Say what? By that logic deadly nightshade is a better thing to consume than aspirin. “Natural” is not a synonym for “good”, “safe”, or “healthy”. If anything, much of the problem with many drugs is that they aren’t created in some nice, clean, professional lab.
In related news, “chemical” and “carcinogen” aren’t synonyms.
I agree. I would much prefer my drugs had come from some know lab with quality standards than from… Og knows where. And very, very few drugs are dug straight out of the ground and delivered to the mouths of users without some kind of chemical processing. And if for the few that were… There were stories in the 80s (I think) about Mexican pot that had been sprayed with potentially dangerous herbicides by the government (and funded by the US) – which of course wouldn’t stop the growers from selling it.
Shit, for all any of us knows, any given crop of weed could be grown over an old toxic waste dump.
This thread just reminded me of my High School friend Gary.
Back in '69 he was in the Navy, cruising up and down the coast of Vietnam. He never saw combat, closest they came was firing the big guns at the distant coast. He and several pals spent most of their free time doing drugs. Mostly hash and boo, which were easily available. A couple of years later, back in civilian life, he told me about his experience with heroin.
Late at night, on deck in a secluded spot, he smoked H. It was the best feeling he’d ever had in his life. Several days later, he did it again. A week or two later, he’d smoked it five times, and the pleasure was no less intense. So he thought to himself “this is the most wonderful high ever, and yet I feel no compulsion to use it again. I guess I’m okay to keep using it.” And that’s when the alarm went off in his head. “THAT’S how people get hooked, Sparky.”
He never touched it again, stuck to grass. Over the next few years he gradually quit using any drugs other than the occasional drink.
I came of age back in the 70s in a major metropolitan area. I think that pretty much sums it up. Never was addicted to anything but did smoke a ton or so of pot back in the day. Grew away from the whole culture ultimately.
I somewhat expected a post like this, but didn’t feel like going down that tangent with disclaimers and qualifiers. I had hoped it would be a given that I wasn’t saying that everything natural=good/safe and everything man-made=bad/dangerous.
Suffice it to say, I think it’s silly to equate highly-addictive and highly-toxic man-made compounds created by a criminal enterprise in a makeshift lab with unknown ingredients, standards, and middlemen, to a naturally occurring fungus or plant that’s been safely consumed by humans for ages. And even if the refined drugs were produced legally in a qualified and regulated lab, I would *still *consider them to be generally much more dangerous and less appealing, due to their (usually) inherent tendency to be simultaneously highly toxic and addictive.
I’ve tried pot a few times, but didn’t really enjoy it. I think I might be allergic or something; it makes me feel like I’m coming down with a cold. Plus I can’t seem to manage a pleasant high - I go from stone cold sober to high as a kite.
My roommate smoked it quite regularly. Once her cat ate her stash.
Ive tried a couple of these. Mushrooms were fun, but I dont remember them being spiritually fulfilling. I feel like I missed out on the good stuff now.
I haven’t done those. Frankly, I don’t see the appeal.
Paraquat.
http://www.babyboomerdaily.com/2010/04/20/the-great-marijuana-paraquat-scare/
Not a great factual cite but seems to capture the culture of the times.
- Makes Selection(s) *
- Clicks ‘Vote Now’ *
- Panics *
Whew! Anonymous poll. That’s nice.
Oh, I didn’t mean to give the impression I was talking about marijuana. I’d vote to legalize marijuana. If someone brought it, I’d probably try it if it was legal, though I still would be concerned about my lungs. I am not going to go out of my way to try marijuana. I have no real desire to try it. But I really don’t care if other people use it.
I am mostly referring to the hard stuff. To repeat: I believe all drugs should be legalized and regulated.
Here’s one. He was also Bipolar. They had a very close and loving relationship up until that point. Poor Pam. 
Marijuana
Cocaine
Crack
Heroin <—— umm, smoke, not shoot
LSD
Mushrooms
other (list):
MDA (allegedly)
Opium
Hashish
Crystal Meth
Mescaline
Reds <—— abused Rx drugs, not sure that counts? Real name = Seconal
nitrous oxide <——likewise
white crosses <—— some kind of amphetamines don’t know the real name
sillystuff — alleged to have an effect but either didn’t or not as advertised
banana peels
jimson weed
nutmeg
morning glory seeds
yohimbe bark
::looks around:: umm, different time and place, you know?
Weed, coke, acid, quaaludes, codeine. Am I the only lude-head here?
ETA how could I forget nitrous?
None for me either.
Exactly. All we did was walk around campus, then go driving, but IT WAS THE GREATEST WALK AROUND CAMPUS AND THEN GOING DRIVING THAT’S EVER BEEN DONE, CAN I HAVE ONE MORE LINE OF THAT, PLEASE? THE ATM IS OVER THERE IF YOU NEED MONEY - I HAVE MY CARD!!!
So… yeah. No more coke for JohnT. 
I was half expecting to see Jenkem on that silly stuff list. Good thing it wasn’t though, I would have startled my coworkers with a laughing fit.
Not me. Scene repeated with minor variations many many times over between 1976 and 1997 or thereabouts:
Some Friend: “You’re gonna love this, it’s really pure and intense”
AHunter3: inserts straw or equiv up note and snnnnnurfs it up
******* wait *******
Some Friend: “Well? Well? Well? Well? Is that not the most FANTASTIC etc!!!”
AHunter3: “Is something supposed to be happening? My nose is numb. Got I hate that feeling. How long is my nose going to be numb? How long does it take for this stuff to hit?”
Some Friend: 
weed, coke, acid, shrooms, Ex, and meth wish wasn’t on the list.
Just weed and some other weird pills stuff. Can’t handle them though, it makes me be way into my head and I don’t like what I find there. So I usually stick to alcohol.