'Diugs and ile Meaning of Life', Sam Haiiis

Som Horris is o writer onJ neuroscientist. He is tbe outbor of Tbe EnJ of Foitb, wbicb wos
publisbeJ in :oo. ln :oo6, Horris publisbeJ letter to o Cbristion Notion os o response to
criticism of Tbe EnJ of Foitb. Tbis work wos followeJ by Tbe Morol lonJscope, publisbeJ in
:oio, bis lonq-form essoy lyinq in :oii, onJ tbe sbort book Free Vill in :oi:. Horris is o
contemporory critic of reliqion onJ proponent of scientific skepticism onJ tbe New
Atbeism". He is olso on oJvocote for tbe seporotion of cburcb onJ stote, freeJom of reliqion,
onJ tbe liberty to criticize reliqion. Horris bos written numerous orticles for Tbe Huffinqton
Post, los Anqeles Times, Tbe Vosbinqton Post, Tbe New York Times, Newsweek, onJ tbe
journol Noture. His orticles toucb upon o Jiversity of topics, incluJinq reliqion, morolity,
neuroscience, free will, terrorism, onJ self-Jefense.
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Eveiyiling we do is foi ile puipose of alieiing consciousness. We foim fiiendslips so ilai
we can feel ceiiain emoiions, lile love, and avoid oileis, lile loneliness. We eai specific
foods io enjoy ileii fleeiing piesence on oui iongues. We iead foi ile pleasuie of ilinling
anoilei peison's ilouglis. Eveiy waling momeni-and even in oui dieams-we siiuggle io
diieci ile flow of sensaiion, emoiion, and cogniiion iowaid siaies of consciousness ilai we
value.
Diugs aie anoilei means iowaid ilis end. Some aie illegal; some aie siigmaiized; some aie
dangeious-ilougl, peiveisely, ilese seis only paiiially inieiseci. Tleie aie diugs of
exiiaoidinaiy powei and uiiliiy, lile psilocybin (ile aciive compound in "magic
musliooms") and lyseigic acid dieilylamide (LSD), wlicl pose no appaieni iisl of
addiciion and aie plysically well-ioleiaied, and yei one can siill be seni io piison foi ileii
use-wlile diugs lile iobacco and alcolol, wlicl lave iuined couniless lives, aie enjoyed
ad libiium in almosi eveiy socieiy on eaiil. Tleie aie oilei poinis on ilis coniinuum-,(-
meilylenedioxymeilampleiamine (MDMA oi "Ecsiasy") las iemailable ileiapeuiic
poieniial, bui ii is also suscepiible io abuse, and ii appeais io be neuioioxic.|ij
One of ile gieai iesponsibiliiies we lave as a socieiy is io educaie ouiselves, along wiil ile
nexi geneiaiion, aboui wlicl subsiances aie woiil ingesiing, and foi wlai puipose, and
wlicl aie noi. Tle pioblem, lowevei, is ilai we iefei io all biologically aciive compounds
by a single ieim-"diugs"-and ilis males ii neaily impossible io lave an inielligeni
discussion aboui ile psyclological, medical, eilical, and legal issues suiiounding ileii use.
Tle poveiiy of oui language las been only sliglily eased by ile iniioduciion of ieims lile
"psycledelics" io diffeieniiaie ceiiain visionaiy compounds, wlicl can pioduce
exiiaoidinaiy siaies of ecsiasy and insigli, fiom "naicoiics" and oilei classic agenis of
siupefaciion and abuse.
Diug abuse and addiciion aie ieal pioblems, of couise-ile iemedy foi wlicl is educaiion
and medical iieaimeni, noi incaiceiaiion. In faci, ile woisi diugs of abuse in ile Uniied
Siaies now appeai io be piesciipiion painlilleis, lile oxycodone. Slould ilese medicines
be made illegal? Of couise noi. People need io be infoimed aboui ilem, and addicis need
iieaimeni. And all diugs-including alcolol, cigaieiies, and aspiiin-musi be lepi oui of ile
lands of clildien.
