In my last post, I wrote about why I have decided to experiment with taking microdoses of LSD for 30 days. Here I’m going to start off by showing how you might get some LSD.
If you live in San Francisco, then getting LSD might be as easy as just paying a visit to the infamous Haight Street. But if you want a better idea of what exactly you’re buying, or aren’t living in San Francisco, then here is the process you might take:
The darknet
You may have heard of the ‘Darknet’ or ‘Dark Web’ already; the shadowy place where hackers sell Uber accounts and people buy child porn. The first definitely exists, the second is well hidden, and it’s overall just a giant database of websites that aren’t trackable or traceable by normal means. But there is accountability, which means that when you’re buying drugs from one of the dark marketplaces, people will leave reviews and ratings, very much like eBay. So when buying LSD here, it’s highly likely that it will live up to its reviews.
Here’s how you start:
Step One: Download Tor
To get started browsing the darknet, you need to install a separate browser called Tor (normal browsers can’t visit darknet websites). The logo is an onion because darknet websites end in .onion (instead of .com).
Once you’ve downloaded and installed Tor, open the app and you’ll see loading bars as it starts to configure the service (it takes a while to load each time that you use it). I want to mention here that this is a very high-level explanation of these services; it gets a lot more complex and you can do a bunch more things to stop tracking with nodes, etc. But for the basic user, this guide should suffice – click here if you want to enter the rabbit hole.
Step Two: Find the right marketplace
As I mentioned already, what you can buy on the dark web tends to be illegal. Sure, people will sometimes sell handmade soaps and cookies, but generally we’re talking guns, drugs, and forgeries. Which is why a number of websites get taken down pretty regularly, so what I recommend today might not be available in a year.
A good place to start your search is with Grams, a Google-style engine for .onion websites. The URL for Grams is: http://grams7enufi7jmdl.onion/ (again, this won’t work in your normal browser, so you’ll need to copy and paste this URL into Tor).
I’d suggest searching Grams for ‘acid’ (as LSD is sometimes too short a phrase to search for). You’ll get a large number of results with links to different storefronts. Now, I need to explain dark marketplaces a bit more. They range from open – anybody with the URL can use them – to closed, which is where you need a personal referral code. Most will make you create an account, and you register with a made up username and password. Make sure to remember them, there’s no forget password email box here!
DeepDotWeb aggregates marketplace data and warns you about which are doing well, and which have become shady.
Currently popular marketplaces include:
- AlphaBay
- Outlaw Market
(these are .onion links for Tor)
Note these two terms: FE and Active Vendor. They’re good to understand.
FE (Finalize Early): This means that funds get released before the transaction is confirmed. This is good for sellers as it reduces risk, but can scam buyers as there’s no recourse if you don’t get purchases. Avoid if you can.
Escrow / Full Escrow: This is ideal as it means your Bitcoins are held by a third party till your transaction is complete. You get the most security this way.
Awesome. But now you need to make sure you can pay for those lovely mind-altering drugs. For this, you’ll need a Bitcoin wallet.
Step 3: Set up a Bitcoin wallet
Bitcoin, is, at its most basic, a digital currency; a service that lets you make untraceable online payments. I’ve used a number over the last couple of years, and have lost around $5,000 on one, the Mt. Gox scam. Because of this I’m now a lot more careful of where I choose to put my money, and my current favorite is Coinbase.
It’s free to create an account and you’ll have one in under five minutes. You use your cell phone and email address to register. Now you link this to the account you’ve already created on one of the dark marketplaces. On the darkmarket, go to “add funds” to your account and it will give you a Bitcoin address. Use this to send money through your Coinbase account, and your account on the dark marketplace will be updated. Alternatively, some ask for your Bitcoin address, so you can update your account that way.
Now you can buy items!
Adding Bitcoins so you can buy things
Click to purchase, and you’ll get an invoice and an estimated delivery date. AlphaBay gives you an option when you’re checking out to ‘encrypt your message using the seller’s public key’. You should definitely check this box, as you don’t want to be giving out your address in plain-text on these kinds of places.
Step 4: Prepare with a microdosing toolkit
While I waited for my LSD to arrive, I started getting my space prepared. There are differing opinions online, but the common factor seems to be testing the drugs to check they’re what they promised.
I bought the LSD test plus kit ($17.99) and a glass dropper ($3.99) for taking it.
The goal is to dilute the LSD into distilled water or vodka and then drop it on your tongue. I have lots of vodka, so that part was easy.
Microdosing prep and arrival
I was a little concerned about having the drugs sent to my address, so I used a P.O. Box to get them delivered. Then they arrived at my place in a nondescript envelope.
My first impressions were that the LSD was packaged to look like a SIM card, right down to the piece of paper with detailed instructions. I paid around $16.30 including shipping; the tests and prep tools actually cost more than the drugs! I cut a tiny piece off with a sharp knife and dipped it in the drug solution test (you’re supposed to use plastic gloves, as you shouldn’t handle LSD with your bare hands, but I forgot to buy them, so just used cutlery). The tiny square turned the drug test from clear to red, which confirmed that it was LSD.
I was glad to know it wasn’t a dud. I purchased 120mcg, so I figured that this remaining ~100mcg would last me a couple of days since I’d be starting low and upping my dosage as I got acclimatized.
I’ll update you with my progress as I go on, and let you know if I’ve found this to improve my productivity and creativity.
Ready, steady, dose
Wanna follow along? Over the next month I’ll write a post each week about my energy, productivity levels, and overall mood right here on The Hustle.
At the end of my 30-day experiment I’ll write a recap, which hopefully will become a resource for anyone interested in doing the same.
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