I think this is generally a very interesting topic and a lot could be said about its various aspects, but one thing I would bring attention to is, generally when it comes to intoxicants, the so-called “set” (the user himself) and the so-called “setting” (the user’s social context) which tend to play just as big a role (if not bigger) than a specific drug does in the outcome of drug use. Psychiatrist Norman Zinberg’s work is essential reading here.

Another interesting book is Virginia Berridge’s Opium and the People: Opiate Use and Policy in 19th And Early 20th Century. It describes the practically forgotten fact of how widely accepted and legal recreational use of oral opioids was in Victorian England (of all places). And the problems they had with it were surprisingly small.

Whatever we end up deciding about the morality or immorality of these things, I find that many people (on all “sides”) are really intellectually lazy when debating the issue, especially when it comes to locating their own views within the larger historical framework.

P.S.: Some more food for thought: Multitasking temporarily decreases one’s IQ to a greater extent than smoking marijuana does.

Something to keep in mind when making ‘perverted rational faculty’ arguments against drug use.

Last edited by Dry and Uninspired (2/19/2018 8:59 pm)