181 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
181 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
From: dr303@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jim I. Walker)
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Newsgroups: alt.drugs
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Subject: The Dangers Of Psychedelics
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Message-ID: <2uqe3r$7mt@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>
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Date: 29 Jun 94 00:09:31 GMT
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just got done typing this out..
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The following is a transcript from _Drugs_And_Behavior_ (Fred Leavit, 1982)
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(I apoligize for the screwed up numbers of the references, this is because the
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same section of the book looks into other drugs and puts all of the references
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to them in the same list, in alphabetical order)
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LSD AND RELATED HALLUCINOGENS
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** Tolerance and Withdrawl
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Tolerance develops rapidly to LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin, and there
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is cross tolerance between them. Cross tolerance is not exhibited between
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these agents and dimethyltryptamine (DMT); and little is known about the
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development of tolerance to DOM (STP). There are no serious withdrawl
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symptoms.
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** Adverse Effects
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CHROMOSOME DAMAGE. One of the major concerns about LSD stems from a 1967
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paper by Cohen et al. (29) that suggested that LSD damages chromosomes. Cells
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with damaged chromosomes are potentially dangerous to their bearer, because
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they may establish cancerous cell lines, and are dangerous to unborn children,
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because chromosomes carry the genetic message across generations.
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Dishotsky et al. (36) reviewed the results of 68 studies published between
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1967 and 1970, that were concerned with the possibility of LSD-induced
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chromosome damage. The highlights of their paper are summarized and discussed
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below, but without the original references.
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The study by Cohen et al., and several studies which followed it, involved
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the addition of LSD to cell cultures. There are problems with this approach.
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First, the process of culturing cells stimulates them to enter a reproductive
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phase which is abnormal for them. Second, cells in tests tubes are extremely
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susceptible to chromosome breakage; aspirin, caffeine, water, and changes in
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temperature or oxygen pressure are some of the many agents which induce
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breakage of the same order of magnitude as LSD. Third, the type of breakage
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produced by LSD is different from that caused by known mutagenic or
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carcinogenic agents. Fourth, intact organisms have evolved metabolic and
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excretory systems to eliminate harmful substances, but these detoxification
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mechanisms are not available to cells in test tubes. Thus, cells have
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typically been exposed to very high doses for prolonged periods of time.
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Only four studies investigated chromosome breakage rates in humans before
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and after exposure to LSD. Only one of the studies was positive. Several
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studies reported higher breakage rates in users than in nonusers but, as has
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already been discussed ad nauseum, such studies do not allow for causal
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interpretation. Some unknown factor(s), such as serious childhood illness,
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may predispose people to chromosome damage ant to take LSD (see p. 176). One
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obvious factor is that LSD users are likely to use many other drugs as well.
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An additional problem is that breakage rates have been measured in white
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blood cells rather than in reproductive cells.
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Dishotsky et al. pointed out that chromosome damage was much more likely
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to occur in users of illicit LSD than in volunteers administered known
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quantities of pure LSD in laboratories. The probable explanation is that
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illicit LSD contains substantial quantities of adulterants (85 and below), and
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these may cause breakage. In several cases, breakage rates returned to the
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normal range withing months of the last dose.
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As is so disturbingly often the case, the research may tell more about
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bias in science than about LSD and chromosome damage. Investigators who
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reported more than one study tended to report the same findings in each.
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Negative findings may have resulted from small sample size or insensitive
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testing procedures; for even if LSD affects chromosomes, the effects will not
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show up unless tested with proper experimental procedures. There is evidence
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that the negative studies used too few subjects; thus, although only five of
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fifteen studies yielded statistically significant results,* LSD users had
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nonsignificant but elevated breakage rates in 10 of the studies.
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* Statistical significance refers to the probability that observed differences
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between two or more groups are due to chance factors. Scientists
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conventionally accept research as being statistically significant if the
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likelihood that differences are due to chance is less than 1 in 20. If too
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few subjects are used, the results will not be statistically significant,
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no matter how strong the drug effect (just as , if a two-headed coin is
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flipped only four times, the flipper would not be able to conclude on
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statistical grounds that the coin is biased). Conversely, if huge numbers
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of subjects are used, even trivial differences will attain statistical
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significance (which, remember, means only "not due to chance"), but such
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results may have little scientific significance.
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There have been studies since the Dishotsky et al. paper. In general,
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these show no effect of LSD on chromosomes (42, 81, 111, 122).
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ACUTE PANIC REACTIONS. Not all drug experiences turn out as anticipated.
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Acute panic reactions, depression, paranoia, and psychotic episodes occur
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with sufficient frequency to make the phrase "bad trip" and important part of
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the lexicon of the drug culture. Any potentially enjoyable event may prove to
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be a disappointment, as when rainy weather spoils a picnic. But the special
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quality of drug-induced bad trips is that they cannot easily be terminated.
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Cohen (31) reported that one of 2500 patients taking LSD during psychotherapy
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committed suicide; and 0.02% of normal subjects who took LSD experimentally
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experienced psychotic reactions of greater than 24 hours in duration. Louria
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(82) used the suicide as reason for condemning the therapeutic use of LSD, a
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position that ignores the possibility that the suicide rate of patients in
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therapy and not given LSD may be higher than one in 2500.
