This’s an essay on the short relationship between psychedelics and the Western culture.
Thanks for the description. The LRB has a metered paywall, so I didn't want to click through just to see if I want to read it...
I had a rather enjoyable experience with home grown torch cacti. Only mild nausea with about 12 hours of colorful visuals and the easiest ride of any psychedelic I've tried (LSD, psilocybin, and a LSD lookalike on blotter). I do feel like I was a bit filled by the experience, so I wonder if mescaline, or something else in the cactus, possesses neurotoxic effects like high dose MDMA. Also, watch the spines. I got poked and felt like I had arthritis in my thumb joint for about 4 months afterwards.