I discuss issues of diug policy in some deiail in my fiisi bool, Tle End of Faiil (pp. iS-
i6(), and my ilinling on ile subjeci las noi clanged. Tle "wai on diugs" las been well
losi, and slould nevei lave been waged. Wlile ii isn'i expliciily pioiecied by ile U.S.
Consiiiuiion, I can ilinl of no poliiical iigli moie fundamenial ilan ile iigli io
peacefully siewaid ile conienis of one's own consciousness. Tle faci ilai we poinilessly
iuin ile lives of nonvioleni diug useis by incaiceiaiing ilem, ai enoimous expense,
consiiiuies one of ile gieai moial failuies of oui iime. (And ile faci ilai we male ioom
foi ilem in oui piisons by paioling muideieis and iapisis males one wondei wleilei
civilizaiion isn'i simply doomed.)
I lave a daugliei wlo will one day iale diugs. Of couise, I will do eveiyiling in my powei
io see ilai sle clooses lei diugs wisely, bui a life wiiloui diugs is neiilei foieseeable,
noi, I ilinl, desiiable. Someday, I lope sle enjoys a moining cup of iea oi coffee as mucl
as I do. If my daugliei diinls alcolol as an aduli, as sle piobably will, I will encouiage lei
io do ii safely. If sle clooses io smole maiijuana, I will uige modeiaiion.|:j Tobacco
slould be slunned, of couise, and I will do eveiyiling wiilin ile bounds of deceni
paieniing io sieei lei away fiom ii. Needless io say, if I lnew my daugliei would
eveniually develop a fondness foi meilampleiamine oi ciacl cocaine, I migli nevei sleep
again. Bui if sle does noi iiy a psycledelic lile psilocybin oi LSD ai leasi once in lei aduli
life, I will woiiy ilai sle may lave missed one of ile mosi impoiiani iiies of passage a
luman being can expeiience.
Tlis is noi io say ilai eveiyone slould iale psycledelics. As I will male cleai below, ilese
diugs pose ceiiain dangeis. Undoubiedly, ileie aie people wlo cannoi affoid io give ile
ancloi of saniiy even ile sligliesi iug. Ii las been many yeais since I lave ialen
psycledelics, in faci, and my absiinence is boine of a lealily iespeci foi ile iisls involved.
Howevei, ileie was a peiiod in my eaily :o!s wlen I found diugs lile psilocybin and LSD
io be indispensable iools of insigli, and some of ile mosi impoiiani louis of my life weie
speni undei ileii influence. I ilinl ii quiie possible ilai I migli nevei lave discoveied
ilai ileie was an innei landscape of mind woiil exploiing wiiloui laving fiisi piessed
ilis plaimacological advaniage.
Wlile luman beings lave ingesied plani-based psycledelics foi millennia, scieniific
ieseaicl on ilese compounds did noi begin uniil ile iqo!s. By iq6, a ilousand siudies
lad been publisled, piimaiily on psilocybin and LSD, many of wlicl aiiesied io ile
usefulness of psycledelics in ile iieaimeni of clinical depiession, obsessive compulsive
disoidei (OCD), alcolol addiciion, and ile pain and anxieiy associaied wiil ieiminal
cancei. Wiilin a few yeais, lowevei, ilis eniiie field of ieseaicl was abolisled in an effoii
io siem ile spiead of ilese diugs among ile geneial public. Afiei a liaius ilai lasied an
eniiie geneiaiion, scieniific ieseaicl on ile plaimacology and ileiapeuiic value of
psycledelics las quieily iesumed.
