Eco-friendly drug use: Hallucinogens
Obviously drugs -- even the legal ones -- aren't very good for you, and most will get you arrested (or worse), but rumor has it that some people still take them anyway. So, with that in mind, the least you can do is work towards a more sustainable habit. To see all the substances we've covered in this series, see our Guide to Green Green Drug Use.
Hallucinogens, including LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescalilne, and PCP, all originated from plants in one form or another. Some of them are still obviously plants when the user ingests them ('shrooms, of course, but also peyote, which comes from a cactus). Does this mean that taking a trip deep into the recesses of your mind is also good for our Mother Earth? (At the very least, with this kind of "trip," your carbon footprint doesn't blow up the way it does when you visit Europe for your kicks...)
The answer is...it depends. LSD, PCP and ketamine are all synthesized in laboratories. Their environmental friendliness will depend on the practices of the lab where they are made. It may be difficult for you to ascertain this, unless you're very close to the person making the drug. (We hope you are not.)
Meanwhile, growing psilocybin mushrooms can be done using several methods. (All of my information comes from the internet school of mushroom farmers, and so I can vouchsafe for neither its accuracy nor its legality.) This guy recommends using brown rice or cow manure as growing mediums, and doesn't advocate the use of any pesticides or herbicides (this is because you're keeping the growing mushrooms inside on a shelf - a charming proposition, considering the cow-poo ingredient). This site, on the other hand, asks you to buy both Lysol and a styrofoam cooler for your mushroom setup - not very eco-nice. If you get your mushrooms from somebody else, you will once again be left without really knowing how they were produced.
Peyote, which comes from the cactus which grows naturally in the Southwest and northern Mexico, may be one of the most eco-friendly drugs, considering the fact that it comes from free-range growing conditions, so to speak. However, NPR reported last year that peyote grown in northern Mexico is now becoming an endangered species, thanks to all the "drug tourists" who visit the area to take a Jim Morrison-esque desert walkabout. This means that the Huichol Indians, who use the drug for their religious ceremonies, are worried that their peyote may become extinct. Bad karma, dude.
Much of the information in this post came from the book Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy, by Cynthia Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson.
Hallucinogens, including LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescalilne, and PCP, all originated from plants in one form or another. Some of them are still obviously plants when the user ingests them ('shrooms, of course, but also peyote, which comes from a cactus). Does this mean that taking a trip deep into the recesses of your mind is also good for our Mother Earth? (At the very least, with this kind of "trip," your carbon footprint doesn't blow up the way it does when you visit Europe for your kicks...)The answer is...it depends. LSD, PCP and ketamine are all synthesized in laboratories. Their environmental friendliness will depend on the practices of the lab where they are made. It may be difficult for you to ascertain this, unless you're very close to the person making the drug. (We hope you are not.)
Meanwhile, growing psilocybin mushrooms can be done using several methods. (All of my information comes from the internet school of mushroom farmers, and so I can vouchsafe for neither its accuracy nor its legality.) This guy recommends using brown rice or cow manure as growing mediums, and doesn't advocate the use of any pesticides or herbicides (this is because you're keeping the growing mushrooms inside on a shelf - a charming proposition, considering the cow-poo ingredient). This site, on the other hand, asks you to buy both Lysol and a styrofoam cooler for your mushroom setup - not very eco-nice. If you get your mushrooms from somebody else, you will once again be left without really knowing how they were produced.
Peyote, which comes from the cactus which grows naturally in the Southwest and northern Mexico, may be one of the most eco-friendly drugs, considering the fact that it comes from free-range growing conditions, so to speak. However, NPR reported last year that peyote grown in northern Mexico is now becoming an endangered species, thanks to all the "drug tourists" who visit the area to take a Jim Morrison-esque desert walkabout. This means that the Huichol Indians, who use the drug for their religious ceremonies, are worried that their peyote may become extinct. Bad karma, dude.
Much of the information in this post came from the book Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy, by Cynthia Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson.
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