Opinions - Ethical ground rules for the nightshade forum

[sunyata]

This might be called for since this forum deals with plants and substances a lot more dangerous and difficult to use than the other forums.
A certain level of discretion is essential. Nobody wants anyone to die just because of bad advice.
Dosages should never even be mentioned because they imply that Xg of one datura is the same as Xg of another. Since potency can vary within the same family and even within the same habitat, one persons dosage with one specific plant is useless information, IMO.
When someone who clearly has no knowledge of nightshades asks for information one should always make the dangers of these plants clear and never directly recommend that they use it. It would be easy to UTSFE them, but if someone asked "I just found a gun, would it be like playstation if I shot someone with it?" you wouldn't do that, you'd make time to answer them properly.
I know I posted dosages for various nightshades in the earlier days of the forum, based on a book I found, but I have edited that post and am currently in the process of editing all my posts in this category.

So what can be discussed? Cultivation, history/mythology, experiences could also be shared, but they should perhaps refrain from gloryfying too much.

It would be great if everyone who had one, gave their opinion on this, I feel it's a discussion we should have taken a long time ago, even if it was covered a little bit in the "ethics of Datura suppliers" thread.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Fantastic idea! Awareness of subject & inherent dangers, not to mention safety of Forum & it's members. 10 point...
	Thankyou

[Sarin]

There are clearly two main types of folk interested in this area - thrill-seekers after a cheap high, and those - like my friend - who simply feel an almost irresistable call from these plants despite all the reasons not to (of course one could argue that the former are simply the latter who have not quite done their homework, but that's another conversation).

My friend feels that it is definitely a legitimate area of discussion, one which should be approached sensibly and rationally and not simply dismissed and demonized as oft-times it is. Demonization often lends a certain mystique, an allure, and these plants provide that already themselves in ample quantity - pouring petrol on a fire is unhelpful and irresponsible! However - as you suggest Sunyata - dispassionate discussion holds a great responsibility too...

My friend feels that your suggestion of not disclosing any dosage amounts to be a sensible one - some people are vastly more sensitive to tropanes than others. He read dosage suggestions in the recently released English translation of The Encyclopaedia of Psychoactive Plants and was staggered by the amounts put forward there.

Himself, he is drawn to Atropa belladona (Deadly Nightshade herself) but in no way would he ever consider just grabbing material from the first wild plant he could find and gulping it down hoping for the best! He is growing his own plants from seed, nurturing and loving them and building up a relationship with them (he says simply sleeping by them - and it's impossible not too as simply lying down beside them brings sleep in seconds for him - produces very vivid dreams and there was a definite communication between the two at one point in the sleep/dream and upon waking which was unsettling and unnerving) before any attempt at communion is made.

He feels it would be a shame if he could not relate his eventual experiences in this forum (if they occur) through myself - which he would not do if the consensus opinion was against it - and he was considering asking me to post a few pictures of his treasured babies for him in this subforum.

We are both very interested to hear more of this discussion of the discussion, and hope that this vaguely counts as an opinion!

[Alfa]

Dangerous information is a problem. But with atropine plants as with other dangerous drugs (CCC's). However I do not think that withholding information is the answer to that.
When some SWIM posts his/her experience with atropine plants, I would like to read what dose was taken.