The rock and blues guitarist Frank Zappa once proclaimed, “A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound.” Many people like to use drugs whether it be caffeine or alcohol or even a substance on the illegal spectrum. Responsibility when taking substances is required because drugs can turn on an individual and make a positive experience into a frightening one. As Zappa said, “a drug is a chemical compound” and this implies no evil intrinsically exists in a drug, only that drugs should be respected; whether the drug is legal or illegal, they require safe practice. Experimentation of drugs requires self-education, a trusted source, and proper set and setting.

I would like to state that in no way am I condoning drug use or suggesting it to anyone who is reading this, I am writing this as information for anyone who may be met with the possibility of using such substances so they may take proper precautions.

One of the major areas requiring attention before use of a drug is education and knowledge of the substance. The greatest source for finding any type of drug information may be found on the internet. With respect to this kind of research, it should be noted a lengthy amount of information should be viewed and not just the first entry on a Reddit page pertaining to the substance of choice. Plenty of forums exist, and a great deal may be learned from others who have experienced the substance. Websites ending with “.gov” tend to have decent information about drugs as well. If you have access to a person who themselves have used the substance then asking them about their experience can be extremely beneficial. By the end of your research you should know the side effects and what to expect during intoxication, and the duration of the drug; once this knowledge is ascertained, you should prepare respectively. Proper education pertaining to drug use can make the difference between a positive and negative life changing event.

When retrieving a substance the validity of the drug is a matter of life and death and needs to come from someone you can trust or who has tried or tested the substance. Getting drugs from Craigslist would not be something I would suggest. Research chemicals are easily accessible from the internet and can be harful; I have heard a personal story of a mistake involving the incorrect substance. I was recently told this story about someone taking a drug with a group of friends who believed the drug was a research chemical called 2CI; the drug was not 2CI, and was instead an analog called 25I. The trip they had prepared for became a very different experience and they received a horrible terrifying one instead. For certain drugs like MDMA or LSD testing kits are available on the internet to see if they are truly what they have been described as; testing kits are not generally made for research chemicals which also makes them more of a liability. The experimentation of drugs is a serious matter and needs to be handled safely and getting a valid substance needs to be done with the utmost care.

The use of the drug of choice requires a proper set and setting. Although set and setting are usually associated with psychedelics, I believe with many kinds of drug use it is necessary to take them into account. According to the neuropsychopharmacologist, David Nutt, set refers to as “your own background and state of mind, previous encounters with changing your brain chemistry, and expectations of what’s going to happen” and setting is “the environment where you consume the drug”(‘Drugs Without the Hot Air’). When you are taking these factors into account, proper precautions are necessary such as planning out where you will be and making sure it will be safe to prevent a scary or poor experience. You should be emotionally balanced and in a familiar place and personally I believe, as others I know believe, should be with someone who has experienced the substance for themselves. Taking the proper steps in relation to your set and setting can make the difference between a nightmarish world and one of intense revelations.

By making sure you are educated for your experimentation, receive your substances from a trusted source, and have a proper set and setting for your experience, you can increase the safety of your drug use. Frank Zappa said, “A drug is just a chemical compound” and if precautions are taken before their use, a pleasant time may be had.

Work Cited

Nutt, David (2012). ‘Drugs without the Hot Air: Minimizing the Harms of Legal and Illegal Drugs’. Cambridge, England. UTI Cambridge Ltd.