International Drug Survey - let's show them what WE think!

[vampir]

Majority of public opinion on "drugs" is based solely on what biased government, media, etc feed to us; which is generally far removed from scientific research and actual experiences associated with those substances.

UCL finished a study like this recently that was based mainly in the UK, and got some astonishing results. Psychedelics were generally classed as the least harmful, while heroin, coccaine, tobacco, and alcohol were in the top 5. They've decided to expand this study internationally.

Personally, I think everyone should help out and post this on any other forums that they are a part of! Studies like this (HOPEFULLY) will aid in changing all the ridiculous policies and "wars on drugs" going on throughout the world.

Take the International Drug Survey - it's quick

The overview:

The aim of this study is to find out what people think are the harms and benefits associated with recreational drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. We hope its findings will feed into the growing movement that is calling for a major overhaul of existing drugs laws. We aim to disseminate the information gathered on the benefits of drugs in academic journals and in the media to this end. Taking part is a way of making your opinion count. This survey is run independently by our group of university researchers at UCL in collaboration with the Beckley Foundation - it has not been commissioned by anyone and will be published openly.

 

[WSaged]

Studies like this (HOPEFULLY) will aid in changing all the ridiculous policies and "wars on drugs" going on throughout the world.

Or they will collect IP addresses & thus identities & web histories of admitted drug users...

Every time you visit any web site, you leave a distinct trail & open up the possibility of Trojan horse type access to your computer & all data & info on it.


I know that sounds paranoid, but we live in the information age....information being an extremely valuable commodity & the internet is so easily manipulated to collect, control & distribute, it happens as a background process almost constantly.
Don't forget that they consider this a war on drug users!


wearing my aluminum foil hat
WS

 

[vampir]

Hmm, how is posting on this site any safer then?

EDIT:
Personally, I think the material posted on this website is much more incriminating, as compared to a "survey I took online."

 

[WSaged]

Hmm, how is posting on this site any safer then?

it's not really....except maybe that "a survey I took online" is direct voluntary admission & this could could just be fantasy, or bullshit talk.
I know that's a stretch & wouldn't really protect anyone if the shit hit the fan though. So no there really isn't any difference.


WS

 

[Eden]

Conducted by: The Beckley Foundation

Do a little research on their activities...I was hesitant at first as well, but this looks quite legitimate.
Alcohol and caffeine are also included substances in the survey....ayahuasca and DMT are mentioned separately.

In any case, I remember a quote of McKenna encouraging the psychedelic community to stop hiding under its rock.
He made the fair point that social change never occurs to the benefit of the minority if it remained silent.
Whether the situation gets messy or not, I would prefer to stop pursuing my passions in sneaky safety.

We believe there is nothing wrong with our activities...perhaps we are doing a diservice to our plant friends by acting like we have something to be ashamed of.
This in no way means we should be reckless with exposure, but I would hardly consider taking this survey to be reckless.

 

[vampir]

Yet, you still do it (post on the site).
I don't see the logic behind being paranoid to do an online survey held by an independent group of researchers alongside the Beckley Foundation (which is involved in research into altered consciousness and it's scientific applications); yet remaining fairly active on a forum that's more likely to put you in jail.

Trust me, I've been an internet user for a LONG TIME and I know how easily it can be manipulated to get whatever information you want (been there done that), but I find your stance quite hypocritical. For all we know, the government could have a tap on dmt-nexus already, just waiting for the perfect time to pounce. Forums are quite vulnerable to hacking.

All one has to do is type "dmt extraction" and the nexus is one of the main search results...people should be A LOT more worried about being on this site than about doing a survey online.

 

[digital_phreedom]

Studies like this (HOPEFULLY) will aid in changing all the ridiculous policies and "wars on drugs" going on throughout the world.

Or they will collect IP addresses & thus identities & web histories of admitted drug users...

Every time you visit any web site, you leave a distinct trail & open up the possibility of Trojan horse type access to your computer & all data & info on it.


I know that sounds paranoid, but we live in the information age....information being an extremely valuable commodity & the internet is so easily manipulated to collect, control & distribute, it happens as a background process almost constantly.
Don't forget that they consider this a war on drug users!


wearing my aluminum foil hat
WS

Yeah.. That does sound a little paranoid to me.. But I still tend to run on the optimistic side of things. Even after spending 2 years in prison, half of that in max surrounded by people serving life sentences, I still hold firmly to the belief that people are basically good. Maybe it's naive, but I can't help it. After all the love I've experienced in my life, it's hard to look at things any other way.

And as for the technical aspect of it.. Yes, they could get AN IP address.. But there's no way to prove YOU are the one who took the survey. For all they know, you're running an open network, and a neighbor hopped on your wireless and did it. And even if they could find out it was you, at least in my country (as far as I understand it), it's not illegal to admit that you've used drugs in the past.

And when it comes down to it, if the government had a complete list of everyone in the world who's used drugs, what drugs they've used, and etc. I still don't think they'd do much with it. In the (civil) war on drugs, it's just not cost effective to chase after the users. It's the producers, dealers, and suppliers that they tend to go after.

