A reader writes: As someone who was definitely a Hippie let me expand upon your statement, "But in the reaction to a doomed war, in their sense that mankind faced an existential crisis as destructive weapons technology spread, in their understanding that Christianity was not, at its core, socially productive or in any familiar sense, … Continue reading On Hippies
This has to be one of the more depressing pieces of news in a long time: The Dutch cabinet has proposed a ban on the sale of all hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms because they could induce life-threatening behaviour. A bill will now pass to the Dutch parliament, where a majority of lawmakers are expected to back … Continue reading Banning Shrooms
Scientific American has a very informative piece up about new research into the uses of LSD, psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs for mental illness: Much remains unclear about the precise neural mechanisms governing how these drugs produce their mind-bending results, but they often produce somewhat similar psychoactive effects that make them potential therapeutic tools. Though … Continue reading Groovy Medicine
One way to measure the dangers of various drugs is to examine how toxic the drug is at various levels. Can too much kill you? And how much is too much? Here’s an interesting article on what we know scientifically about the matter. Money quote: The most toxic recreational drugs, such as GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) and … Continue reading Drugs and Toxicity
My latest response to Sam Harris: Dear Sam, Thank you very much for your latest post. It was clarifying for me – and forced me to think hard about how to respond. I even communicated with my Imaginary Friend about it. You raise a blizzard of points, but there is one above all that needs … Continue reading Truth and Consequences
Finally, a controlled scientific experiment about the psychological and spiritual effects of psilocybin. The interaction between the spiritual and psychological remains a mystery, of course – but mushrooms certainly seem to point people in a more spiritual direction: Psilocybin’s effects lasted for up to six hours, Griffiths said. Twenty-two of the 36 volunteers reported having … Continue reading The Spirituality of Shrooms
The Dish 