August 3, 2006

drug dangerousness ranking

Folks over at Mind Hacks found a UK report ranking drug dangerous. The rank is based on a combination of physical damage, social harm and addictive properties. The order is quite fascinating given the legal status of each one listed:

1. Heroin
2. Cocaine
3. Barbituates
4. Street methadone
5. Alcohol
6. Ketamine
7. Benzodiazepines (e.g. Valium)
8. Amphetamines
9. Tobacco
10. Buprenorphine
11. Cannabis
12. Solvents
13. 4-MTA
14. LSD
15. Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
16. Anabolic steroids
17. GHB
18. Ecstasy
19. Alkyl Nitrites (poppers)
20. Khat

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July 30, 2006

this is your mouse brain on drugs

Mouse Party is a funny Flash game that lets you explore how mice brains react to different drugs. Even though it's not particularly informative, it's kinda entertaining to watch a bunch of drugged out animated mice groove to chillout music and see how they react when you put them in the chair to be studied. ::giggle::

(Tx: Mor)

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April 20, 2006

medical marijuana

Today, the FDA issued a statement saying that there is no scientific proof that medical marijuana helps patients better than other prescription drugs. This infuriates me. In 1994, i broke my neck. I was given valium (and a lot of other things) and became extremely addicted to it. I was in a constant fog. To make matters worse, it made my body unable to register pain so when i tossed and turned at night, i made everything worse. I kept losing vision and hearing, even while drugged out of my mind. Weening off of valium was hell and i was super resentful towards the medical establishment for getting me addicted to it. Without valium, the pain was brutal, but i refused to go back on that evil drug.

In 1996, after extensive research, i decided to try using marijuana for medicinal purposes. Whenever the pain got unbearable, i smoked a small amount and went to sleep. I didn't toss and turn; i didn't wake up groggy; i didn't get addicted; i didn't lose vision and hearing. Well-rested, i was able to develop an exercise process that strengthened the supporting muscles, relieving the pain more permanently. Because i was not in a painless daze, this process was far more beneficial than the physical therapy i did while addicted to valium. Because i was able to heal and strengthen, i was able to stop smoking. As i realized the difference this made, i became rabidly agry at the medical system (having no insurance didn't help).

Today, i smoke marijuana rarely, and only when the pain is really dreadful. Sure, i could've stayed addicted to valium to kill the pain - i'm sure the FDA and pharmaceuticals would've prefered that. But i chose to take a different path, an illegal one, and i don't regret it. I genuinely believe that marijuana saved me from more extensive long-term pain and from years of being dazed.

There is a reason that healers have used marijuana for centuries. It is a natural plant with medicinal qualities. The side effects are minimal compared to FDA-approved drugs. But the problem is that you don't need a bloated pharmaceutical apparatus to use marijuana for treatment. (Translation: there's no money for the pharms in it and they are big lobbyists.)

It royally sucks that i have to feel like a criminal for using natural plants to heal while there's nothing criminal about the $600+ i spent per month getting addicted to an FDA-approved drug. I hope that one day we'll look back on this move with cultural condescension at how foolish and greedy the FDA was in the early 21st century.

now let's get talking reefer madness
like some arrogant government can't
by any stretch of the imagination
outlaw a plant
yes, their supposed authority over nature
is a dream
c'mon people
we've got to come clean
-- Ani

Category: altered states

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November 22, 2005

framing the discourse of drugs and death

Last week, a friend of many of my friends died. Frostbyte (Kevin McCormick) was a brilliant light artist whose live should be celebrated. Unfortunately, the circumstances of his death have introduced some troubling conversations about drugs and production. What is most horrifying is how it has been taking up by the media; i can't help but watch the news clippings with absolute horror.