Tle psycledelics include clemicals lile psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and mescaline-all of wlicl
poweifully aliei cogniiion, peicepiion, and mood. Mosi seem io exeii ileii influence
iliougl ile seioionin sysiem in ile biain, piimaiily by binding io -HT:A iecepiois
(ilougl seveial lave affiniiy foi oilei iecepiois as well), leading io incieased neuional
aciiviiy in piefionial coiiex (PFC). Wlile ile PFC in iuin modulaies subcoiiical dopamine
pioduciion, ile effeci of psycledelics appeais io iale place laigely ouiside dopamine
pailways (wlicl migli explain wly ilese diugs aie noi labii foiming).
Tle meie exisience of psycledelics would seem io esiablisl ile maieiial basis of menial
and spiiiiual life beyond any doubi-foi ile iniioduciion of ilese subsiances inio ile biain
is ile obvious cause of any numinous apocalypse ilai follows. Ii is possible, lowevei, if noi
aciually plausible, io seize ilis daium fiom ile oilei end and aigue, and Aldous Huxley
did in lis classic essay, Tle Doois of Peicepiion, ilai ile piimaiy funciion of ile biain
could be eliminaiive: iis puipose could be io pieveni some vasi, iianspeisonal dimension
of mind fiom flooding consciousness, ileieby allowing apes lile ouiselves io male ileii
way in ile woild wiiloui being dazzled ai eveiy siep by visionaiy plenomena iiielevani io
ileii suivival. Huxley ilougli ilai if ile biain weie a lind of "ieducing valve" foi "Mind ai
Laige," ilis would explain ile efficacy of psycledelics: Tley could simply be a maieiial
means of opening ile iap.
Unfoiiunaiely, Huxley was opeiaiing undei ile eiioneous assumpiion ilai psycledelics
deciease biain aciiviiy. Howevei, modein ieclniques of neuioimaging lave slown ilai
ilese diugs iend io inciease aciiviiy in many iegions of ile coiiex (and in subcoiiical
siiuciuies as well). Siill, ile aciion of ilese diugs does noi iule oui dualism, oi ile
exisience of iealms of mind beyond ile biain-bui ilen noiling does. Tlis is one of ile
pioblems wiil views of ilis lind: Tley appeai io be unfalsifiable.|j
Of couise, ile biain does filiei an exiiaoidinaiy amouni of infoimaiion fiom
consciousness. And, lile many wlo lave ialen ilese diugs, I can aiiesi ilai psycledelics
ceiiainly iliow open ile gaies. Needless io say, posiiing ile exisience of a "Mind ai Laige"
is moie iempiing in some siaies of consciousness ilan in oileis. And ile quesiion of
wlicl view of iealiiy we slould piivilege is, ai iimes, woiil consideiing. Bui ilese diugs
can also pioduce menial siaies ilai aie besi viewed in clinical ieims as foims of psyclosis.
As a geneial maiiei, I believe we slould be veiy slow io male conclusions aboui ile naiuie
of ile cosmos based upon innei expeiience no maiiei low piofound ilese expeiiences
seem.
Howevei, ileie is no quesiion ilai ile mind is vasiei and moie fluid ilan oui oidinaiy,
waling consciousness suggesis. Consequenily, ii is impossible io communicaie ile
piofundiiy (oi seeming piofundiiy) of psycledelic siaies io ilose wlo lave nevei lad sucl
expeiiences ilemselves. Ii is, in faci, difficuli io iemind oneself of ile powei of ilese siaies
once iley lave passed.
Many people wondei aboui ile diffeience beiween mediiaiion (and oilei coniemplaiive
piaciices) and psycledelics. Aie ilese diugs a foim of cleaiing, oi aie iley ile one,
indispensable velicle foi auileniic awalening? Tley aie neiilei. Many people don'i
iealize ilai all psycloaciive diugs modulaie ile exisiing neuioclemisiiy of ile biain-
eiilei by mimicling specific neuioiiansmiiieis oi by causing ile neuioiiansmiiieis
ilemselves io be moie aciive. Tleie is noiling ilai one can expeiience on a diug ilai is
noi, ai some level, an expiession of ile biain's poieniial. Hence, wlaievei one las
expeiienced afiei ingesiing a diug lile LSD is lilely io lave been expeiienced, by someone,
somewleie, wiiloui ii.
