We Tried to Figure Out When Your Drug Stash Will Expire

In The Festival Harm Reduction Project series, we examine drug use at music festivals and clubs across the globe and explore what artists, organizers, harm reduction groups, and concert-goers are doing to make nightlife safer. Imagine this: You're digging through your sock drawer when you come upon a baggie of cocaine from who knows when. Or you unearth a pair of jeans from the dark corners of your closet and recover some ecstasy pills from that rave last year.

Is your stash still safe, after weeks or months of lying forgotten in your room? Because we care about you—and ourselves—we set out to find the answer. First I spoke with Richard Sachleben, a seasoned chemist of 40 years who has spent a good portion of his career developing and testing drugs for the pharmaceutical industry. I asked Sachleben: How long before illicit drugs expire? Continue reading on Tonic.