What we know is that when police officers investigated Warehouse 23, they found an array of chemicals and glassware. According to the Herald, "Police say they found hundreds of chemicals used to concoct club and date-rape drugs such as crystal methamphetamine and 'Special K.' ... Investigators found chemicals used to manufacture crystal meth, ecstasy and the date-rape drugs gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) and ketamine hydrochloride ('Special K')." In response, the "state Senate passed a bill that would prohibit consumers from buying more than 9 grams of pseudoephedrine at a time" and the Fort Point district was closed down to investigate (Globe). In much of the coverage, the lab is being called "impressive" and the Northeast's largest. (And of course, then the articles discuss the fear and horrors of crystal meth.)

There are three different things that are bothering me about what's going on. First, producing meth is very different than producing GHB. Meth labs are highly toxic (and thus the reason for the hyper panic involving the closing down of Fort Point) because they produce byproducts; they also usually involve large containers, not glass vials. The coverage focuses entirely on the presence of chemicals for meth; there is no mention of byproducts. Interestingly, the chemicals for meth are also used in producing other drugs (both legal and illegal). If this were a large meth production house, there would be byproducts, not just potential chemicals. This itself made me very wary of the information i was getting.

Based on information about the presence of chemicals, it has been taken as a given that this is a meth lab. The result is a moral panic in Boston which the legislature responds to by passing laws that do little in the way of stopping meth production. So much for innocent until proven guilty or logical outcomes. What role does the press have in actually determining someone's innocence or guilt? I get very very worried about this. What's worse is that when the police realize that it's not a meth lab, it won't hit the papers, laws won't be turned back. Everyone will continue to be convinced that it's a meth lab. Gah.

Finally, i can't help but scream when i see the press cover GHB as a "date-rape drug." (And since when did ketamine become a date-rape drug too?? It requires snorting or injection!) This framing presumes that the reason to produce this drug is to engage in date-rapes, supporting the moral panic. Unfortunately, i don't think that it would be nearly as news-flashy to talk about GHB as the "alternative to alcohol with no hangover." GHB has a lot of problems and it makes me very nervous to see it in clubs because the OD dose is not that much higher than the desired dose. The bigger problem is that you cannot under any circumstances mix it with alcohol because this will most definitely produce a black-out (and thus, the "date-rape" claim). That said, most people who make or use GHB know this, prefer it to alcohol and know better than to mix the two. To assume that it is a precursor to rape is misrepresentative and irresponsible. Internally, i'm troubled by this framing. On one hand, it's inaccurate and what happened to truthful reporting? On the other, i detest the presence of GHB in clubs and i understand the urge to use scare tactics to keep it out.. but does that really work? And what damage does poor reporting cause in the long run? (::cough:: This is your brain on drugs... Oh no it's not.)

I'm worried about how much power the press has over cultural interpretations. I see a lot of my friends hurting right now, trying to come to peace with the death of their friend and cope with the chaos that has ensued. And while some things make sense, much of what is being reported does not line up. Furthermore, it's being used to frame a larger debate in a pretty problematic way. And it sucks to having the death of one of your friends be used to such ends, particularly when he wouldn't have wanted it that way. Some folks are outraged, arguing that we should make certain that such situations never happen again. Personally, in the back of my mind, i can't help but think that i'd rather die having sex on E than decaying alone in a nursing home.

Update: Globe reports that it is not a meth lab but that it was most likely used to create designer (psychedelic) drugs.

Category: altered states

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February 6, 2005

Survival of the druggies

New Scientist: Taking narcotics may be part of our evolutionary inheritance

Continue reading "Survival of the druggies"

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August 30, 2004

ADD and nicotine

Hmm....

"This paper is interesting: it supports the finding that ADD is associated with higher density of dopamine transporter (DAT). It also suggests that nicotine has an effect similar to methylphenidate in patients with high DAT density."

(Original reference: Lukas)

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August 29, 2004

cocaine

I abhor 80s culture. Yet, while i lament high heel converse shoes, two aspects of the 80s rival for my complete intolerance: Reagan/Bush administration and cocaine. As Burning Man preparation rushed through San Francisco, i got to overhear lots of shopping lists. In the past, it used to humor me that acid was placed on the same shopping list with gas masks and ballerina skirts. With acid completely gone and ecstasy usually tainted with DXM, it doesn't surprise me that other drugs are serving as replacements. The psychedelic club scene saw a shift to meth and alcohol. The psychonauts shifted to research chemicals. But why on earth are some Burners shifting to blow?

