AmberFrog, sure the drugs themselves aren't full of insight...thats an incredibly pedantic point though, you have to admit. Not very many people are trying to say the actual chemicals themselves are holy (although some do). There are definitely holy experiences though one can access with these chemicals, like you say (5-MeO-DMT comes to my mind).
No, i don't think it's a pedantic point at all; people do say this or at least suggest this. I by no means have the right to say the yare wrong, but i personally do not agree with them. The way you categorically listed reasons why nitrous is meaningless suggested to me and element of this line of thought, as was suggest by a post of yours regarding the inferiority of phenethylamines to tryptamine elsewhere. Now i may be completely wrong but the way you said both of these made me think that you may perhaps hold such a viewpoint. Expanding upon what i said i feel that as soon as you adopt an attitude that a substance is useless with regards to insight, then it probably is useless to you. People can find insight in lots of things, and i jus think you are being a bit judgmental in instantly ruling nitrous experiences as meaningless. So no, i don't feel i am being pedantic.
Your other point about insight being possible on nitrous strikes me as equally pedantic. Of course you can catalyze meaningful changes from nitrous, but so can you from methamphetamine or heroin, but I think most of us here would agree these are horrible chemicals to put in your body.
I feel your comparison here is pretty flawed; firstly i doubt anyone here would equate nitrous with heroin or methamphetamine in terms of lack of meaning or harm, something which you appear to be suggesting. Secondly, i can't say i have ever heard of anyone using heroin or methamphetamine with the purpose of insight in mind, where as this is often, if by no means completely, the case with nitrous. Again i don't see how my comment was at all pedantic.
Sure, its fun, but its also fun to drop 5 rolls in a night or do an eight ball with a friend, but I can't say I recommend it.
Again, not really relevant to what i said. Notice that i never mentioned your criticism of 'shallow euphoria' namely because, at least to a degree, i agree with you there. Still the kind of damage you are suggesting with '5 rolls in a night or do an eight ball' doesn't really correlate with nitrous use in anyway i can see. To me that is pedantic.
My experience with psychedelics recently has taught me its such a blessing to be given the chance to experience these states. It just seems like a shame to me to ruin that chance with a disassociative like nitrous or ketamine.
This is just you though, i know many people who have found nitrous and especially ketamine extremely insightful. Now i appreciate that in such a state you are emotionally removed in many ways, and as such you cannot truly experience these insights with regards to your normal emotions and life, however i think you are basing your opinion on dicassociatives entirely on personal experience. I respect and understand your view, such things are very different to classic psychedelics and i can see how they may be useless garbage to some, at the end of the day it is personal taste. Out of interest what's your take on the salvia experience?
Peace.