3 ms·

I knew a guy who fell in with some folks selling drugs & self-improvement scams back in the 90's in the Bay Area. You get some charismatic drug dealers, throw

I knew a guy who fell in with some folks selling drugs & self-improvement scams back in the 90's in the Bay Area. You get some charismatic drug dealers, throw in whatever pseudo-profound quasi-religious beliefs are popular at the moment, and include a few techniques that have some kind of effect (like hyperventilation) and presto! You can charge people $$$ for your "classes" and then sell them MDMA at your house party later on. My friend spun out of control, started abusing nitrous oxide, lost his job, his girlfriend (who was in the same group of druggies), and his mind. He wound up wandering the streets of Berkeley wrapped in a blanket for a few years. His "spiritual" druggie friends abandoned him. So one the one hand, it is good that we are not criminalizing drugs themselves, but on the other, it really is a big challenge to integrate these powerful chemicals into our lives, our communities, and our ways of healing each other.

jotm 5y ago
Yeah, I've started buying some drugs and had to deal with actual "junkies"... and it's been rather eye opening. I can see why they just blanket ban stuff. It seems many, if not most, people, just can't control themselves. Ironic, since I've got major self-control issues myself. But seeing someone use stimulants for relaxation, take a week's worth of it in 3 hours, then beg for more, that's insane. And a few kept trying to give me advice on how to "properly" use them. It couldn't fit in their heads that I am not in it for the high (which is shit imo). I guess it affects "normal" people differently. It is hard for those who can benefit from all the great medicine out there. I wish I could get a licence to use anything at my own responsibility, I don't use official healthcare anyway (I'm glad I can get treated if I break an arm or get into a car accident, but beyond that... useless). Why am I risking prison time for trying to fix myself and make my life better?

jotm 5y ago

Yeah, I've started buying some drugs and had to deal with actual "junkies"... and it's been rather eye opening. I can see why they just blanket ban stuff. It seems many, if not most, people, just can't control themselves. Ironic, since I've got major self-control issues myself. But seeing someone use stimulants for relaxation, take a week's worth of it in 3 hours, then beg for more, that's insane. And a few kept trying to give me advice on how to "properly" use them. It couldn't fit in their heads that I am not in it for the high (which is shit imo). I guess it affects "normal" people differently. It is hard for those who can benefit from all the great medicine out there. I wish I could get a licence to use anything at my own responsibility, I don't use official healthcare anyway (I'm glad I can get treated if I break an arm or get into a car accident, but beyond that... useless). Why am I risking prison time for trying to fix myself and make my life better?