Filthy nostril hair
Impairs my cocaine habit
I must blow my nose

(from 1999 Haiku4Beer camp)

First off, the idea off a Burner trying to snort coke in one of the dustiest BMs ever humors me to bits. Have a line - 2/3 coke, 1/3 playa. But it really breaks my balls to think that some people see Burning Man as an experience that requires ego-enhancement. Gah. Then again, i deplore the people who drink on the desert as well (particularly those whose drunkenness forbids them from comprehending "leave no trace" as they shout misogynistic taunts at the naked women).

Why oh why is cocaine back? I know... it's about culture and Barlow does a good job of clarifying on his discussion of the Republican Drug:

Once again, one can see clearly what the War on Some Drugs is really about. It's the culture, stupid. It certainly isn't about public safety, since coke and booze are the perfect combination for social depravity of all sorts. Instead, it provides a beautiful opportunity to jail the blacks and hippies who prefer the non-Republican drugs. It makes huge bank for one's wing-tipped colleagues.

I'm an adamant believer in entheogens and the opportunity to explore one's mind and soul through altered states. There's nothing empathy building about drugs like cocaine, meth and alcohol. This trio is notorious for an increase in domestic abuse, rape and general violence. They often bring the dissociative power of self-indulgence and cruelty, bringing out the worst of humanity by allowing the psyche to be distanced from the body. I'm still not a fan of bars because it makes me twitch to watch aggression come in bottle form, but i can handle a drunk far better than a meth or coke addict.

But as much as i can intellectually understand that this is a cultural battle, it absolutely boggles my mind that any "compassionate" culture would prefer the wreckage and hatred of meth, coke and alcohol. While i've met many people who have found religion and connection through entheogens, i've only seen religious and familial carnage emerge as a result of the deadly trio. There's a reason that MDMA was used in marital therapy, not cocaine. How can a political party be known for family values as well as family-destroying drugs?

::sigh:: Of course, i have to remind myself that life - and especially politics - are ripe with inconsistencies. Still, that doesn't make me feel better. Can we resurrect the 90s yet? I'll cope with flannel and cords again.

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May 6, 2004

Erowid(s) bio/history

The Vaults of Erowid is the quintessential site for understanding everything about psychoactive substances, from their chemical structure to their effects on humans. Run by Earth and Fire Erowid, this site is dedicated to operate as a library of information on psychoactives. I have so much respect for the Erowids, who are constantly fighting trouble to get out information to the masses, to educate. Thus, i was ecstatic to find a bio on the Erowids in in the LA Weekly today. (Simultaneously, i was disheartened to hear that they are running out of money.)

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December 3, 2003

drugs, drugs and more drugs

I don't know what my friends were thinking today, but every article they sent me was somehow related to drugs. [Hmm.. is that a hint?]

Research Ecstasy is Clouded by Errors - they were testing methamphetamine, not MDMA

Snortable Spirits - snorting Vodka without the liquid creates a quick high... this very much cclouds the bridge between "alcohol" and "drugs"

Search Engines Limit Ads for Drugs but Ease Rules on Sex

So, basically, three articles... one about the politics of drugs vs. sex, one about the blurring of the boundary between alcohol and hard drugs and one about the illegitimacy of scientific studies on drugs. Glad to know that everyone's boundaries are getting toyed with.

Continue reading "drugs, drugs and more drugs"

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July 21, 2003

raver aesthetic

My hair has always been my playground. I make a mess out of it, change its color, chop it to bits and am constantly trying to figure out how to make it represent me; it continues to fail. Yet, all told, i can cope with the mop on top of my head. Of course, every couple of months, i contemplate the idea of dreading my hair. I have to admit that i love the cyberpunk raver aesthetic - a mix of colors, dreads, dirt and and flare. While i've buzzed my head every few years, i've never managed to dread the growth that emerges post-buzz.

