Psychotropic substances of natural origin: What do users find on the internet?

Abstract

Introduction: The internet is one of the main means for sharing information, besides being a platform with resources for online commerce. Recently, an increase interest and consumption of psychotropic substances of natural origin has been observed, whether in a religious, cultural, or hedonistic context. Objective: To evaluate whether the information about psychotropic substances of natural origin, available on websites published in Portuguese, is based on scientific literature, whether it presents distorted or biased content in order to stimulate consumption, and whether there are indications that the page is being used as a platform for clandestine sale of  these products. Method: Google searches were conducted using the popular names of the substances or of plants and preparations that contain them (eg marijuana, ayahuasca, etc.), and the information available on the visited pages was classified and tabulated. Results: Of the 328 websites analyzed, approximately 55% were classified as informative pages and 60% of the analyzed content was in agreement with the scientific literature and was considered to be reliable. Approximately a quarter of the websites encouraged directly or indirectly the consumption of these substances, and nearly 25% presented the commercialization of products containing some of the substances researched. Conclusions: The results suggest that a user who searches online for natural psychotropic substances based on their popular names is predominantly exposed to information that can be supported by the scientific literature. However, the number of websites that offer products that contain these substances for sale or that share methods for consumption is also significant, often without presenting warnings about the incorrect use of such products, characterizing a risk to the user’s health.