About OpenSubstance
OpenSubstance is an evidence-based harm reduction resource.
It does not encourage drug use, glamorize it, or pretend all substances carry the same level of risk. It exists for a simpler reason: people use drugs whether or not they have good information, and better information helps people reduce risk, make more informed decisions, and recognize danger sooner.
Too much of the public information landscape is still shaped by stigma, fear, misinformation, or oversimplification. In some places, the message is just "don't do drugs," as if that alone were an effective public health strategy. In others, information is scattered across forums, anecdotes, academic papers, and organizations with very different standards and agendas. That leaves many people navigating serious risks with incomplete, outdated, or confusing information.
OpenSubstance exists to make that better.
Good information cannot solve every problem. But lack of information makes almost every problem worse.
Why this exists
We are living in an era of contamination, adulteration, counterfeit products, and rapidly shifting synthetic drug markets. Many of the most serious harms now come not just from a drug itself, but from people not knowing what they are actually taking, how potent it is, what it is mixed with, or how it may interact with other substances.
Harm reduction starts with honesty. It means acknowledging reality, even when that reality is uncomfortable. It means giving people accurate information without moralizing. It means caring whether they live.
What OpenSubstance aims to provide
OpenSubstance is designed to be clear, rigorous, and accessible, helping people better understand:
- Substances: effects, onset, duration, and routes
- Risks: interactions, dependence, overdose potential, and uncertainty
- Supply realities: contamination, adulterants, counterfeit products, and shifting synthetic markets
What makes OpenSubstance different
OpenSubstance is built around evidence, not anecdote.
Information is drawn from peer-reviewed research, government and public health agencies, toxicology and epidemiology data, and established harm reduction organizations. Sources include organizations such as the Global Drug Survey, The Lancet, DanceSafe, and SAMHSA, among others. Wherever possible, the goal is to synthesize the best available evidence into language that ordinary people can actually use.
That also means being honest about uncertainty. Some substances are well studied. Others are not. Some risks are firmly established. Others are emerging, localized, or poorly quantified. A trustworthy resource should not pretend to know more than the evidence supports.
What OpenSubstance is not
OpenSubstance is not medical advice.
It is not a substitute for emergency care, poison control, addiction treatment, or individualized clinical guidance. It is not a how-to manual for getting high. And it is not built on the fantasy that punishment, shame, or silence are effective tools for keeping people safe.
It is a harm reduction resource, built on the belief that evidence, clarity, and compassion save more lives than stigma ever will.
Why I made it
OpenSubstance is not just a reference project. It is also personal.
My father, Dr. Mark Depman, spent much of his career as an emergency physician and medical director in Vermont, and worked at the intersection of substance use and harm reduction. I grew up watching him advocate for patients who were too often dismissed, stigmatized, or failed by the systems around them. He believed that compassion and evidence, not punishment and moral panic, are what save lives and heal communities.
In 2025, the Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery established the Dr. Mark Depman Trailblazer Award in his honor.
OpenSubstance is built in that spirit.
It reflects a worldview I absorbed early and continue to believe deeply: people deserve accurate information, dignity, and care, especially when they are vulnerable. Public health gets stronger when we tell the truth, reduce shame, and meet reality as it is.
The larger goal
The internet has no shortage of drug information. What it lacks is enough information that is rigorous, current, understandable, and grounded in genuine care for human life.
OpenSubstance aims to help fill that gap.
If it succeeds, it will help more people make safer decisions, recognize risk earlier, understand what they are dealing with, and approach substance use with more honesty and less confusion. That will not solve the overdose crisis or undo the harms of bad policy on its own. But it is part of the work.
And that work matters.
— Charlie Depman