Legal Highs

[Terxpahseyton]

Well it is physically impossible to take a lethal dose of LSD, since LSD leaves your bodies living function absolutely untouched. The only risk is the nebulous danger of lasting mental damage. And that danger isn't very high, but supposedly if you have an insanely high LSD intake it can happen (or if you have an unfortunate genetic disposition / mental issues and use a lot of it all the time - though then again LSD causes zero physical addiction and also in general not any psychological addiction - rare exceptions non-withstanding).

But in general you are right of course. On a black market chemical drugs are naturally unpredictable in their exact contents and just as natural there is little education about how to use them unless you happen to know the right people.

 

[Farm Boy]

Powerful hallucinogens simply aren't a great idea for people with a number of mental dispositions.

 

[Flying Pig]

Well it is physically impossible to take a lethal dose of LSD, since LSD leaves your bodies living function absolutely untouched. The only risk is the nebulous danger of lasting mental damage. And that danger isn't very high, but supposedly if you have an insanely high LSD intake it can happen (or if you have an unfortunate genetic disposition / mental issues and use a lot of it all the time - though then again LSD causes zero physical addiction and also in general not any psychological addiction - rare exceptions non-withstanding).

But in general you are right of course. On a black market chemical drugs are naturally unpredictable in their exact contents and just as natural there is little education about how to use them unless you happen to know the right people.

I find that hard to believe - practically anything has a lethal dose if you take enough of it! A quick Google puts it at about 10mg, which is far more than you would be able to afford to buy in one go - the problem, though, is that people end up being killed in accidents that happen because they're, well, high on LSD.

 

[Farm Boy]

high on LSD

Tripping balls.

 

[Narz]

And, incidentally, why do human beings (and other species) "like" psychoactive substances in any case? There doesn't seem to be much evolutionary advantage to them.

That's a questionable statement. Psychoactive drug use is pretty much a human universal. As much so as religion or language.

Like Valka said, chocolate is psychoactive. So is winning or losing at a sport. So is sex or even taking a walk.

Clearly fighting a new war with every new substance out there is a losing proposition.

 

[bhavv]

Because it feels good. Why should the law have to govern what an individual does with their own body?

Legalize all the drugs!

 

[Borachio]

Powerful hallucinogens simply aren't a great idea for people with a number of mental dispositions.

I'd guess they simply aren't a great idea for anyone, Mr Leary.

But what sort of mental dispositions would be unsuitable, which ones would be suitable, and what makes it a useful experience for anyone?

 

[Zkribbler]

Is this true about bananas?

From Wikipedia:

"Bananadine is a fictional psychoactive substance which is supposedly extracted from banana peels. A hoax recipe for its "extraction" from banana peel was originally published in the Berkeley Barb in March 1967.[1] It became more widely known when William Powell, believing it to be true, reproduced the method in The Anarchist Cookbook in 1970 under the name "Musa sapientum Bananadine" (referring to the banana's old binomial nomenclature). The original hoax was designed to raise questions about the ethics of making psychoactive drugs illegal and prosecuting those who took them: "what if the common banana contained psychoactive properties, how would the government react?"[2] One book of one-liner joke comics, published in 1971, contained a comic in which a teen is secretly handing bunches of bananas to a zoo gorilla at night, uttering the line "Just throw the skins back, man!"[3]

Researchers at New York University have found that banana peel contains no intoxicating chemicals, and that smoking it produces only a placebo effect. Over the years, there has been considerable speculation regarding the psychoactive properties of banana skins.[citation needed]

Donovan's hit single "Mellow Yellow" was released a few months prior to the Berkeley Barb article, and in the popular culture of the era, the song was assumed to be about smoking banana peels. Shortly after the "Berkeley Barb" and the song, bananadine was featured in the New York Times.[4][5]"

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I find that hard to believe - practically anything has a lethal dose if you take enough of it!

Hm okay I may have been wrong in that regard. So let's say it is practically impossible Unless someone wants to kill you with it I suppose. Such as the CIA.

the problem, though, is that people end up being killed in accidents that happen because they're, well, high on LSD.

