Online drugs: a closer look

Here's a closer look at psychoactive substances for sale online, from mushrooms, tinctures, and teas to smokes, powders, and seeds.

Substances for Sale: PC World's Test Purchases


To investigate the sale of psychoactive drugs on the Internet, we made 19 test buys at several online sites. The products we received included roots, mushrooms, powders, and resins from many parts of the globe. Some of them came not only with a psychedelic hit, but with the potential for damaging side effects, according to researchers at the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, who worked with us to analyze the samples.
(Note: Many of the photos in this slide show offer magnified views of the samples outside their packaging, to make details of their texture easier to see. We purchased our samples in the summer and fall of 2008. Availability and prices may have changed.)
The following information about the street or common names, methods of consumption, and effects of the substances we purchased comes from University of Mississippi researchers, unless specified otherwise.

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