I'm all for the fredom of anyone to ingest whatever strange concoctions take their fancy. Reciprocally, don't lean on those of us who are happy enough about the way our brains work without artificial flavouring.
I don't think he was being authoritative.
A bigger part may be that I absolutely fucking dislike having my neurochemistry played silly games with, aka being drunk or stoned or tripping or whatever the requisite term may be.
Staying in parent's vernacular idiom, assuming it to have some sort of point.
I'll say two things, briefly, so please forgive any necessary lack of detail due to abbreviation.
First, is that absolutely everything you do has a profound impact on your neurochemistry. That's just how the animal brain works. The air you breather impacts it. The food you eat impacts it. Watching a TV show or movie impacts it. Doing your work at the office impacts it. Everything. There is no experience you can possible have that is not also governed by changes in your neurochemistry. It is an illusion to believe there is such a thing as a "pure" state of neurochemistry. The chemistry of your brain is a reflection of your inner and outer environment. Taking a drug that causes sensations inwardly, through neurochemical action, is not particularly different, from a brain chemistry point of view anyway, than doing something else with your body that causes sensations and corresponding changes in brain chemistry.
Second, is that not all drugs are created equal and they shouldn't be lumped together any more than you would lump together, for example, all activities done with your legs. Just as you distinguish between the value of going for a nice walk in the woods, and jumping off a bridge, you ought to distinguish between the different varieties of drug induced experience. There are very very few that I would recommend on their own merits because the sensation that arises from them is inherently worthwhile. Most of them don't cause inherently worthwhile sensations to arise. Alcohol certainly doesn't. Most stimulants don't. There are only two classes of drugs that I think actually do cause worthwhile sensations to arise, on their own merits: entheogens (classic psychedelics like LSD and Psilocybin) and empathogens (MDMA, basically).
Why do I say these drugs create experiences that are worthwhile on their own merits? It is hard to do any justice to it with any amount of words let alone so few. The only thing I can really say is that these experiences are incredibly powerful tools for the exploration of your own mind and soul. That's not something I would say about a thing intended merely for entertainment or stimulation. The psychedelic experience is not about entertainment or stimulation. It's about discovering the nature of your own mind.
Mind you, being such powerful tools, they should be used with great care, as they can be used in damaging ways and by those who aren't prepared. And they aren't magic either -- they aren't going to save the world or cure cancer.
But, I think that research done with an open mind reveals the mainstream perspective on psylocybin and LSD to be quite misguided and uninformed. Based off personal experience, as well as recent sciencific studies, it seems they have the potential to bring about much good. I suppose my main concern is that most people aren't interested, at this point in time, in having their perspective and worldviews challenged in the way that serious, introspective use tends to do.
Just to clarify, I'm talking about special occasion, standard dose usage. I don't have any knowledge about the effects or safety of micro-dosing.
Throwaway for obvious reasons.
I don't know if I'll be doing things like that in the future, but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot. The internet is sometimes a little too good at holding onto information sometimes :/
Perhaps I'm being overly cautious. It's hard to say.
But as you seamlessly go on to acknowledge, there are effects, and then there are effects. Some of these effects, I choose to pursue - I read books, I drink coffee, I comment on HN, at times I even think. And some, I choose not to. There is a silly comment further up, about why I would be reading an article on LSD, seeing as I am not in the market myself. I felt like changing my brain-state by banging my head something when I read it. Of course I can take an interest, as I can in almost anything. In fact, I have taken plenty of interest, and here's my point: Nothing - nothing - I have ever read on psychedelic experience has tickled any desire whatsoever to go and try the stuff. I'm sure there is no particular rationality behind one choice or the other. It just doesn't interest me.
As I started out saying, I'm all for anyone's freedom to choose. I actually speak up for lifting of all drug restrictions. Let supermarkets carry the damned stuff, I really am not my brother's keeper. Just leave me out of it. I'm not against as such, I just really, really am not interested.
I do not understand the widespread impulse to prohibit. Likewise, I have no idea why so many users of so many substances have this urgent need to spread the message.
And I see no reason not to part amicably :)