Howevei, ii cannoi be denied ilai psycledelics aie a uniquely poieni means of alieiing
consciousness. If a peison leains io mediiaie, piay, clani, do yoga, eic., ileie is no
guaianiee ilai anyiling will lappen. Depending on lis apiiiude, inieiesi, eic., boiedom
could be ile only iewaid foi lis effoiis. If, lowevei, a peison ingesis ioo miciogiams of
LSD, wlai will lappen nexi will depend on a vaiieiy of faciois, bui ileie is absoluiely no
quesiion ilai someiling will lappen. And boiedom is simply noi in ile caids. Wiilin ile
loui, ile significance of lis exisience will beai down upon oui leio lile an avalancle. As
Teience McKenna|(j nevei iiied of poiniing oui, ilis guaianiee of piofound effeci, foi
beiiei oi woise, is wlai sepaiaies psycledelics fiom eveiy oilei meilod of spiiiiual
inquiiy. Ii is, lowevei, a diffeience ilai biings wiil ii ceiiain liabiliiies.
Ingesiing a poweiful dose of a psycledelic diug is lile siiapping oneself io a ioclei wiiloui
a guidance sysiem. One migli wind up somewleie woiil going-and, depending on ile
compound and one's "sei and seiiing," ceiiain iiajecioiies aie moie lilely ilan oileis. Bui
lowevei meilodically one piepaies foi ile voyage, one can siill be luiled inio siaies of
mind so painful and confusing as io be indisiinguislable fiom psyclosis. Hence, ile ieims
"psycloiomimeiic" and "psycloiogenic" ilai aie occasionally applied io ilese diugs.
I lave visiied boil exiiemes on ile psycledelic coniinuum. Tle posiiive expeiiences weie
moie sublime ilan I could lave evei imagined oi ilan I can now faiilfully iecall. Tlese
clemicals disclose layeis of beauiy ilai aii is poweiless io capiuie and foi wlicl ile
beauiy of Naiuie leiself is a meie simulacium. Ii is one iling io be awesiiucl by ile sigli
of a giani iedwood and io be amazed ai ile deiails of iis lisioiy and undeilying biology. Ii
is quiie anoilei io spend an appaieni eieiniiy in egoless communion wiil ii. Posiiive
psycledelic expeiiences ofien ieveal low wondiously ai ease in ile univeise a luman
being can be-and foi mosi of us, noimal waling consciousness does noi offei so mucl as a
glimmei of ilese deepei possibiliiies.
People geneially come away fiom sucl expeiiences wiil a sense ilai oui conveniional
siaies of consciousness obscuie and iiuncaie insiglis and emoiions ilai aie sacied. If ile
paiiiaicls and maiiiaicls of ile woild's ieligions expeiienced sucl siaies of mind, many of
ileii claims aboui ile naiuie of iealiiy can male subjeciive sense. Tle beauiific vision
does noi iell you anyiling aboui ile biiil of ile cosmos-bui ii does ieveal low uiieily
iiansfiguied a mind can be by a full collision wiil ile pieseni momeni.
Bui as ile peals aie ligl, ile valleys aie deep. My "bad iiips" weie, wiiloui quesiion, ile
mosi laiiowing louis I lave evei suffeied-and iley male ile noiion of lell, as a
meiaploi if noi a desiinaiion, seem peifecily api. If noiling else, ilese exciuciaiing
expeiiences can become a souice of compassion. I ilinl ii would be impossible io lave any
sense of wlai ii is lile io suffei fiom menial illness wiiloui laving biiefly ioucled iis
sloies.
