Kanna: A Natural Antidepressant With Some MDMA-Like Effects

Sceletium tortuosum (or kanna, channa, kougoed) is a psychoactive succulent plant native to South Africa. San hunter-gatherers (or Bushmen), as well as Khoi pastoralists, have used kanna for millennia, before written reports of the uses of these plants by European explorers and settlers emerged. These indigenous peoples have used kanna – the Khoi word for…

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Can We Justify Flying in an Age of Climate Breakdown?

With international travel coming to a halt during the pandemic (or at least becoming cumbersome and prone to cancellation), I’ve been waiting patiently for the time when I can hop on a plane again and go on some trips that I’ve been planning. Before the pandemic struck, I had a flight booked to the island…

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DMT-Inspired Artwork by Harry Pack

Harry Pack is a British artist whose artwork is inspired by experiences with the potent psychedelic DMT. Along with INCEDIGRIS, Pack is unique in his ability to accurately represent the strange realms and beings that one encounters when under the influence of this substance. The distinctly DMT-esque aspects of his work include the clownish, child-like,…

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Why the Term ‘Drug’ is Difficult to Clearly Define

‘Drugs’, much like ‘religion’, evade a precise definition. There are standard, dictionary definitions of the term ‘drug’, either a substance (other than food) that influences motor, sensory, cognitive, or other bodily processes, or a substance that is used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease. Drugs are generally understood to be either psychoactive…

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Book Review: Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel

In his short polemic, Jews Don’t Count, the writer and comedian David Baddiel argues that progressives have left out one identity in their commitment to anti-racism and identity politics. As will be obvious: this group is the Jewish people. Here Baddiel makes the case – with incisiveness, nuance, and even-handedness (in my opinion) – for…

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