[jfv]

Drug abuse is not a big issue in SV in general. There are a few general themes:

1) Some startups have a heavy-drinking bro-y environment.

2) Weed is common outside of work (in all of SF)

3) As part of the burning man culture a lot of people will occasionally let loose all weekend with molly, LSD, shrooms, and anything else you’d expect at BM

4) Some people will use adderall/modanfil to stay productive during work.

5) People in SV are willing to try new, untested drugs more than in any other culture I’ve seen, besides MIT.

In summary, I never expect to see someone jonesing in SV. It’s overall a responsible drug culture, not like what I’ve seen with my medical/finance friends. In NY it’s not uncommon to hear ‘I need some coke’ but I never got that sense in SV.

[driverdan]

This is a good summary. It's the same culture in Austin.

I've found that most people don't talk about illegal drugs here, including weed and stims, unless you bring it up first. Once it comes up you may be surprised how widespread those items are.

[Eilene]

Would you be comfortable giving some general details about what you do, in what kind of company you work and how long you've been in the industry? (It helps e to qualify your opinion in some way... )

[jfv]

Sure... have worked over the last 15 years in software startups and large companies as everything from an engineer to an adviser.

[bfuller]

A lot of "issues" that you commonly hear about with drug use happen when you're addicted and can no longer afford them. I don't think that's a problem in SV.

[PedroBatista]

After all that.. "not big issue in SV"

[jfv]

I’d say having virtually nobody dying of overdoses, going through withdrawals or detox, or being dependent makes it not a big issue, yes.

[jrs95]

Well, you don't have tech workers offing themselves with fentanyl in record numbers, at least.