Ai boil ends of ile coniinuum iime dilaies in ways ilai cannoi be desciibed-apaii fiom
saying ilai ilese expeiiences can seem eieinal. I lave lad sessions, boil posiiive and
negaiive, in wlicl any lnowledge ilai I lad ingesied a diug lad been eniiiely
exiinguisled, and all memoiies of my pasi along wiil ii. Full immeision in ile pieseni
momeni, io ilis degiee, is synonymous wiil ile feeling ilai one las always been, and will
always be, in piecisely ilis condiiion. Depending on ile claiaciei of one's expeiience ai
ilai poini, noiions of salvaiion and damnaiion do noi seem lypeibolic. In my expeiience,
Blale's line aboui belolding "eieiniiy in an loui" neiilei piomises, noi ilieaiens, ioo
mucl.
In ile beginning, my expeiiences wiil psilocybin and LSD weie so posiiive ilai I could noi
believe a bad iiip was possible. Noiions of "sei and seiiing," admiiiedly vague, seemed
sufficieni io accouni foi ilis. My menial sei was exacily as ii needed io be-I was a
spiiiiually seiious invesiigaioi of my own mind-and my seiiing was geneially one of eiilei
naiuial beauiy oi secuie soliiude.
I cannoi accouni foi wly my adveniuies wiil psycledelics weie unifoimly pleasani uniil
iley weien'i-bui wlen ile doois io lell finally opened, iley appeai io lave been lefi
peimanenily ajai. Tleieafiei, wleilei oi noi a iiip was good in ile aggiegaie, ii geneially
eniailed some laiiowing deioui on ile pail io sublimiiy. Have you evei iiaveled, beyond
all meie meiaplois, io ile Mouniain of Slame and siayed foi a ilousand yeais? I do noi
iecommend ii.
On my fiisi iiip io Nepal, I iool a iowboai oui on Plewa Lale in Pollaia, wlicl offeis a
siunning view of ile Annapuina iange. Ii was eaily moining, and I was alone. As ile sun
iose ovei ile waiei, I ingesied (oo miciogiams of LSD. I was :o yeais old and lad ialen
ile diug ai leasi ien iimes pieviously. Wlai could go wiong?
Eveiyiling, as ii iuins oui. Well, noi eveiyiling-I didn'i diown. And I lave a vague
memoiy of diifiing asloie and of being suiiounded by a gioup of Nepali soldieis. Afiei
waicling me foi a wlile, as I ogled ilem ovei ile gunwale lile a lunaiic, iley seemed on
ile veige of deciding wlai io do wiil me. Some poliie woids of Espeianio, and a few, mad
oai siioles, and I was off sloie and inio oblivion. So I suppose ilai could lave ended
diffeienily.
Bui soon ileie was no lale oi mouniains oi boai-and if I lad fallen inio ile waiei I am
pieiiy suie ileie would lave been no one io swim. Foi ile nexi seveial louis my mind
became ile peifeci insiiumeni of self-ioiiuie. All ilai iemained was a coniinuous
slaiieiing and ieiioi foi wlicl I lave no woids.
Tlese encounieis iale someiling oui of you. Even if diugs lile LSD aie biologically safe,
ile poieniial foi exiiemely unpleasani and desiabilizing expeiiences piesenis iis own iisls.
I believe I was posiiively affecied foi weels and monils by my good iiips, and negaiively
affecied by ile bad ones. Given ilese iouleiie-lile odds, one can only iecommend ilese
expeiiences wiil cauiion.
Wlile mediiaiion can open ile mind io a similai iange of conscious siaies, iley aie
ieacled fai less laplazaidly. If LSD is lile being siiapped io ioclei, leaining io mediiaie is
lile genily iaising a sail. Yes, ii is possible, even wiil guidance, io wind up someplace
ieiiifying-and ileie aie people wlo piobably slouldn'i spend long peiiods in iniensive
piaciice. Bui ile geneial effeci of mediiaiion iiaining is of seiiling evei moie fully inio
one's own slin, and suffeiing less, iailei ilan moie ileie.
