Throughout the brief history of viral online content, videos of people on drugs always seem to strike a chord with the public. Whether it’s a guy trying to garden on salvia or a young boy returning from a drug-induced trip to the dentist, something about watching people in their goofiest, most vulnerable moments is both entertaining and endearing. Well, thanks to a new YouTube channel, Drugslab, we can add “educational” to the list of reasons we’re drawn to these videos.
Drugslab is a weekly show hosted by Rens Polman, Nellie Benner, and Bastiaan Rosman, three attractive young Dutch people who take various drugs on camera in the name of science. It’s produced in association with the Dutch public television show Spuiten En Slikken (in English: Shoot And Swallow), which is an educational program about sex and drugs that’s been proving the Netherlands is much cooler than America since 2005. Their videos, aside from being very well-produced, make a point of going beyond internet voyeurism and instead seek to educate the viewer about the effects of these drugs on one’s body, mind, and emotions.
Every aspect of this drug-fueled endeavor seems to be imbued with the spirit of all Dutch drug education, which could be summed up as “people are going to do these drugs, so they may as well know what to expect.” That spirit is most evident in each video’s postscript in which the dosed host checks in the morning after and lets the viewer know about the dreaded comedown, a reminder that the effect of drugs doesn’t stop when your trip is over. Each drug they try has an associated “dos and don’ts” video providing tips for having your best trip.
All in all, Drugslab offers the opportunity to once again gawk at people with huge smiles, saucer-sized pupils, and an egoless detachment from the physical world. But now you get the added bonus of claiming you learned something along the way.