Quote:
Originally Posted by Moontanman
Very true Michael, cocaine is not a problem in it's native land but it's the scourge of the earth in many other places. You make good sense.
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Thank you.
Cocaine leaves are useful for the Indians to survive at high altitudes. It also has other traditional medicinal uses. However pure cocaine, extracted from the leaves and concentrated 1,000 times is a different product. Then transpose that drug to a different society/culture and for different uses and you have a problem.
Then, chemically "crack' this product, which makes it highly addictive and again the problem is further compounded. I would love to chew the odd cocaine leaf, although would never use cocaine especially chemically mucked about with. I can just see Australian Customs permitting me to import a plant.
A similar senario/case can be made with tobacco. The American indian did not chain smoke little cigars. They smoked tobacco occasionally and ceremonially only and with the addition of many other herbs like lobelia.
Lobelia inflata was once (recently) used to stop tobacco addiction.
Psychotopic plants have another group against them and that is the Religious and organised religion like the big three.
Perhaps they are afraid? Will someone else receive
The Revealed Truth?
Ironic really, when it is possible that halucinogenic plants gave man the first inclinations/indications of the devine and probably kick started religion and religious practices. See the work of
Wasson on this (US mycologist 1930-40s?)
He does suggest that with cow domestication also comes, cow poo and hence interesting mushrooms; so it is possible that the development of agriculture also led to the development of religion.
Interesting that we all have a mushroom fear also trained into us in many Western developed counties; when in fact very few kill, and those that are toxic often put out a neon sign like bright red caps, foul taste or odour etc etc.
It seems to be a human need to "get off our face" occasionally. IMHO those that want to should be left alone to do it. At the moment the
War on Drugs is destroyoing our cultural institions. The legal, politcal, medical, econmoic sytems that
we all rely on NOT to be corrupted by billions trillions in drug money. Everyone has their price.
Meanwhile the irrational fear, prejudice and suspicion of traditional medicinal practices, botany and herbal medicine stymies good research.
To turn the coin over, Harvard University Phytopharmacy Departments have been alarmed that the introduction of Western drugs like anti-biotics has destroyed the S. American Indian's faith in their Shaman.
White Man's Medicine, because it can cure things the the village shaman might not be able to;
(the introduced white man's diseases mainly), is seen as more "powerful'. This is sad for two reasons. Firstly becuase many local, cheap, well tried and available cures are ignored in favour of expensive western alternatives; and secondly --the thing Harrvard is most worried about-- the traditional, oral, Shamanic tradition is not being passed on. No one wants to be
The Shaman's Apprentice as he has no cultural status anymore.
The Shaman's Apprentice see the book by Mark Plotkin from Harvard
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Tal.../9780140129915
Re: Salvia Divinorum