Not getting down on your outlook at all, there's NOTHING wrong at all with being careful. Maybe if I would be more careful I wouldn't have suffered so many legal consequences.. But personally, when I'm doing something that I feel is right, good, and just, I don't like hiding in the closet while I'm doing it.. It adds a darker element to something that for me isn't dark at all.

Oh, and I took that survey a few weeks ago! It is very quick.

 

[Methtical]

I do sometimes wonder if it's surveys like this, and government run opinion sites, that feed the powers that be the information they require in order to start seizing MHRB in the UK leading to ridiculous stories being published in tabloid newspapers.

Methtical

 

[WSaged]

In any case, I remember a quote of McKenna encouraging the psychedelic community to stop hiding under its rock.
He made the fair point that social change never occurs to the benefit of the minority if it remained silent.
Whether the situation gets messy or not, I would prefer to stop pursuing my passions in sneaky safety.

That's very, very easy to say from outside a jail cell....


And I an ashamed of nothing, but I have been busted before & I know first hand that we are seen as the same type of criminal that would rob a bank & shoot the teller, by the ones "fighting a war" against us.

So I am careful not to give myself away anymore.
I am not interested in fighting their war, we can't win it, they fund both sides to keep it going.
I prefer to do what I can to educate actual humans in the real world about the drug war scam & expose it for what it is.
Take away the legs they put their weight on from the bottom up.


Once again I may be a bit biased & paranoid...


WS

 

[d*l*b]

I am at the paranoid end of the scale when it comes to the internet but I still filled out the survey. Shame they didn’t bother implementing SSL as I think a fair few will be scared off by that.

 

[vampir]

In any case, I remember a quote of McKenna encouraging the psychedelic community to stop hiding under its rock.
He made the fair point that social change never occurs to the benefit of the minority if it remained silent.
Whether the situation gets messy or not, I would prefer to stop pursuing my passions in sneaky safety.

That's very, very easy to say from outside a jail cell....


And I an ashamed of nothing, but I have been busted before & I know first hand that we are seen as the same type of criminal that would rob a bank & shoot the teller, by the ones "fighting a war" against us.

So I am careful not to give myself away anymore.
I am not interested in fighting their war, we can't win it, they fund both sides to keep it going.
I prefer to do what I can to educate actual humans in the real world about the drug war scam & expose it for what it is.
Take away the legs they put their weight on from the bottom up.


Once again I may be a bit biased & paranoid...


WS

I completely understand your point, and you have your reasons. I think one of the main purposes of this study is to educate people about the the drug war and how it's based on a scam.

MY point, is simply that I'm sure they'd sooner come up in here and track the people with 1000+ posts, rather than start tracking down people who did a survey online. Like digital_phreedom mentioned...there still isn't much they could do even if they had your IP. People lie on surveys all the time too...

 

[Eden]

That's very, very easy to say from outside a jail cell....

I am not interested in fighting their war, we can't win it, they fund both sides to keep it going.
I prefer to do what I can to educate actual humans in the real world about the drug war scam & expose it for what it is.
Take away the legs they put their weight on from the bottom up.

Very valid point, but I don't see any solution which will be easy and without risk for the minority.
Yes, the chance of legal issues exists, but I feel the benefits outweigh that chance.

You are very right in saying we cannot win their war, but I don't believe honesty of actions and beliefs can be considered fighting.
Knowledge prevailing over propaganda seems the best way to take away their legs, or so I am attempting to believe. :?

Ultimately, I am in complete agreement with your attempt to educate the people of the real word. This is the most important vehicle of change, but I would also like to provide real information to an organization pursuing it.

 

[Xt]

Whats there to say you completed the survey and in your answers it says you dont take drugs?
Also its hardly court worthy material.

Chill out.

 

[rave420]

gee you guys are paranoid.

An online survey is not equal to admitting you do drugs, unless it can be proved that YOU were operating the computer at that time. Virtually anybody can use your internet connection, and I.P. Addresses don't equal single individual beings YET.

 

[WSaged]

You realize that cases are built over time, right?

I'm not saying your going to get arrested for taking a survey, but the info given in that survey...assuming you are promoting drug use in your answer...can open a door for you being a pawn & more info about you being collected & a case built.

These things are happening, call it paranoia when it happens to you. I'll keep safe.


WS

 

[I am.]

hey. worried about your address? use a proxy server.

 

[Eden]

assuming you are promoting drug use in your answer

Something I actually though quite interesting: there was a question along the lines of "Does the legal status of these substances influence your use?"

After some thought, I selected no.
Perhaps this will be an indication of how absurd and utterly futile this "war" really is.

Honestly, the questions are good ones. Exposure and usage, extensive options on reasons for taking different substances, perception of risks, perceptions of harm to society. I found it quite well thought out.

 

[Trickster]

Use anon-proxies or Tor to log onto any suspicious or sensitive sites. Even if Nexus does not log your IP addresses your ISP may. In fact in many countries ISPs are required to log all activities of their customers.

 

[Strange Gray Static Mayan Pattern]

Well guys, it's not like you have to tell the truth like in a judicial proceeding.

 

[neverwas]

I tried to fill it all out. Ran into an error as to why I use 'hallucinogens' so I gave up. Its a shame there wasn't a better option there. I think many people here would like the option to use as a sacrament. But I get it, we are all Just drug users to then. Shame on them.