A new NDEWS paper, in collaboration with NPS Discovery, is now available in International Journal of Drug Policy. Led by NDEWS Co-I Dr. Elan Barenholtz and Dr. Alex Krotulski from NPS Discovery, the study evaluated the utility of using drug-related Reddit forums as an early indicator of future trends in new psychoactive substance (NPS) exposures.
Eight NPS (carfentanil, U-47700, eutylone, flualprazolam, N-ethylpentylone, 5F-MDMB-PICA, isotonitazene, and brorphine) were selected to evaluate the relationship between Reddit mentions of drugs and their involvement in toxic exposures or overdoses from forensic investigations in the US. Out of the eight NPS, seven drugs (excluding 5F-MDMB-PICA) appeared in discussions on Reddit prior to their implication in exposures, and for most drugs (63%), a rise in Reddit mentions was soon followed by a corresponding rise in toxicology positivity. These results confirm that activity on drug-related Reddit forums can help predict changes in exposures associated with new or re-emerging NPS. Read the full study here.