Today, a friend sent me a link to an article entitled "Raver Revolution: Before West Coast dance music 'tribes' get political, they'd better clean their toilets." ::sigh:: Taking a look at the first image on the page, i don't think that everyone appreciates this aesthetic as much as i do.

In all seriousness, this article is actually interesting beyond just my reflections on my relationship with my hair. It discusses the emergence of "tribes" in reference to Burning Man / DJ culture and questions the power of this movement.

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June 29, 2003

drugs and math

A friend of mine forwarded me an interesting quote from Paul Hoffman's biography on Paul Erdos: "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth"

Like all of Erdos's friends, Graham was concerned about his drug-taking. In 1979, Graham bet Erdos $500 that he couldn't stop taking amphetamines for a month. Erdos accepted the challenge, and went cold turkey for thirty days. After Graham paid up--and wrote the $500 off as a business expense--Erdos said, "You've showed me I'm not an addict. But I didn't get any work done. I'd get up in the morning and stare at a blank piece of paper. I'd have no ideas, just like an ordinary person. You've set mathematics back a month." He promptly resumed taking pills, and mathematics was the better for it.

For those who are not familiar with Erdös, he produced a wide variety of theories on mathematics (number theory, combinatorics, etc.). Of course, he's also a pop culture reference for those interested in social networks. Erdos numbers are effectively the degree in which one is removed from collaborating with Erdos on papers. [Think Kevin Bacon game for mathematicians.]

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June 10, 2003

RAVE Act Suppresses Speach

Everyone knows that the RAVE Act is going to be used to suppress liberal speech, particularly that which questions the government's drug policies. Well, the DEA has started its attacks... As warped as this is, i'm actually *very* glad that the first big attack is against NORML which has unprecedented supports in the population at large and is heavily focused on marijuana-only reform (instead of drugs at large). Since NORML will have the political support to fight them, and something like 60% of the population believes that marijuana should be legal, the outcome could be quite interesting. It's going to be a scary decade.

Category: altered states

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May 5, 2003

Altered States and the Spiritual Awakening

I realized that i did not announce that registration for Altered States and the Spiritual Awakening is now live.

For those who don't know, i've been helping organize this conference. The idea is that most conferences that give people access to the psychological perspective on altered states and spirituality are obscenely expensive. Of course, putting on a conference is expensive, but still. Well, a friend of mine decided that he wanted to create a conference that was more accessible to young researchers, students and other poor, but motivated folks. When i first heard about the conference, i had to get involved.

At Brown, i was introduced to both psychedelics and Zen, all wrapped up together in a nice neat package. My early psychonautics helped structure who i am and how i perceive the world. As someone once said, psychedelics let you know that the top of the mountain exists, while Zen teaches you to climb it. After leaving Brown, i was stunned by how many Zen practicioners were both dismissive of and horrified by my experiences with psychedelics. This was tremendously disappointing and made me believe that i was not on the right path afterall. Over time, i found some of the older psychonauts and found that they were able to validate some of my experiences (partially wrapped into a book called Zig Zag Zen).

My interest has come to a head in the last year - how do i take it further so that it can be more personal and more meaningful? What can i learn about myself and about the world? How do i integrate my life experiences, ideas and values into a religious form?

Of course, these questions are far from answered, but the idea of meeting some legendaries in this quest is so exciting i can hardly wait!

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May 3, 2003

Reefer Madness

Eric Schlosser (author of "Fast Food Nation") just released a new book: "Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market." As i was absolutely in love with his critique of America through the perspective of migrant workers in the US food market, i'm very excited to hear about "Reefer Madness." According to the book description:

In "Reefer Madness," Schlosser investigates America's black market and its far-reaching influence on our society through three of its mainstays -- pot, porn, and illegal immigrants. The underground economy is vast; it comprises perhaps 10 percent -- perhaps more -- of America's overall economy, and it's on the rise. Eric Schlosser charts this growth, and finds its roots in the nexus of ingenuity, greed, idealism, and hypocrisy that is American culture. He reveals the fascinating workings of the shadow economy by focusing on marijuana, one of the nation's largest cash crops; pornography, whose greatest beneficiaries include Fortune 100 companies; and illegal migrant workers, whose lot often resembles that of medieval serfs.

