Hacker News with Generative AI: Drugs

A Texan who built an empire of ecstasy (texasmonthly.com)
As Texas led a global revolution in designer party drugs, one restless club kid built an empire of ecstasy. His life is an all-American story of entrepreneurship, moral flexibility, and the heedless pursuit of happiness.
Texas, Drugs, Entrepreneurship, Crime
144 points by wallflower 5 days ago | 156 comments
Elite athletes warned to avoid one-night stands over risk of failing drug tests (theguardian.com)
Elite athletes have been warned against having one-night stands because of the risk they could be ­contaminated with banned drugs from engaging in casual sex.
Sports, Drugs, Health, Relationships
4 points by bookofjoe 7 days ago | 0 comments
Why Do Most People Quit Ozempic After Two Years? (scientificamerican.com)
The class of weight-loss drugs including semaglutide, sold as Wegovy, have become immensely popular new treatments for obesity. One key factor in their effectiveness is that people need to take them indefinitely—but in practice, many don’t. A recent JAMA Network Open analysis found the vast majority of people quit taking these drugs within two years—such stops in treatment often reverses weight loss and health gains.
Obesity, Medicine, Healthcare, Weight Loss, Drugs
11 points by paulpauper 15 days ago | 1 comments
The Long History of Nitrous Oxide (smithsonianmag.com)
Inhaling nitrous oxide is a modern twist on an old high. In the 19th century, philosophers and poets dabbled with it in the pursuit of metaphysical insights. Today, young adults are turning to Galaxy Gas, a flavored nitrous oxide originally sold for culinary purposes like aerating whipped cream, for a quick high. Inhaling the gas produces a brief euphoria, often accompanied by sensations of floating, and users are taking to social media to share the experience.
History, Science, Drugs, Social Media
19 points by sksxihve 23 days ago | 16 comments
U.S. border officials have caught more people with eggs than fentanyl this year (ctvnews.ca)
U.S. border officials have caught more people with eggs than fentanyl this year
Crime, Drugs, Fentanyl
12 points by paulpauper 47 days ago | 2 comments
Indian chemical company employees indicted for Importing of Fentanyl Precursors (justice.gov)
An India-based chemical manufacturing company and three high-level employees were charged in federal court in Washington, D.C., today related to illegally importing precursor chemicals used to make illicit fentanyl.
India, Chemistry, Law Enforcement, Fentanyl, Drugs
17 points by 737min 49 days ago | 0 comments
Philly's street fentanyl contains a chemical called BTMPS used in plastic (theconversation.com)
As much as half of the fentanyl sold on Philly’s streets contains an industrial chemical used in plastics manufacturing. That’s according to our November 2024 testing of fentanyl samples collected in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, regarded as the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast.
Drugs, Public Health, Philadelphia, Chemistry
21 points by PaulHoule 51 days ago | 9 comments
Trump to declare 'illicit' fentanyl as 'weapon of mass destruction' per draft EO (thehandbasket.co)
The heads of the US Departments of Commerce, Defense, Justice and State received a copy of a draft executive order (EO) likely sometime last week stating that President Trump would be designating “illicit” fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, The Handbasket is first to report.
Politics, Drugs, National Security
39 points by anigbrowl 52 days ago | 34 comments
What ketamine does to the human brain (theatlantic.com)
Excessive use of the drug can make anyone feel like they rule the world.
Drugs, Neuroscience, Human Brain
72 points by aagha 58 days ago | 19 comments
What Ketamine Does to the Human Brain (theatlantic.com)
Excessive use of the drug can make anyone feel like they rule the world.
Drugs, Neuroscience, Psychology, Mental Health
17 points by coloneltcb 62 days ago | 23 comments
The Cocaine Files (cbc.ca)
Reporter Christian Smith Jr. went undercover in the 1924 Saskatoon drug scene. His series published in the Saskatoon Daily Star revealed a hidden world of ‘snow sniffers,’ ‘hop heads’ and opium smokers.
Journalism, History, Drugs, Canada
37 points by samclemens 67 days ago | 1 comments
Is Ketamine Neurotoxic? (desmolysium.com)
There are dozens of animal studies that show unequivocally that ketamine is neurotoxic.
Neuroscience, Drugs, Health, Ketamine
201 points by amadeuspagel 74 days ago | 228 comments
The Mission is the new Tenderloin (sfstandard.com)
The Sixth Street drug market has found a new home.
San Francisco, Drugs, Crime, Urban Planning
7 points by iancmceachern 77 days ago | 0 comments
Nitazenes: Battle with Deadly Synthetic Opioids and Drug Trade Links to China (postimees.ee)
On December 7, 2023, police responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment in the Kopli district of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Upon arrival, they identified a man in his 30s, Sergei, and his partner, both of whom appeared to be extremely intoxicated. Sergei carried a mini-grip plastic bag containing 15 grams of a dirt-coloured substance, according to court files inspected by Postimees.
Drugs, Crime, China
6 points by type0 79 days ago | 0 comments
Ketamine-Fueled 'Psychedelic Slumber Parties' Get Tech Execs Back on Track (wired.com)
“Ketamine is helpful for getting one out of the negative frame of mind,” Elon Musk told an interviewer last year. The unelected man currently gutting US federal programs isn’t the only one who thinks so. Ketamine, approved decades ago as a surgical anesthetic and long used as a party drug, is the off-label mental-health treatment of the moment.
