4 ms·

This growing fad of partial "psychedelic decriminalization" initiatives covers only plant-based ones, which is ridiculous. Ingesting shrooms are harder to do

by torpid 4y ago

This growing fad of partial "psychedelic decriminalization" initiatives covers only plant-based ones, which is ridiculous. Ingesting shrooms are harder to dose than a hit or two of acid. Eating the weight equivalent of one cap or stem can be a completely different experience, from the same spores. This will make the gradual path to full legalization even harder because people aren't trying things that are more easier to dose. There is no good reason why non plant based drugs like LSD, MDMA and Ketamine are not included so we could really call this a true psychedelic decriminalization measure.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
ebb_earl_co 4y ago
I think that one at least passable reason for just the “natural” substances to be focused on is to bring religious people under the big tent of eventual psychedelic legalization. Leaning on arguments such as God wouldn’t have made the substance if He didn’t want us to use it resonates with a lot of potential allies to the overall psychedelic legalization cause. A second reason comes from the group Decriminalize Nature [0] in their resolution to the Oakland City Council when pushing for decriminalization there[1]: “…reestablish humans’ inalienable and direct relationship to nature.” That is, some have this explicit goal and might not care much for the synthesized psychedelics. 0: https://www.decriminalizenature.org/ https://www.decriminalizenature.org/ 1: https://www.decriminalizenature.org/media/attachments/2019/06/13/dno_resolution-oforentheogenicplantsandfungi.pdf https://www.decriminalizenature.org/media/attachments/2019/0...
- oh-4-fucks-sake 4y ago
  Agree with this incremental step from a political perspective as an easy sell / quick win. But, it's imperative that this be understood as an incremental step. The hazard here is equating "natural" with "safe" and "synthetic" with "unsafe". Eventually, this mindset will have to be dropped because morphine, cocaine, and cyanide are natural (heck, methamphetamines is found in trace amounts in some species of acacia). MDMA is synthetic but can be lethal in a single dose. LSD is semi-synthetic and one of the safest of the bunch--in fact, it's safer than the "natural" chemical feedstocks of its synthesization routes (LSA or ergot). The shift will have to be to evaluating each molecule on its merits and risk profile. Sure, the whole "natural" argument feels warm-'n'-fuzzy for a lot of people--but sadly it's a poor metric for determining safety. After all, our brains' receptors can't tell whether a molecule originated from a plant or from a lab. TL;DR: LSD, Cannabis, Psilocybin, Mescaline, DMT, (maybe) MDMA, and their various pro-drugs/analogues should be legal and regulated--regardless of their source. Morphine? I mean, the libertarian in me says "OK", but the more practical side says "probably not a great idea". In the end, none of this is rocket science--but the DEA, the broader US Government, and religion have turned it into a far more complicated thing than it needs to be.
Der_Einzige 4y ago
Maybe it has to do with the fact that a large majority of the LSD/MDMA sold on the streets is not at all pure, and frequently is not even LSD/MDMA at all! Yes, there are research chemicals that are tasteless, and feel sort of like LSD. They are not LSD, and they could fuck you up. You can't easily lace shrooms
- deadbeeves 4y ago
  >You can't easily lace shrooms Well, it's more that there's no point. If you've already gone to the trouble of growing mushroom-shaped things, adding anything to them won't increase their street value, so it's a waste. The only way to optimize profits for a producer is to grow mushrooms as fast as possible without any regard for potency.

by torpid 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

ebb_earl_co 4y ago

I think that one at least passable reason for just the “natural” substances to be focused on is to bring religious people under the big tent of eventual psychedelic legalization. Leaning on arguments such as God wouldn’t have made the substance if He didn’t want us to use it resonates with a lot of potential allies to the overall psychedelic legalization cause. A second reason comes from the group Decriminalize Nature [0] in their resolution to the Oakland City Council when pushing for decriminalization there[1]: “…reestablish humans’ inalienable and direct relationship to nature.” That is, some have this explicit goal and might not care much for the synthesized psychedelics. 0: https://www.decriminalizenature.org/ https://www.decriminalizenature.org/ 1: https://www.decriminalizenature.org/media/attachments/2019/06/13/dno_resolution-oforentheogenicplantsandfungi.pdf https://www.decriminalizenature.org/media/attachments/2019/0...

oh-4-fucks-sake 4y ago
Agree with this incremental step from a political perspective as an easy sell / quick win. But, it's imperative that this be understood as an incremental step. The hazard here is equating "natural" with "safe" and "synthetic" with "unsafe". Eventually, this mindset will have to be dropped because morphine, cocaine, and cyanide are natural (heck, methamphetamines is found in trace amounts in some species of acacia). MDMA is synthetic but can be lethal in a single dose. LSD is semi-synthetic and one of the safest of the bunch--in fact, it's safer than the "natural" chemical feedstocks of its synthesization routes (LSA or ergot). The shift will have to be to evaluating each molecule on its merits and risk profile. Sure, the whole "natural" argument feels warm-'n'-fuzzy for a lot of people--but sadly it's a poor metric for determining safety. After all, our brains' receptors can't tell whether a molecule originated from a plant or from a lab. TL;DR: LSD, Cannabis, Psilocybin, Mescaline, DMT, (maybe) MDMA, and their various pro-drugs/analogues should be legal and regulated--regardless of their source. Morphine? I mean, the libertarian in me says "OK", but the more practical side says "probably not a great idea". In the end, none of this is rocket science--but the DEA, the broader US Government, and religion have turned it into a far more complicated thing than it needs to be.

Der_Einzige 4y ago

Maybe it has to do with the fact that a large majority of the LSD/MDMA sold on the streets is not at all pure, and frequently is not even LSD/MDMA at all! Yes, there are research chemicals that are tasteless, and feel sort of like LSD. They are not LSD, and they could fuck you up. You can't easily lace shrooms

deadbeeves 4y ago
>You can't easily lace shrooms Well, it's more that there's no point. If you've already gone to the trouble of growing mushroom-shaped things, adding anything to them won't increase their street value, so it's a waste. The only way to optimize profits for a producer is to grow mushrooms as fast as possible without any regard for potency.