For those who have not read "Fast Food Nation," do so immediately. Schlosser is one of the few contemporary authors who've convinced many people that i know to change their behaviors (surrounding food in this case). My excitement over his new book is that this may allow America to more deeply reflect upon and deal with its relationship with the "immoral vices" that it so loves and hates.

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January 21, 2003

mushrooms

How mushrooms will save the world. Cleaning up toxic spills, stopping poison-gas attacks, and curing deadly diseases: Fungus king Paul Stamets says there's no limit to what his spores can do.

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December 30, 2002

drug use mandatory in air force

Ah yes, another one of those articles that reminds me of how screwy the drug war is... It seems as though Air Force pilots are required to take speed when in a battle situation. And of course, i'm absolutely convinced that most truck drivers are on amphetamines when driving cross country (either illegal ones or those ones sold in every truck stop). It seems as though speed is required, condoned or at least tolerated for certain professions. And you wonder why we have a country who abuses amphetamines?

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December 29, 2002

psychedelic republicans

Late night entertainment: psychedelic republicans

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November 14, 2002

patrons of a disorderly house with controlled substances

Last week, a party in Washington was busted on the suspicion of drug use. Three people were arrested for posession and 445 were busted for being "patrons of a disorderly house with controlled substances." How disturbing is it that one can be arrested for being in the same room with people who are doing drugs? Does this mean that if i'm chilling with an elected official who is doing coke in the back room that i can be arrested? Disturbing...

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October 17, 2002

drunk driving

Drunk driving has always been one of those things that has peeved me, not because i'm annoyed at drunk drivers (which is an obvious given), but because i'm annoyed at those who have the power to stop it: the government. In Europe and most other places, drunk driving is barely a problem, simply because people have transportation options. Drinking? Cool.. i'll take the subway/bus home! Here, that's not an option, or at least not in Boston.. cabs cost a fortune and the T stops running, as if it were easily accessible to most places anyhow... So, all too often, i get to see folks drink & drive and pray that they'll not hurt themselves or others.

I'm truly happy that the government is creating advertisements to persuade folks to not drink & drive, even if they're disturbing as hell. But i really do wish that they would spend money providing alternatives, not just educating.. The former is definitely needed before the latter will be meaningful.

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September 30, 2002

marijuana campaigners experience lack of freedom of press

We're Jeff and Tracy
We're Your Good Neighbors
We Smoke Pot

Not very different than the NORML campaign, these two took to the media to express that lots of average folks smoke dope without impeding on anyone else's lives. Too bad that they couldn't get their message out because all of the typical advertising venues refused on the grounds of their message. Freedom of press? I think not...

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August 5, 2002

abuse of the Patriot Act

We knew it would happen... and it did.. cops have abused the Patriot Act to go after drug users...

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August 3, 2002

putting money where my mouth is

On various listservs and blogs, i keep seeing more and more discussions about the proposed RAVE Act. Of course, everyone always suggests writing to your congressman, and i can respect that and even encourage it. But i wished i believed that it did a damn thing. I don't trust my voice nor do i feel like those messages are ever even heard from folks like me. I have more faith in large lobby groups and other organizations working to help people. Thus, rather than writing another pointless letter, i decided to donate money to help Dancesafe because i really do believe in their mission and their fight.

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July 25, 2002

ecstasy versus ecstasy

I cannot remember the last time that i read an article on a drug that i didn't think was dreadfully biased. Usually, they're either proselytizing the drug or condemning it for all it's worth. This article about ecstasy has a very level-headed approach: there are pros, there are cons, some information is misinformation, a lot is unknown, safety is being ignored out of fear, fear tactics are not persuasive, the gov't has lost its credibility in the war on drugs, etc. The arguments are laid out nicely and expressing who does ecstasy and why, while also conveying why the war on ecstasy is failing miserably and resulting in increased usage and deaths. And ultimately, it suggests that no matter what the authorities say, people will make their own decisions and that it is better to inform them and the public at large. I couldn't agree more.

