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my3rdeye



Registered: 08/10/12
Posts: 4,354
Loc: Canada
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'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say
#22317403 - 10/01/15 04:06 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Canadian media naming names so kids know where to get their etizolam M3E
'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say
The accidental drug overdose of a Nova Scotia man is shining a light on so-called "research chemicals" that are making their way into the illicit drug market.
The chemicals are marketed by companies for what they say are research purposes. However, police forces in North America are now seeing them emerge as street drugs and say they are being deceptively marketed.
Police investigate white powder mailed to addict days after death Father 'dumbfounded' after son's death days before entering detox program
The problem, experts say, is some labs are making small changes to regulated prescription medications, creating these "research chemicals" that can be marketed with far less government oversight.
In Nova Scotia, the family of Michael Thompson, who was addicted to prescription drugs, were alarmed to find an envelope of white powder arrive in the mail just two days after his death on March 18.
The family says the envelope was from reChem Labs, a Kitchener, Ont.-based company, and contained what they thought was a drug equivalent to Ativan, which is often prescribed for anxiety. RCMP have launched an investigation, part of which generally includes sending a sample to a lab for analysis. Etizolam 10 times as potent as Valium
ReChem does not sell Ativan — also known as lorazepam — but it does sell a similar chemical called etizolam. The drug, which is 10 times as potent as Valium, is sold as a prescription medication in India, Italy and Japan to treat panic attacks and insomnia. Michael Thompson helped others in his life, his father remembers.
Michael Thompson died March 18 from a prescription drug overdose. (CBC)
But it is not approved for sale in Canada or the United States. And when it's marketed as a research chemical, that's a red flag signalling deception, according a spokesman for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
Some companies "try to convince the user or the consumer, the person on the other end of the computer, they're legal, they're safe, they're used for research, or it might be a safe alternative to an illegal drug," Rusty Payne says.
"All they want is the sale."
In the U.S, those addicted to lorazepam compare it to etizolam as a way to get high. Law enforcement seizures are growing; between 2012 and 2014, Payne says 145 samples tested in DEA labs contained etizolam.
And in Toronto, police last year issued a warning after two men accidentally overdosed after taking research chemicals. 'Chemical houses' able to change drug structure
ReChem has not responded to an interview request about etizolam or whether it sold the chemical to Thompson. The investigation into the sale is ongoing.
David Gardner, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacy at Dalhousie University, says etizolam is a "family member, absolutely" to benzodiazepines such as Ativan, Valium and Xanax.
Benzodiazepines can be dangerous if abused and are controlled drugs in Canada and the U.S. Gardner says when taken recreationally, benzodiazepines have a euphoric but relaxed high, and are often combined with other street drugs.
The chemical changes between etizolam and lorazepam may be small, but legally they make a huge difference. David Gardner
David Gardner, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacy at Dalhousie University, says small changes to drugs can make a huge regulatory difference. (CBC)
"There's chemical houses that are able to change the structure in very subtle ways to get around the regulations that we have, [so] that the chemical itself is not identified as a previously viewed and regulated substance," Gardner says.
Closing down the illicit online drug trade, Gardner says, is an enormous challenge. 'We will always be chasing the chemists'
"We will always be chasing the chemists that are falling outside of the law trying to make new psychedelic chemicals," Gardner said.
On reChem's website there's a "discreet option" for shipping to researchers who would prefer the return address label say "Cerberus Solutions," instead of reChem.
The company sells etizolam in quantities as small as 20 milligrams for $20, and up to seven grams for $1,000.
Its website states it has a "strict not-for-human-consumption policy." But that's something Rusty Payne says he has seen before.
"A lot of people think they can hide behind a label, where if something bad were to happen, they can just pull out the defence of 'Hey, we put it on the label that it was just a research chemical, it wasn't for human consumption,'" he says. "But that usually doesn't fly."
ReChem recently posted a note on its website referring to possible delays shipping etizolam due to order volumes. It also states the drug is not is not a benzodiazepine or a derivative.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/research-chemicals-making-their-way-into-illicit-drug-markets-police-say-1.3250645
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Tcm19277
Etheromaniac



