> On a cultural level, we’ve decided that if a therapy is run with a shaman using a completely chemically-uninterpretable drug cocktail: totally a-okay. But if

> On a cultural level, we’ve decided that if a therapy is run with a shaman using a completely chemically-uninterpretable drug cocktail: totally a-okay. But if it’s run with a synthetic pure compound of known quantity: immediate banishment. This goes deeper. For example, the stimulant-antidepressant herbal brew known as coffee is a staple at offices, but someone taking caffeine pills is seen as a drug addict, even though they are the one who knows what they are taking and how much. Similarly, tobacco smoking, even if disliked, is more acceptable than vaporizing nicotine liquid, even though vapers know what they are taking (pure nicotine) and how much - commercial tobacco smoke contains hundreds of psychoactive substances in addition to nicotine. BUT, for some reason, natural cannabis is looked down upon, and extracts and synthetic compounds are somehow considered more a-okay.