Self-reported Subjective Effects of Analytically Confirmed New Psychoactive Substances Consumed by e-Psychonauts:...

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Public Health
• Digital Health

Background:

• The emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) presents a significant public health challenge due to their increasing prevalence and the lack of timely data on their effects.
• Current scientific methodologies are too slow and lack the resolution to adequately study the rapidly evolving landscape of NPS.
• There is a critical need for faster, more cost-effective methods to gather information on NPS for informed decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize e-psychonauts and the subjective effects of NPS using a novel internet-based methodology.
• To bridge the evidence gap between online surveys and slow, expensive clinical trials for NPS research.
• To provide timely data on NPS for public health professionals and policymakers.

Main Methods:

• An observational, longitudinal study recruiting participants from online NPS user communities.
• Continuous online evaluation of participants for at least 1 year, including qualitative and objective assessments.
• Collection and chemical analysis of substance samples provided by participants to correlate with reported effects.

Main Results:

• The research protocol received Institutional Review Board approval.
• Data collection commenced in August 2019 and was ongoing as of September 2020, with a preliminary analysis completed in February 2021.
• The study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting IRB-approved research with this methodology, though the interpretation of collected data is still pending.

Conclusions:

• It is possible to conduct an institutional review board-approved study using this new methodology.
• The study successfully collected data on e-psychonauts and their NPS use.
• The ultimate meaning and usefulness of the collected data require further investigation.