Mental Health, Technology, Drugs, Psychedelics
5 points by impish9208 80 days ago | 1 comments
Forget Psychedelics. Everyone's Microdosing Ozempic Now (hollywoodreporter.com)
On a chilly January evening, Samira Shamoon, a 44-year-old health and beauty publicist, walked into an Italian restaurant to meet friends. They were stunned by the incandescence of her skin. Her cheekbones appeared more defined. After a flurry of questions about which dermatologist or plastic surgeon she had visited, she said, beaming, “I’m microdosing!”
Health, Drugs, Society, Trends
22 points by adrian_mrd 89 days ago | 17 comments
Canadian MP proposes life sentence for trafficking over 40mg of fentanyl (ctvnews.ca)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says major drug trafficking super labs linked to criminal networks are killing people across Canada and other countries.
Canada, Drugs, Crime, Politics, Law
6 points by philip1209 93 days ago | 5 comments
How does fentanyl get into the US? (bbc.com)
President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods, citing Beijing's failure to stop the export of chemicals used in the production of the powerful opioid fentanyl.
Fentanyl, Drugs, Trade, China, United States
83 points by tartoran 94 days ago | 191 comments
A dose of MDMA transformed a white supremacist (bbc.com)
Brendan was once a leader in the US white nationalist movement. But when he took the drug MDMA in a scientific study, it would radically change his extremist beliefs – to the surprise of everyone involved. Rachel Nuwer investigates what happened.
Drugs, Psychology, Extremism, Social Change
44 points by fzliu 104 days ago | 13 comments
Viagra-laced 'erectile honey' is flooding into France, officials warn (politico.eu)
France last year seized record quantities of illegally imported “erectile honey” laced with Viagra and other medications, customs officials said Monday.
France, Health, Drugs, Sexual Health, Illegal Imports
41 points by mschuster91 109 days ago | 49 comments
An 'uncensored' dark web AI is offering step-by-step guides on how to make meth (dailydot.com)
An anonymous developer launched an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot on the dark web in an effort to provide “uncensored” access to information.
Artificial Intelligence, Dark Web, Drugs, Censorship
8 points by gscott 123 days ago | 2 comments
'Barbarians' May Have Been Inspired by Opium When Attacking Rome, Study Suggests (haaretz.com)
The Romans thought the barbarian monsters on their borders should settle for alcohol, but the drug spoons the Germanic warriors carried into battle suggest they didn't agree
History, Ancient Rome, Drugs, Anthropology
10 points by wslh 128 days ago | 0 comments
Fentanyl Almost Killed Michael Brewer. Now He Wants Snap to Pay (bloomberg.com)
We've detected unusual activity from your computer network
Fentanyl, Lawsuits, Social Media, Drugs, Health
9 points by petethomas 140 days ago | 6 comments
Promising early data in triple negative breast cancer (statnews.com)
New data suggests researchers may have found one of their most promising candidates yet for the next generation in immunotherapy drugs — bispecific antibodies targeting two key proteins in cancer, PD1 or PD-L1 and VEGF.A small early trial on one such bispecific compound was presented by researchers working with BioNTech at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Tuesday. The bispecific compound, called BNT-327, had positive results in patients with triple negative breast cancer.
Cancer, Immunotherapy, Drugs, Clinical Trials
10 points by doener 149 days ago | 1 comments
Russia's Dead Drop Drug Revolution (globalinitiative.net)
There has been a groundbreaking shift in the global drug trade, pioneered in Russia and now spreading globally.
Russia, Drugs, Global Trade, Crime
57 points by nkko 156 days ago | 33 comments
Weight-loss drug found to shrink muscle in mice, human cells (ualberta.ca)
Trendy weight-loss drugs making headlines for shrinking waistlines may also be shrinking the human heart and other muscles, according to a new University of Alberta study whose authors say should serve as a “cautionary tale” about possible long-term health effects of these drugs.
Health, Science, Medicine, Weight Loss, Drugs
372 points by Eumenes 169 days ago | 445 comments
GLP-1s are among the most important drug breakthroughs (economist.com)
IN THE HISTORY of medicine, a few drugs tower above all others. Humira for rheumatoid arthritis; Prozac for depression; statins to prevent heart disease and strokes. All have helped patients far beyond doctors’ initial expectations and continue to benefit millions of people every day. A new class of drugs is set to join their ranks and has the potential to eclipse them all—GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Pharmaceuticals, Medicine, Health, Science, Drugs
58 points by car 191 days ago | 147 comments
Psychedelic Mushrooms Are Getting Much, Much Stronger (wired.com)
Cultivators are turning to genetic sequencing and cellular-manipulation techniques to breed highly potent mushrooms—leaving some unprepared psychonauts in distress.
Psychedelics, Science, Drugs, Genetics
7 points by bookofjoe 209 days ago | 12 comments
On 17th century "cocaine" (resobscura.substack.com)
Earlier this year, amid a sea of bones in the vaulted crypt beneath Milan’s Ca’ Granda hospital, Italian researchers made an intriguing discovery. Analyzing mummified brain tissue from two men who died at the hospital in the seventeenth century, they found evidence of coca use—the earliest ever detected outside of South America.
History, Archaeology, Drugs, Italy
161 points by benbreen 212 days ago | 209 comments
Science Says Everything You Know about Food, Diet and Drugs Is Wrong (newsweek.com)
Science can't provide definitive answers.
Science, Nutrition, Health, Diet, Drugs
3 points by paulpauper 226 days ago | 0 comments