snorting drugs does get them into your blood faster, sure, but this also makes whatever you’re snorting more addictive. With our old friend mephedrone, snorting certainly can be fun, but it’s much easier to have “just one more line” another ten times in the same session than if you ate it.

The Solution:

If your bag of drugs also works well when eaten, eat that shit! Obviously no one wants to be chucking fistfulls of disgusting powder into their mouths, which is where our friend the bomb comes into play.

Step 1: Get Your Shit Together

You will need:

• Rizlas (or whatever brand of rolling paper is most prevalent where you’re from)
• A bag of drugs
• Something to transfer the drugs from the bag to the papers

Step 2: Take A Single Paper

Step 3: Tear Off The Excess

You don’t need much, probably about an inch or so.

Step 4: Transfer Your Drugs To The Paper

Safety first! If your drug of choice requires only a few miligrams, or you’re generally unsure how to eyeball a dose, weigh it out first, then transfer it to the paper.

Step 5: Pick Up The Paper

Get the paper to fold naturally, as though you’re about to roll the world’s tiniest joint packed with chemicals.

Step 6: Pinch The Paper

Pinch one end of the paper, so you can hold it at an angle and tap the powder into the pinched end.

Step 7: Pinch T’Other Side

Repeat step 6 with the other side, so the powder takes up as little room as possible.

Step 8: Pinch Both Sides

This step should get your little pile of drugs in the centre of your paper. Don’t be afraid to compress it a little so it stays in place. The last thing you want is stray drugs working themselves free and onto your taste buds.

Step 9: Begin To Form A Tail

No, don’t actually grow a tail. Just pull together the pinched ends of the paper, so the drugs are at one end and the free bits are together at the other.

Step 10: Form A Tail

Pinch all the excess paper into one clump between your thumb and finger.

Step 11: Complete The Tail

Now roll the tail betwixt your thumb and finger to tighten it. Feel free to lick your fingers first to help it seal, but not too much, or you’ll be left with a wet powdery mess.

Step 12: Marvel At Your Creation

Now it’s time to stick it to the infidel! Erm, I mean, take your drugs safely.

Nice work!

(Pictures provided by methuselah969)