Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

npr.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 299 posts

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#51

Post by npo9 »

SamBam wrote: post #26
npo9 wrote: post #20

I think it’s clear that there is a push for magic mushrooms to follow the same path as Cannabis has. It’s very hard to fight the war on drugs (from a personal liberty standpoint) one drug at a time. From my political position it’s personally insulting that institutions such as the DEA and FDA tell me what I can and cannot put into my body. I’m an adult, I can either make those decisions for myself or hire experts for…

> From my political position it’s personally insulting that institutions such as the DEA and FDA tell me what I can and cannot put into my body. I'm of two minds about that. While I agree that I ought to have full autonomy over my own body, at the same time the state has a vested interest in not allowing its population to fall victim to life-destroying drugs, especially when those drugs target the most vulnerable mem…

I don’t disagree the state has an interest in the health and well being of its citizens. I think it should promote that health and well being with education, access to healthcare, and other forms of social support. I’d also be okay with limiting the advertising rights for drugs.

I do not think prohibition improves the well being of citizens. Heroin is easily available in virtually all major US cities.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#52

Post by fsloth »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #37
elboru wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. I’m Mexican and I live near the border, I’ve seen every day for the last 10 years how cartels gain power with all the money sent from US consumers. That money and power has corrupted not only police and politicians, but also some sectors of the population, drugs and narcos used to be anathema to most people, now they are part of our pop culture, thanks to news, TV…

> I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. Is there evidence to prove that legal cocaine/meth/heroin being readily available for citizens would be good for society?

Most addictions are a social and healthcare problem. Criminalization is the problem because it makes on so many levels so hard for the people suffering from addiction to get proper healthcare.

I mean look at the opioid crisis. There is no insurance policy for addiction, plus, you are labeled as a dedbeat by the society. And only because doctor prescribed you something they should not have.

Without criminalization of addiction the opioid crisis would have been much easier to deal with.

You can use that as a template for other things as well.

Besides, I would much prefer people got addicted to mushrooms and cannabis rather than alcohol. The damage alcohol does to an addict is total and eventually lethal and irreversible.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#53

Post by naringas »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #37
elboru wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. I’m Mexican and I live near the border, I’ve seen every day for the last 10 years how cartels gain power with all the money sent from US consumers. That money and power has corrupted not only police and politicians, but also some sectors of the population, drugs and narcos used to be anathema to most people, now they are part of our pop culture, thanks to news, TV…

> I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. Is there evidence to prove that legal cocaine/meth/heroin being readily available for citizens would be good for society?

Is there evidence to prove that illegal cocaine/meth/heroin being available for citizens would be good for society?

I fact I am pretty sure that since the alcohol prohibition era there's evidence that turning markets with a lot of demand into illegal markets is worse for society .

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#54

Post by hos234 »

elboru wrote: post #24
MichaelApproved wrote: post #5

Time and Time again, we see how stupid the war on drugs had been for humanity. Look at all the negatives: - Racist origins which disproportionately targeted minorities. It allowed police and prosecutorial discretion to arrest more minorities and give them longer sentences. - Stopped medical progress. Finally a flood of studies are showing us mushrooms, marijuana, MDMA, acid, and more have positive medical uses. - Gav…

I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. I’m Mexican and I live near the border, I’ve seen every day for the last 10 years how cartels gain power with all the money sent from US consumers. That money and power has corrupted not only police and politicians, but also some sectors of the population, drugs and narcos used to be anathema to most people, now they are part of our pop culture, thanks to news, TV…

I have a feeling there is certain minority in any population that is quiet happy to live off the weaknesses of the rest. Whatever those weaknesses maybe. And they usually just migrate to the next weakness exploiting enterprise once one is shutdown. Just a feeling...maybe totally wrong.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#55

Post by zadkey »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #37
elboru wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. I’m Mexican and I live near the border, I’ve seen every day for the last 10 years how cartels gain power with all the money sent from US consumers. That money and power has corrupted not only police and politicians, but also some sectors of the population, drugs and narcos used to be anathema to most people, now they are part of our pop culture, thanks to news, TV…

> I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. Is there evidence to prove that legal cocaine/meth/heroin being readily available for citizens would be good for society?

There is a difference between decriminalization vs making something readily available. They are not the same thing.

Look at Portugal. They treated drugs as a social issue and are making great progress.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/05/portugals-radic...

https://time.com/longform/portugal-drug-use-decriminalizatio...

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#56

Post by gregkerzhner »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #37
elboru wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. I’m Mexican and I live near the border, I’ve seen every day for the last 10 years how cartels gain power with all the money sent from US consumers. That money and power has corrupted not only police and politicians, but also some sectors of the population, drugs and narcos used to be anathema to most people, now they are part of our pop culture, thanks to news, TV…

> I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. Is there evidence to prove that legal cocaine/meth/heroin being readily available for citizens would be good for society?

Its already readily available. The only difference is that a lot of people die to make it available. People who want to get high will find a way, be it by purchasing illegal drugs, huffing glue, or drinking legal alcohol.

Now imagine if we took all the money we dump into stopping people from getting high, and put it into helping people with addiction issues. Not saying it would work, but it seems like a good thing to try given that the current approach is a failure

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#57

Post by SparkyMcUnicorn »

MuffinFlavored wrote: post #37
elboru wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. I’m Mexican and I live near the border, I’ve seen every day for the last 10 years how cartels gain power with all the money sent from US consumers. That money and power has corrupted not only police and politicians, but also some sectors of the population, drugs and narcos used to be anathema to most people, now they are part of our pop culture, thanks to news, TV…

> I look forward for the US to decriminalize all drugs. Is there evidence to prove that legal cocaine/meth/heroin being readily available for citizens would be good for society?

It's readily available already. Anyone that wants some can get it quite easily.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#58

Post by npo9 »

tartoran wrote: post #46
npo9 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn’t heroin/meth be significantly cheaper if it was legal?

Yes, it would be. But it wouldn't be a good idea to let it be freely available on the streets. Being easily accessible and taken under supervision in special places it would be a start.

What’s wrong with letting people take it in their homes?

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#59

Post by cat199 »

good news, but:

where is the control group for 'going into a special place with the expectation of a spiritual/transformative experience and spending several hours meditating on letting go of the problem'?

pretty sure that might also have a nonzero statistical success correlate.

Re: Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick the Habit

#60

Post by AllegedAlec »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #18
AllegedAlec wrote: post #6

Technically speaking, smoking also helps smokers kick the habit, albeit over a period of 40/50 years or so on average. Good for that woman that this helped her, but, as the article said, it takes you a few months and a whole lot of money to do this, as well as a host of other factors. It's hardly a cure-all.

Who's calming that it is a cure-all? This is one more tool people might be able to use in their struggle to quit. It might be expensive but so is smoking. Between the cost of cigarettes, healthcare, and lost productivity, I'm sure smoking is more expensive.

> Who's calming that it is a cure-all?

I never claimed they claimed it was a cure-all.

> It might be expensive but so is smoking. Between the cost of cigarettes, healthcare, and lost productivity, I'm sure smoking is more expensive.

I don't know, the cost of the entire treatment wasn't mentioned in this article.

Post reply on HN