# DrugsData (Erowid Center) — formerly EcstasyData

**Status (2026-04):** **Paused for new submissions.** DrugsData.org displays a notice "New Submissions Are Not Currently Being Accepted" — the administrative pause has been in effect since **April 2024** and has not been lifted as of 2026-04-23. The historical database remains publicly accessible.
**Location:** Erowid Center is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Grass Valley, California). The analytical lab is Drug Detection Laboratories (DDL); specific lab location is not surfaced on drugsdata.org's public About pages as of 2026-04-23.
**Founded:** EcstasyData launched July 2001. Renamed DrugsData in 2019 to reflect broader sample scope.
**Principals:** Erowid Center — operated by Earth and Fire Erowid (long-standing public principals of the parent organisation). DrugsData-specific operational leads are not individually named on the live pages.
**URL:** https://drugsdata.org/
**Specialisation:** Anonymous postal drug-checking for recreational drugs, powders, tablets, pharmaceuticals, supplements, and "other substances." **Not HRT-focused**; included as a comparator for public-benefit drug-checking done transparently.

DrugsData is the US comparator to WEDINOS — civil-society rather than government-funded, 25+ years of continuous operation, a published searchable database of **20,195 tested-sample entries** as of 2026-04-23. It is the most-cited public-benefit drug-checking archive in the US and is the model that informs how community HRT-testing aggregators (including testing.trans.diy) frame their publication practice.

## Instruments (with citations)

| Model / class | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| **GC-MS** | Primary identity + semi-quantitation | https://drugsdata.org/about_data_test_types.php (2026-04-23) — "The analysis conducted is Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS)." |
| Reagent spot tests (Marquis, Mecke, etc.) | Pre-screen | drugsdata.org/about_data_test_types.php — "performs reagent testing with 3-4 reagents" |
| Photography | Physical characterisation | same — "photographs the sample and the reagent results" |

The contract lab running the GC-MS analysis is **Drug Detection Laboratories (DDL)**. DDL's specific GC-MS instrument make/model is not publicly disclosed on drugsdata.org.

## Assays offered

- Substance identification
- Semi-quantitation (peak-height ratio on GC-MS output, per DDL reporting format)
- Physical characterisation (length, width, total mass, color)
- Reagent test results
- Photography of sample and reagent reactions

## Pricing

| Assay | Price | Turnaround | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecstasy / Molly tablets | **$100** per analysis | ~2 weeks from lab receipt | **C1** — drugsdata.org/about_data_test_types.php (2026-04-23) |
| Recreational drug powders / crystals / blotter | **$100** per analysis | ~2 weeks | **C1** — same |
| Pharmaceuticals, supplements, "other substances" | **$150** per analysis | ~2 weeks | **C1** — same |

Currently paused — prices are archival and will resume on service restoration.

## Submission workflow (when service was active)

1. Anonymous postal submission to DDL using DrugsData-supplied labels.
2. Payment via DrugsData-supplied mechanism.
3. Results published on drugsdata.org publicly (with submitter-assigned street name and detected substances + amounts).
4. Submitter notified via unique submission code.

All 20,195 historical tests are **public** — this is the transparency model that distinguishes DrugsData from commercial testing services where COAs are per-customer.

## Sample requirements

- Historically accepted: tablets, powders, crystals, blotter, pharmaceuticals, supplements, liquid samples.
- Anonymity: full — no identifying submitter info; postcode-level sample-origin tagging is voluntary.

## Publication practice

- **Public database** of 20,195 entries at drugsdata.org.
- **Per-sample pages** with detected substances, ratio/amount, reagent results, photos.
- **Aggregate data import** from partners including SaferParty.ch (Switzerland) and Drogenarbeit Z6 — DrugsData displays cross-project data alongside its own.
- **Historical continuity** since 2001 (with the 2024 pause the longest-running interruption).

## Reputation notes (public statements only — no speculation)

- DrugsData is cited in academic harm-reduction literature, DEA analytical reports, and mass-media drug-checking coverage as the canonical US public-benefit drug-checking archive.
- Co-sponsored historically by **Erowid Center** (operator), **Isomer Design** (financial support through 2022), and **DanceSafe** (founding-era partnership). DanceSafe took over its own consumer pill-analysis program in 2001, handing it to Erowid Center, who now runs it as DrugsData. Per the Wikipedia summary of DanceSafe (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DanceSafe) and the DrugsData funding page.
- **2024 pause** — the reason for the administrative pause is not publicly detailed on drugsdata.org beyond "new submissions are not currently being accepted." Speculation on Reddit threads attributes it variously to funding, lab-partner churn, or regulatory pressure; none of this is confirmed.
- The GC-MS semi-quantitation method DrugsData uses (ratio-of-peak-heights) is widely understood to be **not a validated quantitative method**; DrugsData is explicit about this on the about pages.

## Structured claims

**Claim:** DrugsData is the successor project to EcstasyData, launched July 2001 and renamed 2019.
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** drugsdata.org/about_data.php and Wikipedia cross-references (2026-04-23)

**Claim:** DrugsData pricing is $100 for tablet/powder/blotter and $150 for pharmaceuticals/supplements.
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** https://drugsdata.org/about_data_test_types.php (2026-04-23)

**Claim:** Primary analytical method is GC-MS, performed by Drug Detection Labs (DDL).
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** https://drugsdata.org/about_data_test_types.php (2026-04-23)

**Claim:** New submissions are paused as of April 2024 and remain paused as of 2026-04-23.
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** drugsdata.org landing banner (2026-04-23); https://dancesafe.org/drug-checking/ cross-reference

**Claim:** DrugsData's public database contains 20,195 sample entries.
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** drugsdata.org landing "20195 entries total" (2026-04-23)

**Claim:** Operated by Erowid Center (501(c)(3)), co-sponsored historically by Isomer Design and DanceSafe.
**Confidence:** C1
**Source:** drugsdata.org/about_funding.php; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DanceSafe

## Unknowns (C5)

- Specific GC-MS instrument make and model at DDL.
- DDL's full physical address.
- Reason for the 2024–2026 submission pause.
- Whether / when new submissions will resume.
- Whether DrugsData ever ran, or ever would run, peptide or oil-based injectable samples (not historically in scope).

## Bottom line for HRT users

DrugsData is **not a testing option for HRT** — its scope is recreational drugs and pharmaceuticals, and it is currently paused. It is included in this corpus as a **publication-practice comparator**: its fully-public per-sample database is what a mature HRT-testing aggregator could look like in 10+ years of continuous operation. testing.trans.diy's 4-test archive is a tiny proto-version of the same model.

## Sources

- https://drugsdata.org/ (2026-04-23)
- https://drugsdata.org/about.php (2026-04-23)
- https://drugsdata.org/about_data.php (2026-04-23)
- https://drugsdata.org/about_data_test_types.php (2026-04-23)
- https://drugsdata.org/about_data_sources.php (2026-04-23)
- https://drugsdata.org/about_funding.php (2026-04-23)
- https://dancesafe.org/drug-checking/ (2026-04-23)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DanceSafe (2026-04-23)
- `research/01-existing-services/other-community-testers.md` — round-1 coverage