My views on drugs are not the result of ignorance. Yes, before I'd ever taken any, I thought they were terrible. The "Just Say No" people fed us some real whoppers.

Then I got a little older and wiser, smoked pot and took mushrooms, and my opinion shifted. I thought drugs were 100% benign. I smoked a lot of pot as a young adult and even into my 30s, and did a lot of cocaine.

I'm still not "sober" by the most puritanical definition of the word, but I do have a healthier, more holistic view of drugs now that I'm older. With hallucinogens, there is the deep capacity for introspection and insight that comes when the drug is taken for the first time, or for the first time after a long period of abstinence. Yes, you can really learn some things about yourself and the world.

That's also dangerous. Imagine discovering what an asshole you are, all at once- or what a failure. And, of course, this introspective effect diminishes as the drug is used more. So, I don't understand the urge to, say, drop acid over and over again, and even dropping it once is dangerous.

Incidentally, your assessment of cocaine is pretty insightful. I've called it a "drug for stupid people." It is simpler than LSD or even meth, which makes it less dangerous in my mind. I never had any trouble getting off of cocaine. I can't imagine someone doing it a couple of times out of curiosity and going insane, or even changing much mentally.