The NBOMe hallucinogenic drug series: Patterns of use, characteristics of users and self-reported effects in a large international sample.
Will Lawn, Monica J Barratt, Martin L Williams, Abi Horne, Adam Winstock
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) August 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1177/0269881114523866 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractNBOMe compounds are a new series of potent hallucinogenic drugs that activate the 5-HT2A receptor. An anonymous online survey in 2012 with 22,289 respondents found that 2.6% (582 people) had ever tried one of three NBOMe drugs, with 25I-NBOMe being the most popular at 2.0% (442 people). Nearly all (93.5%) who last tried a NBOMe drug did so in 2012, and 81.2% administered it orally or sublingually. Subjective effects resembled other serotonergic hallucinogens, but users reported higher negative effects while high and greater value for money. The most common source (41.7%) was a website. NBOMe drugs are recently emerged, often bought online, and may pose larger risks due to limited knowledge, low price, and internet availability.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22,289 |
| Population | Respondents to an anonymous online survey about drug use in 2012 |
| Keywords | Demographics Nbome Hallucinogen Internet drug market Legal drugs |
| Key finding | 2.6% of survey respondents had ever tried an NBOMe drug, with subjective effects similar to other serotonergic hallucinogens but higher negative effects while high and greater value for money. |
Abstract
The NBOMe compounds are a novel series of hallucinogenic drugs that are potent agonists of the 5-HT2A receptor, have a short history of human consumption and are available to buy online, in most countries. In this study, we sought to investigate the patterns of use, characteristics of users and self-reported effects. A cross-sectional anonymous online survey exploring the patterns of drug use was conducted in 2012 (n = 22,289), including questions about the use of 25B-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, and 25I-NBOMe and comparison drugs. We found that 2.6% of respondents (n = 582) reported having ever tried one of the three NBOMe drugs and that at 2.0%, 25I-NBOMe was the most popular (n = 442). Almost all (93.5%) respondents whose last new drug tried was a NBOMe drug, tried it in 2012, and 81.2% of this group administered the drug orally or sublingually/buccally. Subjective effects were similar to comparison serotonergic hallucinogens, though higher 'negative effects while high' and greater 'value for money' were reported. The most common (41.7%) drug source was via a website. The NBOMe drugs have emerged recently, are frequently bought using the internet and have similar effects to other hallucinogenic drugs; however, they may pose larger risks, due to the limited knowledge about them, their relatively low price and availability via the internet.