Erowid
Erowid has operated since 1995 as an independent, donation-funded library of psychoactive substance information. Founded by Earth and Fire Erowid, it was one of the first websites to provide non-judgmental, evidence-based drug information at a time when nearly all public resources were abstinence-only.
The site's Experience Vaults contain over 40,000 first-person accounts organized by substance, dosage, and outcome. Its substance pages provide dosage ranges, duration charts, chemistry, pharmacology, health risks, and legal status. It also maintains a document library of research papers, historical texts, and legal documents.
Erowid's editorial model — curating rather than prohibiting user-submitted content, requiring dosage and context in reports, and presenting information without moral framing — established the template for every harm reduction website that followed. It remains one of the most visited drug information sites in the world.
Key takeaways
- –Demonstrated that non-judgmental drug information reduces harm — users make better decisions when they have accurate data.
- –The Experience Vault format (structured reports with dose, set, setting, and timeline) became the standard for qualitative drug documentation.
- –Survived 25+ years on donations alone, proving that independent drug information can sustain itself outside government and pharmaceutical funding.
- –Its curatorial standards — requiring dosage, route, and context — set the norm for responsible experience reporting.
Cited by
24 substance records cite this source