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Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

politics.salon.com

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Re: Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

#91

Post by jessriedel »

Alex3917 wrote: post #28
jgrahamc wrote: post #4

I wish that his article had delved more into the long term effects (benefits or otherwise) of taking psychedelic drugs rather than going off into a complaint about US drug policy. Anyone got interesting, concrete data to share rather than anecdotes about Steve Jobs?

"Anyone got interesting, concrete data to share rather than anecdotes about Steve Jobs?" Here are all of the Johns Hopkins studies on psilocybin: http://csp.org/psilocybin/ You might also be interested in going to Horizons if you're going to be in NYC this coming weekend: http://www.horizonsnyc.org It's all of the talks on the latest scientific research on psychedelics for therapeutic use. You can also watch many of…

All the studies I've seen either have to do with safety, perceived benefit (self-evaluated), or effect on attitude (openness) as measured by a survey. Do you know of any studies which identify an objectively measurable positive benefit to the subjets? For example: decreased risk of suicide, decreased risk of divorce, increased likelihood of solving a long-standing problem, increased success at work, etc.

Re: Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

#92

Post by corin_ »

Jage wrote: post #83
jinushaun wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. If people want drugs, they can get it, but not everyone does. We've already reached equilibrium drug consumption, which is why it's ludicrous to believe that drug use will skyrocket once it is legalized. The current drug policy only serves to fill up jails with those not in the middle class.

I support legalization for ideaological reasons, but that doesn't at all sound accurate to me Drug use will almost definitely sky rocket if drugs are legalized, at least initially. We can't really say what will happen, say, 5-10 years after, because legalization in this country is unprecedented. But ask most users if they'd use more if it was legal, and you'll get your answer. Ask some fence sitters who are too scare…

There are also drug addicts who would like to stop, if more money (that's currently spent on prevention) was being spent on treatment.

Read up on Portugal, they legalised all drugs, just over ten years ago, and the reports released a few months ago (after ten years of it) showed that there are less people using the drugs that previously were illegal (from weed up to heroine), and a higher percentage of those using drugs are in treatment to stop.

Re: Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

#93

Post by ajkessler »

kgtm wrote: post #78
rgbrgb wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably you could just ask your kids, or ask around at a college campus, or google it, or check on craigslist (people sell weed on craigslist these days), or ask at a headshop. Also, I'm quite confident that someone you know, even in an extremely sober social circle would know someone who would now.

I won't go into details about why each solution you present is not optimal, because I have a better proposal. Make LSD and other drugs of similar effect legal. Have the government regulate the distribution. Put an exorbitant price tag on them and disallow buying-in-bulk. Make me sign that I am wholly responsible for what happens to me by using them (even though nothing adverse as lung cancer will, I'm sure). Give me…

This doesn't prevent, but in fact encourages, the black market. Either pay the gov $1000 or the guy in the van $5 (whatever market price is). You already see this with cigarettes in the US, where the price difference between taxed and illegally sold (untaxed) cigarettes are much, much smaller.

Additionally, you'd likely create a black market for whatever piece of paper says the LSD is legal.

Re: Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

#95

Post by pjscott »

felipemnoa wrote: post #27
drivebyacct2 wrote: post #23

I will never understand how HN manages to be so (maybe relatively) anti-drug, even in a latent fashion on this topic. I do, not, understand this sentiment. For all of the things that HN does not take at face value, there is a blind acceptance of the "drugs are evil" viewpoint espoused (often exclusively in the face of their own studies, dozens of times, over 20 years ) by the United States Government. Downvote within…

Maybe because is better to be safe than sorry? The fact is that there are a lot of people whose life is very publicly destroyed by drugs.

It helps to be precise in this kind of discussion. Which drugs? I would bet that cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, and LSD all have very different life destruction rates, so lumping them all together under the over-broad umbrella of "drugs" isn't helpful.

Re: Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

#96

Post by bdunbar »

cbs wrote: post #89
wheels wrote: post #15

Incidentally, despite the oft quoted, "Bill Gates would be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once", Bill Gates basically did admit to taking LSD in a 1994 interview: PLAYBOY: Ever take LSD? GATES: My errant youth ended a long time ago. PLAYBOY: What does that mean? GATES: That means there were things I did under the age of 25 that I ended up not doing subsequently. PLAYBOY: One LSD story involved you staring at a…

Incidentally, despite the oft quoted, "Bill Gates would be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once", Bill Gates basically did admit to taking LSD in a 1994 interview: As with most drugs, those who don't wear the uniform of the subculture associated the drug (or at least strongly show the personality traits their users like to attribute to the drug) are assumed to never have done them.

The reverse is true, as well. My favorite 'after work' pullover in cool weather is a Baja hoodie.

Found out a few days ago this is garb that is associated with stoners at the high school: it's nickname is 'drug rug'.

I now understand the stink eye the school cop used to give me. And why a guy at a truck stop assumed that I - a middle-aged white guy with three kids in tow - might have something illegal he needed to see him through his overnight run.

Re: Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

#97

Post by JonnieCache »

jgrahamc wrote: post #4

I wish that his article had delved more into the long term effects (benefits or otherwise) of taking psychedelic drugs rather than going off into a complaint about US drug policy. Anyone got interesting, concrete data to share rather than anecdotes about Steve Jobs?

Here's a Google Tech Talk on "Mainstreaming Psychedelics," from the director of MAPS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwAGkGpv6Ss

Re: Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

#98

Post by ajkessler »

Symmetry wrote: post #59
melling wrote: post #6

I've never used illegal drugs, and I've never had a desire. However, the one problem we do have by keeping certain drugs illegal is that Americans are destroying countries, like Mexico, where a week doesn't by where a drug gang hasn't killed someone. Illegal drug money is used to finance so much corruption and killing, that there seems to be little value in keeping them illegal, especially considering that everyone w…

Mostly I worry about about prohibition causing corruption in the US. The War on Terror has done a lot to erode civil liberties, but the War on Drugs has done even more.

Scary/funny chart of the day: http://reason.com/blog/2011/09/07/what-cases-have-the-patrio...

Re: Steve Jobs, LSD and Drug Freedom

#99

Post by felipemnoa »

nate_meurer wrote: post #41
felipemnoa wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is a logical fallacy.

How is that a fallacy? "Better safe than sorry" is a platitude that can be used against any activity that entails some degree of risk.

Greed is not illegal and as long as you do not abuse it just like with alcohol, driving, etc. etc. You should be OK. You could say similar things about some drugs, some argue, unfortunately they are illegal, they can land you in jail, and they support a drug cartel.

>>"Better safe than sorry" is a platitude that can be used against any activity that entails some degree of risk.

But I wasn't using it for anything. I was using it for this specific case of doing illegal drugs. And mine was just an opinion, obviously nobody can stop you from doing what you want.

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