THIS IS AN ENTIRELY HYPOTHETICAL IDEA. I HAVE NO INTENTION OF PUTTING INTO PRACTICE ANYTHING THAT I DESCRIBE HERE, NOR DO I ENCOURAGE ANYONE ELSE TO. Also it would almost certainly land you in prison.
So I've been thinking a lot lately about how widespread psychedelic use might affect the way in which a society runs. If everyone in a society was a responsible user of psychedelics, would society function in a different way? Would such a society be more inclined towards socialism? Capitalism? Something in between? Would crime rates drop?
In thinking about this, I came up with a hypothetical experiment: The Psychedelic Integration Project.
So we wouldn't want to attempt this project on an entire society because that would be unbelievably difficult. Instead, it would be performed at a microcosm of society, such as a major university. For this example, lets say it takes place at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
The project would begin with informing the public. We would employ a team of dedicated volunteers to discreetly poster the entire campus with information regarding psychedelics. These posters would include accurate and properly sourced information about the genuine risks involved in psychedelic use, links to other resources for psychedelic drug users, and general information advocating for responsible psychedelic drug use. We continue this effort until there is at least a campus wide conversation occurring regarding psychedelic drugs, and most of the misinformation that is commonplace in a University setting is dispelled.
Then comes the juicy part. In various random locations around the campus, we plant stations stocked with tabs of LSD, from which passerby's can grab a tab if they wish for free, and information informing the public that these are good quality tabs of LSD and this is how to utilize them safely and beneficially. These would be regularly stocked and moved (to minimize the number of tabs seized by police and maximize the number that are provided to the public). Now we have a microcosm of society still, except that the society has a vastly larger population of responsible psychedelic drug users. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT WE ARE NOT DOSING ANYONE AGAINST THEIR WILL. WE ARE PROVIDING INFORMATION AND ACID TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE POPULATION WHO WISH TO PARTAKE.
Step three is to simply continue the project and observe the difference that this causes among the community.
What are people's thoughts on this? Is it ethical? Would it even be feasible? What might the effects end up being?
So I've been thinking a lot lately about how widespread psychedelic use might affect the way in which a society runs. If everyone in a society was a responsible user of psychedelics, would society function in a different way? Would such a society be more inclined towards socialism? Capitalism? Something in between? Would crime rates drop?
In thinking about this, I came up with a hypothetical experiment: The Psychedelic Integration Project.
So we wouldn't want to attempt this project on an entire society because that would be unbelievably difficult. Instead, it would be performed at a microcosm of society, such as a major university. For this example, lets say it takes place at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
The project would begin with informing the public. We would employ a team of dedicated volunteers to discreetly poster the entire campus with information regarding psychedelics. These posters would include accurate and properly sourced information about the genuine risks involved in psychedelic use, links to other resources for psychedelic drug users, and general information advocating for responsible psychedelic drug use. We continue this effort until there is at least a campus wide conversation occurring regarding psychedelic drugs, and most of the misinformation that is commonplace in a University setting is dispelled.
Then comes the juicy part. In various random locations around the campus, we plant stations stocked with tabs of LSD, from which passerby's can grab a tab if they wish for free, and information informing the public that these are good quality tabs of LSD and this is how to utilize them safely and beneficially. These would be regularly stocked and moved (to minimize the number of tabs seized by police and maximize the number that are provided to the public). Now we have a microcosm of society still, except that the society has a vastly larger population of responsible psychedelic drug users. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT WE ARE NOT DOSING ANYONE AGAINST THEIR WILL. WE ARE PROVIDING INFORMATION AND ACID TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE POPULATION WHO WISH TO PARTAKE.
Step three is to simply continue the project and observe the difference that this causes among the community.
What are people's thoughts on this? Is it ethical? Would it even be feasible? What might the effects end up being?