Registered: 01/25/09
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Re: 'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say [Re: my3rdeye]
#22317656 - 10/01/15 07:19 AM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Great 
Quote:
my3rdeye said: Canadian media naming names so kids know where to get their etizolam M3E YEP! ReChem recently posted a note on its website referring to possible delays shipping etizolam due to order volumes. It also states the drug is not is not a benzodiazepine or a derivative
I wonder why their orders are getting overwhelmed... 
I mean it is devastatingly sad for this guy benzo addict and his family etc, yet there's no need to change the story into a RC scare taking focus away from the guys death and telling all it's newreaders about all the new scary/cool new drug to try/ban !
-------------------- I'M NOT DEAD YET!!! Tcm's Step by Step Guide to Making Poppy Pod Extract 'Opium' & Laudanum, Full With Lots of Pictures!    “I'll stick to my needle, my favourite waste of time, both spineless and sublime; Since I was born, I started to decay. Now nothing ever - ever goes my way.” - Brian Molko, of 'Placebo' -
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tacodude
Old Soul

Registered: 07/20/10
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Re: 'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say [Re: Tcm19277]
#22319805 - 10/01/15 03:58 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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This is news???? LSD and MDMA were RC when they gained popularity and still are, but the only difference is that resear is being done on them vs bk-mdma and LSZ
edit: Naming the vendor in the article is a stupid move.... Hypocritical too. They complain that rechemco are careless profitiers, bt then take no consideration into how many people they are enabling to enter the RC drug scene by specifically naming the vendor.
Edited by tacodude (10/01/15 04:05 PM)
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
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Loc: PNW
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Re: 'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say [Re: tacodude]
#22320600 - 10/01/15 07:08 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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LSZ actually seems pretty interesting IMO, I would gladly take it over LSD just to see if it differs in effects like how I have read 
Just wanted to put that out there
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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tacodude
Old Soul

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Re: 'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say [Re: musiclover420]
#22320791 - 10/01/15 07:41 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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I never said LSZ wae good or bad just an example of an ingested compound with little to no research vs. LSD with a fair bit of research at this point.
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morbiddoctor
Frilly fungal fruiter



Registered: 07/05/09
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Loc: seattle, wa
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Re: 'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say [Re: tacodude]
#22321059 - 10/01/15 08:33 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Rc fans are doing the research aren't they? This is something we need to respect. When no other institutions will do it, there will always be armchair researchers.
-------------------- Trade list Updated 12/20/15 Ranco temperature controller and Wagner steamer for pasteurization in trade list! I'm looking for eyecatching, colorful, unique and interesting fungi. Not limited to edible or medicinal. Print them when you're on foray and pm me please!
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my3rdeye



Registered: 08/10/12
Posts: 4,354
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 2 years, 8 months
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Re: 'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say [Re: morbiddoctor]
#22321416 - 10/01/15 10:01 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
morbiddoctor said: Rc fans are doing the research aren't they? This is something we need to respect. When no other institutions will do it, there will always be armchair researchers.
I am thru experimenting with new drugs and being a lab rat. One of the hundreds of new chemicals will probably cause zombie outbreak. LSD on the other hand is safe.
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morbiddoctor
Frilly fungal fruiter



Registered: 07/05/09
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Loc: seattle, wa
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: 'Research chemicals' making their way into illicit drug markets, police say [Re: my3rdeye]
#22321503 - 10/01/15 10:29 PM (8 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
my3rdeye said:
Quote:
morbiddoctor said: Rc fans are doing the research aren't they? This is something we need to respect. When no other institutions will do it, there will always be armchair researchers.
I am thru experimenting with new drugs and being a lab rat. One of the hundreds of new chemicals will probably cause zombie outbreak. LSD on the other hand is safe.
For sure. To each their own. But 50 years from now we will know alot more. Some of these newer rcs may in fact be widely accepted and have a multitude of postive uses. There are a great deal of rcs that come to mind that are pretty unsafe and damaging, but not all of them are, just because they're new.
Times are changing. Most of the world views cannabis as a safe intoxicatant. The American public has changed its opinion on it very quickly. I don't mean to say that cannabis doesn't have a long term history of use, but that public opinion and scientific backing has been largely unavailable until now. I expect that to change with many of the known rcs.
It wasn't long ago that lsd, dmt etc were heavily scrutinized and deemed unsafe. But we know a lot more about them now. It's just going to take time. For those that are willing to be guinea pigs and test these things out, with or without strict controls, they are doing the real legwork at this time. We can't expect every user to be a scientist but their data is indeed valuable.
All it adds up to is what people are comfortable with and how their experiences can contribute to the overall understanding of how these drugs work and help or hurt us. I like some drugs, but I'll stay away from others. Thanks for sharing your opinion, because your past experience is just as valuable as the next person. We all have something to contribute and whatever we can spare is enough.
-------------------- Trade list Updated 12/20/15 Ranco temperature controller and Wagner steamer for pasteurization in trade list! I'm looking for eyecatching, colorful, unique and interesting fungi. Not limited to edible or medicinal. Print them when you're on foray and pm me please!
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