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FLASHBACKS. Flashbacks are sudden and unexpected recurrences of aspects of an
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earlier drug experience. In a study of 2256 Army enlisted men, 23% reported
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flashbacks from LSD (5% from amphetamine, 1% from marijuana) (132).
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Flashbacks have not been shown to be dangerous and, in fact, are often self-
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induced. Matefy et al. (87) quoted one user: "I just call it talking yourself
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into a flashback.....It's like getting high all over again."
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PROLONGED PSYCHOTIC REACTIONS. Pradhan and Hollister (103) stated that fewer
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than 1 per 1000 experimental LSD subjects, and fewer than 2 per 1000 patients
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who ingest LSD, suffer psychotic reactions lasting longer than 48 hours.
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Approximately two-thirds of those who do suffer such reactions present a
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history of psychopathology prior to drug use (11). LSD is often taken in a
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last-ditch effort to solve and impending crisis which has proven refractory
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to other attempts at solution (46). If the drug does not help, symptoms may
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worsen, but not because of the LSD. The data do not justify arguments that
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LSD is extremely dangerous "because of its capability to induce attempted or
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completed homicide, attempted suicides, or even prolonged psychosis" (82, p.
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254).
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CEREBRAL DEFICIT. Some authors have reported permanent cerebral deficit in
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LSD users. Others, however, have disputed the findings (1, 144). In any
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event, there are no relevant experimental studies, but only comparisons of
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users with nonusers.
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** Benefitial Effects
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Many users of LSD wax lyrical about its ability to promote insights into
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everyday problems, to enhance creativity, and to provide mystical and
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religious experiences. These claims are evaluated in appropriate chapters.
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REFERENCES
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1. Acord, L. & Barker, D. Hallucinogenic drugs and cerebral deficit. J.
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Nerv. Ment. Dis., 1973, 156: 281-283.
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11. Blumenfield, M. & Glickman, L. Ten months experience with LSD users
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admitted to county psychiatric receiving hospital. NY State J. Med.,
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1967, 67: 1849 - 1853.
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29. Cohen, M., Marinello, M., & Back, N. Chromosomal damage in human leuko-
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cytes induced by lysergic acid diethylamide, Science, 1967, 155: 1417 -
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1419.
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31. Cohen, S. Lysergic acid diethylamide: side effects and complications.
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J. Nerv. Ment. Dis., 1960, 130: 30 - 40.
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36. Dishotsky, N. et al. LSD and genetic damage. Science, 1971, 172: 431 -
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440.
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42. Fernandez, J. et al. LSD. . . an in vivo retrospective chromosome study.
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Ann. Hum. Genet., 1973, 37: 81 - 91.
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46. Glickman, L. & Blumenfield, M. Psychological determinants of "LSD reac-
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tions." J. Nerv. Ment. Dis., 1967, 145: 79 - 83.
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81. Long, S. Does LSD induce chromosomal damage and malformation? A review
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of the literature. Teratology, 1972, 6: 75 - 90.
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82. Louria, D. Abuse of lysergic acid diethylamide--an increasing problem. In
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Wilson, C. (Ed.) Adolescent Drug Dependence. New York: Pergamon, 1968
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85. Marshman, J. & Gibbins, R. The credibility gap in the illicit drug
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market. Addictionsm 1969, 16: 22 - 25.
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87. Matefy, R., Hayes, C., & Hirsch, J. Psychedelic drug flashbacks:
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Attentional deficits? J. Abnorm. Psych., 1979, 88: 212 - 215.
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95. Naditch, M. Acute adverse reactions to psychoactive drugs, drug usage,
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and psychopathology. J. Abnorm. Psych., 1974, 83: 394 - 403.
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103. Pradhan, S. & Hollister, L. Abuse of LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs.
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In Drug Abuse: Clinical Aspects and Basic Aspects. St. Louis: Mosby,
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1977.
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111. Robinson, J. et al. Chromosome aberrations and LSD: A controlled study in
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50 psychiatric patients. Br. J. Psychiatr., 1974, 125: 238 - 244
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122. Simmons, J., Sparkes, R., & Blake, P. Lack of chromosomal damaging
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effects by moderate doses of LSD in vivo. Clin. Genet., 1974, 5: 59 -
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61.
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125. Smith, D. & Mehl, C. An analysis of marijuana toxicity. In Smith, E.
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(Ed.) The New Social Drug. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970.
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132. Stanton, M. & Bardoni, A. Drug flashbacks: Reported frequency in a
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military population. Am. J. Psychiatr., 1972, 129: 751 - 755.
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144. Wright, M. & Hogan, T. Repeated LSD ingestion and performance on neuro-
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psychological tests. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis., 1972: 432 - 438.
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--
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__ , , "The suppression of the natural human fascination with
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/ \ ' / / altered states of consciousness and the present peril-
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|__/_/_/\/\__ _(_(_/ ous situation of all life on earth are intimately and
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(_/ causally connected." -Terence McKenna, *Food Of The Gods*
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