The War on Drugs

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
1829

It was started by Pat, if I recall correctly.

BTW, I was baptized this past April.

BTW, I apologize for not responding to your reasonable and polite post in the other thread. I am simply through with being veered off into talks about Nazism and in such talks told about my ignorance on the topic (of course there will always be some ignorance in most on any topic), but considering I have been aware of the topic and learned about it in Hebrew school starting in 1987 (!), I believe it’s reasonable to say I’ve had enough of random references to it and if I’m not speaking of it, I don’t care to be redirected to it!

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1830

Meh, not a problem at all. It’s just casual conversation on the internet and we don’t need to get serious and go deep into any topic if we don’t want to. The only time I get worried is when I encounter an obvious loon who can potentially dox me. Intellectually dishonest people and socialists still piss me off, though lol. I’m trying to not get into any real exchanges with them anymore myself.

Congrats on the baptism and welcome to the wonderful world of Catholic guilt.

:joy:

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1831

Thank you!

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1832

Went to Hebrew school in like 2007 through to 2010. We can be Hebrew school homies! I started exactly three decades after you did. Then was forced to take it up again in my mid/late teens but that didn’t last very long.

This is when you’re dipped in salt water correct?

Congratulations on the successful conversion

LeT mE iNtRoDuCe YoU tO mArXiSm (plenty of these posters at uni)

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1833

Got into metal in the early 80’s.

1834

I’ve met the rabid ones before when I was still in school. Even got into a fist fight with one. He started it, not me. I don’t like fighting at all even though it was inevitable due to where I previously grew up. But I learned something that day. Socialists can’t fight for shit. I’ve seen tiny girls put up a better fight than that one.

Now that I think of it, it’s probably the same thing with their ideology. They just read theory and think they can apply it IRL. Just like the aforementioned guy who thought he could fight but he obviously had never been in one before.

And at that time, I was already pretty well built and I’m taller than the average person in my generation where I live by at least 2 inches. He was deluded enough to think he could win a fight with me even though I outweighed him by around 50lbs IIRC.

Fucking deluded clown dicks.

1835

I don’t know if this is the best place to post this, but dang it, isn’t this interesting. Maybe we can get some seriously quality data as to whether Cannabis melts our brains to the point they ooze out the ears:

Professor develops app that measures the effects of cannabis on a user’s neurocognitive functions | The Growthop

1836

We already have a moderate body of date indicative prolonged cannabis usage leads to cognitive deterioration. Whether the effects are permenant following abstinence, whether the effects are mediated by age of use are the uncertain/unknown variables.

There’s not a chance in hell heavy, prolonged cannabis use is without long term consequence.

1837

Oh fuck, when I was in my later teens I had friends who said smoke all you can all life long. People I knew who started when they were about 14 were in their mid life crises at age 20.

1838

This would infer they died at 40?

1839

No, they were fucking wasties. They went whole hog for John Lennon and Yoko Ono posters on their walls and speculated how much drugs their other idols sucked back. You can tell when their fingers were yellow.

1840

Should note I’m not against cannabis use or legalisation. I think it ought to be treated like tobacco is. No one ought to go to prison for mere cannabis possession.

Occasional use appears to be relatively harmless for most.

1841

The culture of a few people in my orbit drove me out of my skull. I realize it isn’t everyone.

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1842

What are your thoughts on prolonged micro-dosing of psilocybin? Have not really read much about it, granted there have not been long term studies yet.

1843

Look up serotonergic psychedelics and 5ht2b receptor mediated valvulopathy.

These drugs are taken very infrequently regarding recreational dosing. You can’t take shrooms for weeks on end to “trip” if you value your wallet and sanity. But microdosing equates to using frequently

So with microdosing, that’s a concern of mine as is the lack of long term data demonstrating safety/efficacy.

You’d probably be better off talking to someone like @lordgains about this. I’m generally going to lean on the side of “errrr, caution” and advocate against it

1844

I figure one could go for the occasional trip (if it doesn’t cause an initial onset of something like schizophrenia, one does not always know if one is at high risk) and then let the mind rest for a few weeks before going at it again. Like exercise, rest is key.

1845

You probably could. I’d argue a few weeks isn’t a long enough break though. Preferably 1-2 months +

Psychedelics are a tricky one. In terms of physical harm mediated from intake they rank as some of the safest recreational or therapeutic (if used in said context) drugs one could use.

However psychedelics also encase the user within a very unique, at times jarring mindset for both the inexperienced or experienced user.

Those who like to consistently be in control of their surroundings/variables within their day to day paradigm, those who are extremely “set in their ways” so to speak will be knocked around the hardest. Those who abode by a “relatively free spirit” style mentality (typically hippies or teenagers) will USUALLY be fine.

A “trip” isn’t something to be taken lightly. And the casual dude or dudet who has smoked weed a few times yet haphazardly decides to take a step up and try acid will be in for a hell of an experience. According to literature, even “bad trips” can net a positive effect long term depending on the circumstance.

Acute psychosis mediated from intake, occasionally prolonged psychotic breaks, HPPD etc are concerns. But generally LSD/psilocybin/mescaline type drugs are something an individual takes one or twice and thinks “what… The… FUCK!” Then they don’t take it again and/or have breaks lasting months/years

The long term ramifications, if any… associated with being a “psychonaut” are yet to be known. I’d assume very frequent intake may have a pronounced negative impact on mental health, plenty of anecdotal accounts on Reddit regarding this.

Have you ever tried mushrooms or LSD? I always tell people this is NOT something you take haphazardly. Do some research, figure out if this is really a state of altered consciousness you are comfortable enveloping yourself in. There are ways to blunt a bad trip, but once you’ve taken a mind altering substance like LSD there is no going back for the next 8-12 hours.

I’m not “experienced” with psychedelics, I have tried them legally though (with the hypothetical exception of LSD once)… Not within the past 18 + months though

I don’t think there are any massive negatives for a healthy individual trying them very occasionally within a controlled environment but at the same time I’d never recommend it to anyone. It’s an individualistic decision to make… They can be a LOT of fun, they can also make you feel as if you are in a living, breathing version of hell…

I used and still sometimes do quasi believe there are a subset of REALLY tightly wound people who might actually benefit from a trip or two. Like that scene in Ali G wherein he gets all the politicians to agree with one another by giving them cannabis. It’s a joke I make sometimes. Remove the possibility for negative reactions and I’d still abide by this belief.

1846

@unreal24278 Holy Fuck! I just listened to a lecture by Michael Pollan, who was giving a lecture about psychedelics on Alternative Radio, with David Barsamian. He is the author of, ‘Notes from the psychedelic underground’.

A lot of what we just went over was covered.

1847

Micro dosing is a whole other thing though. You will not really “feel it”.

1848

@unreal24278 - is the whole psychedelics something you’ve read up on? You seem like you know this stuff, haha.

It’s an interesting topic. I don’t follow it closely but I’ve heard that in some controlled environments, they’re finding that these substances can possibly help with some mental health issues. I think the two specific things I heard about were soldiers suffering from PTSD and terminal cancer patients who after drug usage, felt calmer regarding their deaths, and just had a more mentally peaceful end to their lives. I don’t know what substance either group used.

I don’t really “trust” a lot of the material out there though. I feel like it’s from dudes who want to be able to say LSD or mushrooms helps just because they love it so much, haha. I’d rather hear about it potentially working from a real doctor/psychiatrist/scientist who is open to them working/not working…not Joe Rogan who would love to see the whole world on DMT.