Do they, hm? How often do you think this actually happens? How does it compare to people being drunk and getting into accidents? I am pretty dame sure that the rate for drunkyards is a lot lot higher (relative to users, of course). I can not speak about very high doses, but in general LSD leaves your ability to reason and your awareness of the consequences of your actions pretty well in-tact.
Truth of the matter is that most people have no freaking clue about the nature of LSD and all they know are scare stories and general media bad-mouthing about "strong drugs".

 

[Flying Pig]

Oh, absolutely - but I think any rational drugs policy has to admit that we'd ban at least a large proportion of alcohol if it were discovered tomorrow. Alcohol has by far the highest death toll of any drug, and one of the highest fatality rates, and one of the worst effective dose:dangerous dose ratios of all.

 

[Borachio]

From Wikipedia:

"Bananadine is a fictional psychoactive substance which is supposedly extracted from banana peels. A hoax recipe for its "extraction" from banana peel was originally published in the Berkeley Barb in March 1967.[1] It became more widely known when William Powell, believing it to be true, reproduced the method in The Anarchist Cookbook in 1970 under the name "Musa sapientum Bananadine" (referring to the banana's old binomial nomenclature). The original hoax was designed to raise questions about the ethics of making psychoactive drugs illegal and prosecuting those who took them: "what if the common banana contained psychoactive properties, how would the government react?"[2] One book of one-liner joke comics, published in 1971, contained a comic in which a teen is secretly handing bunches of bananas to a zoo gorilla at night, uttering the line "Just throw the skins back, man!"[3]

Researchers at New York University have found that banana peel contains no intoxicating chemicals, and that smoking it produces only a placebo effect. Over the years, there has been considerable speculation regarding the psychoactive properties of banana skins.[citation needed]

Donovan's hit single "Mellow Yellow" was released a few months prior to the Berkeley Barb article, and in the popular culture of the era, the song was assumed to be about smoking banana peels. Shortly after the "Berkeley Barb" and the song, bananadine was featured in the New York Times.[4][5]"

No. I meant is it true that the authorities fell for it and made it illegal? Not even I ever contemplated trying to smoke banana skins.

And is nutmeg similarly illegal? Since that in fact does contain myristicin.

 

[bhavv]

Nutmeg??? Illegal????

BUT I LOVE MY NUTMEG CAKES

 

[Farm Boy]

I've heard that if you can ingest a truly unpleasant amount of nutmeg it is purported that it acts as a deleriant. I've also heard it's not supposed to be a particularly enjoyable experience. I know of more people that huff propane than I do nutmeg grinders/eaters.

 

[warpus]

This is where the effective dose/lethal dose question comes in - with beer, for example, it's physically difficult to take a seriously unhealthy dose in one go, even if you have no idea what you're doing, and there's a huge tolerance between the amount that will get you drunk and the amount that will put you in hospital. With hard drugs, that's not really the case very often - yes, if you know what you're doing, you know what a 'small amount' looks like, but I imagine a lot of people simply have no frame of reference. Hence, I suppose, the solution you've just edited in.

A good reason why it would be good to regulate such drugs officially, rather than leaving the regulation to potentially scrupulous drug dealers. IMO

Powerful hallucinogens simply aren't a great idea for people with a number of mental dispositions.

Actually, they can be either dangerous or incredibly helpful for those with mental issues. Ecstasy and LSD have been used in the past to treat anxiety, depression, and other unfortunate states of mind.

It's all about proper usage, proper regulation, and proper information reaching people. It also means putting more money into research into these types of drugs - they can be incredibly helpful, but we just don't know that much about them because people tend to label them as "evil".

 

[Narz]

Actually, they can be either dangerous or incredibly helpful for those with mental issues. Ecstasy and LSD have been used in the past to treat anxiety, depression, and other unfortunate states of mind.

It's all about proper usage, proper regulation, and proper information reaching people. It also means putting more money into research into these types of drugs - they can be incredibly helpful, but we just don't know that much about them because people tend to label them as "evil".

I got drunk for the first time in years (almost a decade) the other night. A few days later I tripped balls. Being drunk I felt much less in control of myself & much less competent. When I tripped I felt very lucid & much more in control of my emotions (in fact more in control than while sober).

The actual drug policy has no rational validity. To put LSD & heroin in the same category is as rational as putting mother's milk & barcardi 151 in the same category.