Plus, the article is clearly written with my favorite quote being: "And while Ecstasy is typically portrayed as the drug of choice among a fringe of bedeviled youngsters with a fondness for glow sticks and all-night dancing, in reality the drug cuts a wide swath across society." I was quite psyched that the author noted why people did drugs at parties, but also noted that parties were not an excuse for drugs to be sold.

And, in response to an individual's remarks, the author quoted one of the best quotes about why the gov't is losing the war on drugs: "I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me" - Winson Churchill.

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July 24, 2002

smoke pot? stay out of jail

Here's a great little comic to address your legal rights. It's becoming a police state and most arrests are over drugs. Yet, as we all know, smoking pot is NORML.

I do wonder how long it will be until our society just accepts that pot smoking is not at all different than alcohol. I mean, it's frustrating to listen to people differentiate the two, when the only similarity is that their legal status is based on politics. Alcohol and tobacco/cotton won. That means that alcohol is legal and marijuana/hemp is not. I still prefer a pothead to an alcoholic any day. At least the former isn't going to kick my ass and be really noisy.

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Posted by zephoria at 11:10 PM

July 4, 2002

RAVE Act

Ah yes, once again, the gov't is after those of us who like to dance. Check out the latest: Reducing American's Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act (RAVE Act Bill# S2633). As i grow older, i'm more and more fascinated by these bills - the large efforts to which members of our government go to in order to stop subcultures before of drug paranoia. And i can't help but imagine them discussing this bill at the local pub, inhaling yet another gift from Philip Morris, guaranteeing that their liver/lung failures will increase my medical premiums.

I forget who told me that you know that you've hit the next stage in your life when you stop being angry about everything you disagree with and start laughing at the absurdity of it. I still waiver between the two, but i'm starting to truly understand what it means to just be stunned stupid because of the hysteria. Ah.. and the word hysteria... i guess my womb is off and running again. ::laugh::

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April 3, 2002

good conversations & drug propoganda

what a gorgeous day - although it seems as though the bugs have emerged as well.. i sat in the courtyard today discussing lab politics with one of my oldest friends here and it's sooo depressing to learn how much the lab consistently screws people over. yuck yuck and yuck. this was particularly painful because i spent the earlier part of the day mentally remembering why there is no way in hell that i want to be here in the future. i watched as my advisor told others how their project would look and that just made me feel gross gross and gross. this is really just not the way that research is supposed to work. ::sigh:: so i just felt disgusting coming out of that conversation in every way possible.

i keep having those mental conversations about the value of education, the power plays that happen here, etc. interesting mental games...

regardless, i also got to think about the institution of marriage, how to reform it and the politics of drugs... she gave me the most fantabulous link about how colombia's super bowl handled anti-drug advertisements - sooo hysterical!

this is so entertaining in light of The Onion's latest drug-related article.

::sigh:: i have to admit that i'm quite cranky with the gov't & drug issues these days... just like i'm always thrilled when the government is hypocritical. Drugs & the Internet is one of their latest publications, intended to crack down on online available drug information. my favorite is how they are upset that reformers are gathering online to "promote" drugs (what about when we are engaging in freedom of speech to question the government's legitimation of alcohol/tobacco but not marijuana, a far less harmful drug [1][2][3]). and, even on the front page, they are concerned about the availability of information on harmful effects of MDMA, GHB and LSD. since when is it a bad thing to release the causes for concern? oh, right, because the people saying the problems are generally against government dictation of how to treat one's body... plus, the gov't is generally after raving folks, because of the promotion of mind-expansion with drugs. i think it's a bit terrifying to realize that even my digital discontent (this page) with this approach could put me at risk. freedom of speech has failed; we are living in China, just no one knows it.

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