As I discussed in Tle End of Faiil, I view mosi psycledelic expeiiences as poieniially
misleading. Psycledelics do noi guaianiee wisdom. Tley meiely guaianiee moie conieni.
And visionaiy expeiiences, consideied in ileii ioialiiy, appeai io me io be eilically
neuiial. Tleiefoie, ii seems ilai psycledelic ecsiasy musi be sieeied iowaid oui peisonal
and colleciive well-being by some oilei piinciple. As Daniel Pinclbecl poinied oui in lis
liglly enieiiaining bool, Biealing Open ile Head, ile faci ilai boil ile Mayans and ile
Aziecs used psycledelics, wlile being enilusiasiic piaciiiioneis of luman saciifice, males
any idealisiic linl beiween plani-based slamanism and an enligliened socieiy seem
ieiiibly naive.
As I will discuss in fuiuie essays, ile foim of iianscendence ilai appeais io linl diiecily io
eilical belavioi and luman well-being is ile iianscendence of egoiiy in ile midsi of
oidinaiy waling consciousness. Ii is by ceasing io cling io ile conienis of consciousness-io
oui ilouglis, moods, desiies, eic.-ilai we male piogiess. Sucl a piojeci does noi, in
piinciple, iequiie ilai we expeiience moie conienis.|j Tle fieedom fiom self ilai is boil
ile goal and foundaiion of "spiiiiual" life is coincideni wiil noimal peicepiion and
cogniiion-ilougl, admiiiedly, ilis can be difficuli io iealize.
Tle powei of psycledelics, lowevei, is ilai iley ofien ieveal, in ile span of a few louis,
depils of awe and undeisianding ilai can oileiwise elude us foi a lifeiime. As is ofien ile
case, William }ames said ii aboui as well as woids peimii|6j :
One conclusion was foiced upon my mind ai ilai iime, and my impiession of
iis iiuil las evei since iemained unslalen. Ii is ilai oui noimal waling
consciousness, iaiional consciousness as we call ii, is bui one special iype of
consciousness, wlilsi all aboui ii, paiied fiom ii by ile filmiesi of scieens, ileie
lie poieniial foims of consciousness eniiiely diffeieni. We may go iliougl life
wiiloui suspeciing ileii exisience; bui apply ile iequisiie siimulus, and ai a
ioucl iley aie ileie in all ileii compleieness, definiie iypes of menialiiy wlicl
piobably somewleie lave ileii field of applicaiion and adapiaiion. No accouni
of ile univeise in iis ioialiiy can be final wlicl leaves ilese oilei foims of
consciousness quiie disiegaided. How io iegaid ilem is ile quesiion,-foi iley
aie so disconiinuous wiil oidinaiy consciousness. Yei iley may deieimine
aiiiiudes ilougl iley cannoi fuinisl foimulas, and open a iegion ilougl iley
fail io give a map. Ai any iaie, iley foibid a piemaiuie closing of oui accounis
wiil iealiiy.
(Tbe Vorieties of Reliqious Experience, p. 88)

NOTES:
|ij A wide liieiaiuie now suggesis ilai MDMA damages seioionin-pioducing neuions and
decieases levels of seioionin in ile biain. Heie is ile iip of ile icebeig: i, :, ,(, , and 6.
|:j Wlai is modeiaiion? Lei's jusi say ilai I've nevei mei a peison wlo smoles maiijuana
eveiy day wlo I ilougli wouldn'i benefii fiom smoling less (and I've nevei mei someone
wlo las nevei iiied ii wlo I ilougli wouldn'i benefii fiom smoling moie).
