Open Source Becomes Open Sore For NIDA

Wikipedia has accused [3] the National Institute on Drug Abuse of "vandalism" following repeated attempts by NIDA staff to alter the organization's wikipedia entry.

As with any controversial subject, NIDA's wikipedia page has frequently included links to sources that expose NIDA's penchant for quackery and junk science. Of course, wikipedia is a user-maintained encyclopedia that permits readers to add relevant information at their discretion. NIDA's attempted censorship reveals a failure to comprehend the spirit of wikipedia or the tenacity of its users.

DrugWarRant [4] has links to the various disputed wiki pages. And my terrifying encounter with NIDA director Dr. Nora Volkow is detailed here [5].

Ultimately, this is just another case of bizarre drug warrior behavior that, though vexing, is preferable to what they'd otherwise be doing with their time. Indeed, I'd rather they occupy themselves vandalizing wikipedia than vandalizing the scientific method.

Predictably, this latest attempt at drug war censorship has utterly backfired [6].