Modern Culture

Are psychedelics the new prozac?

“…somewhere between This Is Your Brain on Drugs and legal marijuana, the narrative on psychedelics got flipped on its head. Instead of being a middle finger to an orderly society, as they were in the sixties, psychedelics have become this generation’s silver bullet of mental health and mindfulness.” After Timothy Leary was fired from Harvard…

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Modern Culture

Why I came out of the psychedelic closet

“Just as with gay rights, the psychedelic movement requires person-to-person advocacy. This can take the form of education, of explaining these substances from a cultural, historical, or scientific perspective. But in my opinion, the most effective way to change someone’s mind, or at least get them to reconsider their original position, isn’t through intellectual discourse;…

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Modern Culture

The dark side of ayahuasca

“It reminds me of how they sell cocaine and marijuana in Amsterdam,” one local said. “Here, it’s shamans and ayahuasca.” No one monitors the medicine men, their claims, or their credentials. With money rolling in and lodges popping up across Peru’s sprawling Amazon, a new breed of shaman has emerged – and not all of…

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Modern Culture

Imagine if the media covered alcohol like other drugs

“It actually starts to rewire the brain chemistry,” one law enforcement official said. “They have no control over their thoughts. They can’t control their actions. It’s just a dangerous, dangerous drug.” Despite the heightened public health crisis, federal and state officials seem reluctant to do anything about the drug, which remains legal for adults 21…

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Modern Culture

The users of Novel Psychoactive Substances: online survey about the characteristics, attitudes and motivations

“Understanding the different motivations for NPS use in terms of drug groups could enable more effective prevention and consequently a reduction in harm”. For example, the use of hallucinogens was substantially motivated by self-exploration and spiritual attainment and showed very low levels of addiction potential while the use of opioids and especially GABA activating substances…

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