Electric Monkey Pants

Is today April Fools or something? I just read, on the AP wire, a completely positive story about ‘shrooms (psilocybin) that didn’t have any “drugs are bad! Just say no! Boo!!” bullshit. Okay, there was one line in there about not doing it, but the rest of the story was extremely reasonable, fair and accurate. What the hell is going on here? Did drug paranoia suddenly wear off when I wasn’t looking? This is amazing. Check out the article for an informative look at the drug psilocybin, which is found in so-called “magic mushrooms”:

Psilocybin’s effects lasted for up to six hours, Griffiths said. Twenty-two of the 36 volunteers reported having a “complete” mystical experience, compared to four of those getting methylphenidate.

That experience included such things as a sense of pure awareness and a merging with ultimate reality, a transcendence of time and space, a feeling of sacredness or awe, and deeply felt positive mood like joy, peace and love. People say “they can’t possibly put it into words,” Griffiths said.

Two months later, 24 of the participants filled out a questionnaire. Two-thirds called their reaction to psilocybin one of the five top most meaningful experiences of their lives. On another measure, one-third called it the most spiritually significant experience of their lives, with another 40% ranking it in the top five.

About 80% said that because of the psilocybin experience, they still had a sense of well-being or life satisfaction that was raised either “moderately” or “very much.”

Read the whole article for more.

I… I’m in shock. The mainstream media has produced an article that touts the spiritual awareness gained from ingesting a controlled substance?!

Seriously?!! Am I high?! Is this a prank? I’m flabbergasted! Where’s the customary scare-tactics, fear-mongering, lies, distortions, half-truths, Republican-rhetoric, hate and demagoguery that I’m so used to? My whole worldview is shattered. Must’ve been a mistake over at the AP. The editor must be new. He didn’t get the memo: You’re only supposed to mock or lie about drugs in the mainstream media. If there’s a positive scientific finding you’re supposed to ignore it, not write up a glowing story on it! Jeez, somebody give this guy a copy of The Complete Works of Nancy Reagan.

I think I need to go lay down.