Effects and Toxicity of Hallucinogenic New Psychoactive Substances From the Perspectives of e-Psychonauts

Abstract

Hallucinogenic new psychoactive substances have been rapidly emerging due to the increasing use of the Internet as a marketplace and source of information. This study explores hallucinogenic new psychoactive substances’ profile, effects and toxicity from the perspectives of e-psychonauts by conducting content analysis of online discussion forums. Qualitative content analysis was applied to threads extracted from online discussion forums. Each thread was coded carefully, and similar codes were grouped into sub-themes and themes respectively. The results showed four main themes related to users’ characteristics, hallucinogenic new psychoactive substances profile, effects and toxicity. The majority of users in this study were men in the age range of 18–25 years old. The main effects sought were stimulant/hallucinogenic effects; yet neurological and cardiovascular toxicity were frequently reported. The research found that online discussion forums offered a rich source of information as they provided a safe space for truthful experience reports without fear of legal consequence for e-psychonauts.