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Re: Threat to Society(Score: 0) by on Mar 30, 2003 - 08:36 PM | Ok... I promised that I would not responde in an absynthe induced haze... Now that my head is clear (if throbbing a bit) I think it is time to responde...
Now... I have a question... is something that is commonly used as a medicine considered drug use for these purposes? I mean, honestly, if one is seeking to expand ones horrizons, wouldn't sticking to doctor's orders seem to be a long stretch from this ideal? Laudinum, cocaine,
Please refer to The history of cocaine
Now we move into the actual effects of some of these substances... Heroine, opium, etc... If you've ever done it... or been exposed to medical grade morphine, you will realise that this drug really is not a motivator for political and intellectual change... after you use it... there is a rush, warmth in the extremities... almost immediately followed by heaviness and slowed mental processes... still later... the user is drowsy for several hours and mental clarity and function are clouded. Cardiac and respitory functions slow, sometimes to the point of death.
alcohol: Alcohol is a "downer" (depressant) that reduces activity in the central nervous system. At intoxicating doses, alcohol can decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure and respiration rate, and result in decreased reflex responses and slower reaction times.
Special Case: Absynthe... contains an extra ingredient... wormwood. Used as a muscle relaxer that is occasionally added to liniments. the known side effects are listed as "Depresses the central nervous system. Thujone causes mind-altering changes and may lead to psychosis. (Dictionary.com defines psychosis as "A severe mental disorder, with or without organic damage, characterized by derangement of personality and loss of contact with reality and causing deterioration of normal social functioning.") I can see how this would free thought, but psychosis rarely, in my experience, leads to innovation...
the effects of Marijuana: Sleepiness, Difficulty keeping track of time, impaired or reduced short-term memory, Reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination, such as driving a car, Impaired or reduced comprehension, Altered motivation and cognition, making the acquisition of new information difficult, Impairments in learning, memory, perception, and judgment - difficulty speaking, listening effectively, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem solving, and forming concepts, Intense anxiety or panic attacks...
Side Note: Jefferson was a HEMP farmer... cannabis sativa - LITERALLY "useful (sativa)" hemp... while the THC content of this plant is there... it is commonly referred to as ditchweed, and is not nearly as useful for this as the other common form off cannabis... which at this time, I cannot seemt o locate the name or my sources on it
camphor: has been used for the following purposes Analgesic, Anesthetic, Antinflammatory, Antiseptic, Back Pain, Bile Stimulant, Bone and Joint Conditions, Breathing Disorders, Bronchial Congestion, Bronchitis, Cellular Regeneration, Chest Rub, Circulation Stimulant, Coughs, Digestive Disorders, Expectorant, Fatigue, Flatulence(treatment of), Indigestion, Insecticide, Insect Repellent, Moth Repellent, Muscle Pain, Nasal Congestion, Stomachache, Vascular Disorders. Never seen one use this for mental stimulation...
Now... there are two there I cannot dispute the mental stimulation effects of... LSD and Ketamine... but I refuse to believe that all great innovators were under their influence... All of the other drugs listed tend to have a mental depressive effect...
I will agree with part of your conclusion, but not your reasoning for it to be so. The people in question were innovators before they had their encounters with the substances in question. People of that metnal capacity and mental calibre tend to exist on the shadowy fringes of society as it is, and as a result are exposed to many of the "less acceptible pleasures" of our world. I believe that they took the drugs because they were the innovators, not that they were the innovators because they took the drugs... I may be completely off the plumb here, but it's my two cents worth...
Sammuel Clemmens, Lenin, Einstein, hawking... all massive innovators and I am too lazy to make a more comprehensive list, but these people have stayed away from the path that artificial stimulation provided... so... I maintain that innovation predates intoxication...
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