"Trip-Sitting" in the Black Hole: A Netnographic Study of Dissociation and Indigenous Harm Reduction.

Dissociative novel psychoactive substances like methoxetamine, 3-MeO-PCP, and methoxphenidine are used as substitutes for illicit ketamine. An analysis of 90 user trip reports and 115 forum threads from seven drug fora, drawn from 3,476 screened threads, revealed five themes and 43 categories describing how online communities share communal folk pharmacology—perceptions of risk, informed knowledge, and indigenous harm-reduction practices. The findings suggest that forum activity disseminates and exchanges harm-reduction tactics among users. Further monitoring of Internet drug fora is recommended to explore variations in these practices and to inform public online health education and drug prevention.

Study at a glance

Abstract

An array of dissociative novel psychoactive substances, including "methoxetamine," "3-MeO-PCP," and "methoxphenidine," have emerged as substitutes for the illicit substance "ketamine." A netographic research methodology aimed to describe online, dissociative novel psychoactive substance users' perceptions of risk, informed knowledge around use, and indigenous harm-reduction practices as advocated within online drug fora, so as to provide credible information which can be used to inform public online health education and drug prevention. Systematic Internet searches were performed using the terms "synthetic dissociative," "methoxetamine," "methoxphenidine," "diphenidine," "3-MeO-PCP," "4-MeO-PCP," "2-MDP," and "dissociative research chemical" in combination with "forum." Following screening of 3,476 forum threads with removal of duplicates and exclusion criteria, 90 user trip reports and 115 fora threads from seven drug fora websites were analyzed by conducting content analysis. Five themes emerged with 43 categories. The findings illustrated how forum activity within the cyber drug user community disseminated and exchanged "communal folk pharmacology" relating to the use of dissociative novel psychoactive substances. Further research and consistent monitoring of Internet drug fora are advised to explore variations in harm-reduction tactics throughout dissociative NPS populations, and to consider how existing harm-reduction initiatives are influencing these hard-to-reach groups.