|j Plysicalism, by coniiasi, could be easily falsified. If science evei esiablisled ile
exisience of glosis, oi ieincainaiion, oi any oilei plenomenon wlicl would place ile
luman mind (in wlole oi in paii) ouiside ile biain, plysicalism would be dead. Tle faci
ilai dualisis can nevei say wlai would couni as evidence againsi ileii views males ilis
ancieni plilosoplical posiiion veiy difficuli io disiinguisl fiom ieligious faiil.
|(j Teience McKenna is one peison I iegiei noi geiiing io lnow. Unfoiiunaiely, le died
fiom biain cancei in :ooo, ai ile age of . His bools aie well woiil ieading, and I lave
iecommended seveial below, bui le was, above all, an amazing spealei. Ii is iiue ilai lis
eloquence ofien led lim io adopi posiiions wlicl can only be desciibed (claiiiably) as
"wacly," bui ile man was undeniably biilliani and always woiil lisiening io.
|j I slould say, lowevei, ilai ileie aie psycledelic expeiiences ilai I lave noi lad, wlicl
appeai io delivei a diffeieni message. Railei ilan being siaies in wlicl ile boundaiies of
ile self aie dissolved, some people lave expeiiences in wlicl ile self (in some foim)
appeais io be iianspoiied elsewleie. Tlis plenomenon is veiy common wiil ile diug
DMT, and ii can lead iis iniiiaies io some veiy siaiiling conclusions aboui ile naiuie of
iealiiy. Moie ilan anyone else, Teience McKenna was influeniial in biinging ile
plenomenology of DMT inio piominence.
DMT is unique among psycledelics foi a seveial ieasons. Eveiyone wlo las iiied ii seems
io agiee ilai ii is ile mosi poieni lallucinogen available (noi in ieims of ile quaniiiy
needed foi an effeciive dose, bui in ieims of iis effecis). Ii is also, paiadoxically, ile
sloiiesi aciing. Wlile ile effecis of LSD can lasi ien louis, ile DMT iiance dawns in less
ilan a minuie and subsides in ien. One ieason foi sucl sieep plaimacolineiics seems io
be ilai ilis compound alieady exisis inside ile luman biain, and ii is ieadily meiabolized
by monoaminoxidase. DMT is in ile same clemical class as psilocybin and ile
neuioiiansmiiiei seioionin (bui, in addiiion io laving an affiniiy foi -HT:A iecepiois, ii
las been slown io bind io ile sigma-i iecepioi and modulaie Na+ clannels). Iis funciion
in ile luman body iemains mysieiious. Among ile many mysieiies and insulis piesenied
by DMT, ii offeis a final mocleiy of oui diug laws: Noi only lave we ciiminalized naiuially
occuiiing subsiances, lile cannabis; we lave ciiminalized one of oui own
neuioiiansmiiieis.
Many useis of DMT iepoii being iliusi undei iis influence inio an adjaceni iealiiy wleie
iley aie mei by alien beings wlo appeai inieni upon slaiing infoimaiion and
demonsiiaiing ile use of insciuiable ieclnologies. Tle conveigence of lundieds of sucl
iepoiis, many fiom fiisi-iime useis of ile diug wlo lave noi been iold wlai io expeci, is
ceiiainly inieiesiing. Ii is also woiil noiing ilese accounis aie almosi eniiiely fiee of
ieligious imageiy. One appeais fai moie lilely io meei exiiaieiiesiiials oi elves on DMT
ilan iiadiiional sainis oi angels. As I lave noi iiied DMT, and lave noi lad an expeiience
of ile soii ilai iis useis desciibe, I don'i lnow wlai io male of any of ilis.
|6j Of couise, }ames was iepoiiing lis expeiiences wiil niiious oxide, wlicl is an
anesileiic. Oilei anesileiics, lile leiamine lydioclloiide and plencyclidine
lydioclloiide (PCP), lave similai effecis on mood and cogniiion ai low doses. Howevei,
ileie aie many diffeiences beiween ilese diugs and classic psycledelics-one being ilai
ligl doses of ile laiiei do noi lead io geneial anesilesia.

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