The psychedelic renaissance: discovery… [as] appropriation?
When colonization of the Americas began in 1492, so did the commodification of plants like tobacco, cacao and coca by moneyed interests. Once regarded and used as sacred medicines, these substances were at first feared, then eventually watered down, processed and commodified for European markets, losing their cultural and medicinal value in the process… these [so-called new] discoveries [in psychedelics] are in many ways rediscoveries of ancient medicines.
Had the sacredness of these medicines been considered at the beginning of the colonization era, perhaps the harmful commodification and addiction patterns we see today could have been avoided… tobacco, chocolate and cocaine trade have since blossomed into multi-billion-dollar industries, so have societal illnesses of addiction and incarceration;… dire health consequence… reliance on child labor… brutal impact… the way in which U.S. citizens consume these substances today is both dangerous and counterproductive.
Original Article (Michigan Daily):
The psychedelic renaissance: discovery or appropriation?
Artwork Fair Use: Lunch Photography
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