The Dutch government is promoting three YouTubers to take drugs live and show how it goes.
Which is quite sensational.
Drugs + science + youtubers = knowledge airbag?
Speed, GHB, poppers, cocaïne, MDMA, they try everything for science. Each video is an experience in which three Dutch YouTubers, Rens Polman, Nellie Benner and Bastiaan Rosman, leave their bodies to substances to show everyone how it goes. From blood rate to motor skills, they measure everything live and dive you into the realities of getting high.
“Drugslab is an educational YouTube channel about drugs. On this YouTube channel we, Rens Polman, Nellie Benner and Bastiaan Rosman, will take in the drugs you want us to try. We do this in the name of science so we can show you what the effect of drugs are on the human body. You can suggest any type of drug by commenting in the comment section below the videos or by using the hashtag #drugslab. Besides our weekly experiment, we provide you of safe methods of use, safe doses, the effects, the risks and very useful do’s and don’ts when high on drugs. Given by experienced epicureans. Light it up people, in the name of science! Peace.”
The goal is not to encourage people to use drugs, but to educate and get people aware of what those drugs are, what are the effects, the side effects, the dangers and the substances you shouldn’t mix with each other. That’s why it’s supported by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
In Europe, the Netherlands are known to be relaxed toward recreational drugs. But relaxed doesn’t necessarily mean uneffective. As the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction put it:
“Dutch drugs policy aims to discourage and reduce drug use, as far as it causes damage to health and to society, and to prevent and reduce the damage associated with drug use, drug production and the drugs trade.”
This, of course, echoes the global debate about drugs interdiction. The interdiction aims to protect people against both health issues and addiction that drugs can beget. However, it’s still unclear if a straight interdiction is the best option, as the blackmarket substitutes can be dangerous and people remain unprepared when they end up consuming anyway. Moreover, as we can understand in a famous TED talk given by Johann Hari at TEDGlobalLondon in 2015, the drug itself may not be the one responsible for addiction, but loneliness and isolation are.
But the charts from the ECDDA show the Netherlands are good but not the best in their actions against drugs issues (see the full study here):
Most of all, what those charts show is the high rates of drugs consumption in the Netherlands compared to the other EU contries. That doesn’t mean this consumption leads to “health and society damages”, but that this population should know what they consume. And that’s where DrugsLab is both brilliant and in harmony with its country’s objectives.
The show is in Dutch but offers English subtitles.
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