The Neuromancer

Hey everyone,

If you haven't caught my recent videos, as of July 1, 2026, the DEA has issued Notices of Intent to ban several substances beginning on July 31, 2026. The list of substances includes 7-OH, a kratom alkaloid that's active as an opioid; a couple of potent, synthetic opioids; and a research chemical called SR-17018.

SR.-17018 is a unique and potentially paradigm-shifting molecule. It is a biased agonist at the mu-opioid receptor, which means that it produces the effects that we want (painkilling power, euphoria) without the tolerance / dependence, respiratory depression, and constipation that make these substances so problematic.

In one mouse study, for example, SR-17018 was more effective than oxycodone and morphine at treating neuropathic and inflammatory pain - WITHOUT requiring the dose escalation that traditional opiates / opioids very quickly demand. The implications of this for pain management and addiction treatment alike are profound.

There is a community of people who, in a very limited and scientific way, have essentially self-experimented with SR-17018, mostly to get off of a variety of opiates / opioids that they were dependent on. Many of these SR-17018 users have attested to it being a miracle molecule that allowed them to stop using their opioid of choice with minor (or even no) withdrawal symptoms.

In fact, there's a mod of the SR-17018 subreddit who is a grad student or postdoc at Johns Hopkins U., who has collected and organized this data and submitted it as a paper for peer review. The results are extremely promising.

It is absolutely clear that we should be researching SR-17018 further at this time, and instead the DEA has handed down this "emergency" ban that will last for two years if it is instituted. The implications of moving SR-17018 to Schedule I are huge; for starters, research will be effectively halted / impossible, and anyone possessing or selling it will be committing a crime.

The DEA is only empowered to issue such bans when there is an "imminent risk" to public health. There has never been a single OD or death - not so much as a sneeze - attributed to SR-17018. There is absolutely no basis for including it in the ban.

We're not sure whether SR-17018 was included out of scientific ignorance or whether there is nefarious politics involved, but it seems to be the latter (specifically, an oil exec and excon who now owns Botanic Tonics, the company that makes the kratom / kava drink Feel Free, donating over a million dollars to RFK, Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again PAC, after which this DEA ban on competitor substances was issued out of nowhere; Markwayne Mullins, Director of Homeland Security, has publicly spoken out against kratom use but has a one million dollar stake in Botanic Tonics).

There is a coalition of scientists, activists, policy experts, vendors, and other concerned citizens who are fighting the DEA ban. It's looking like they will take the DEA to court to try to obtain an emergency injunction against this unconstitutional and unscientific order, which was issued without providing adequate time for public input.

We need your help.

Please visit this site and add your voice using the resources there: stop-sr17-ban.com/

Consider signing this petition: www.change.org/p/stop-the-scheduling-of-sr-17018-a…

As you can imagine, taking the federal government to court is neither a short nor an inexpensive endeavor; every dollar counts, and if you have ever found my content useful or interesting, or even if you just care about sensible, evidence-based drug policy in this country, please consider donating to support the cause here: rightsandreasonproject.com/

If you are over 21 years of age and have used SR-17018, please share your experience here: jhmi.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6WGVPz8jn4SDu0S

Ban-based drug policy does not work. Our government first allowed Big Pharma to create the prescription opioid crisis, then cracked down on that, which led to an even worse heroin epidemic, then cracked down on that, which led to an even worse fentanyl crisis, then cracked down on that, which is currently fueling the rise of tranq (xylazine) and even worse compounds that have no place in the human body.

We have lost over one million Americans to opioid overdose (1 out of every 420 Americans) since the year 2000. Our government's policy failure is unequivocal, catastrophic, unprecedented, and, I believe, deliberate. If we as patients, users, and addicts aren't generating money for Big Pharma or other companies that administration officials have stakes in, they'd prefer that we just die.

I would much prefer that we do not. Please consider supporting this worthy cause.

I love you all, and I will keep you updated,

B.

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 36

The Neuromancer

Hey fam,

For the next installment of the Druggie Book Club (Selection 3), I'm thinking Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." It's a New Journalist (Gonzo) tale of the Merry Pranksters, a group of hippies led by writer Ken Kesey, who traveled throughout the U.S. and Mexico and had various LSD-fueled adventures and misadventures.

I've never read it, so it's a bit of a risk in that regard, but I chose it because A) in the context of dark, 2025 America, I'm craving some of the bright colors and optimism of the hippies, B) there is increasing interest in psychedelics and dissociatives as mental health treatments these days, and C) the debate about whether drug use can be part of a path to transcendence / spiritual growth or whether it is always a distraction and detriment is perennial.

Any objections or counter-suggestions?

Hope that everyone has a wonderful day,

B.

p.s. Planning to release my video on next month's book by Tuesday, October 14 (sorry, guys; I know that I was originally shooting for October 8, but I've had a busy work week, and I need time to add pictures and spend some time on background research and editing to increase video quality).

10 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 33