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Another reverse in the war on drugs: here comes the hi-tech high Another reverse in the war on drugs: here comes the hi-tech high
(about 1 hour later)
Mind control may not have been one of the stated aims of the Conservative manifesto, but the psychoactive substances bill does read like an attempt to wedge shut the doors of perception. Its scope is any material that “affects the person’s mental functioning or emotional state”. The list of exemptions shows that practically anything we put in our bodies can do that; “food”, for instance. Even so, such is the pace of innovation that the law might already be unable to stop people getting high. Thync, a US company, allows its customers to choose from a menu of “mental alertness”, “bursts of physical energy”, “detachment from stressful thoughts”, even “mild euphoria”.Mind control may not have been one of the stated aims of the Conservative manifesto, but the psychoactive substances bill does read like an attempt to wedge shut the doors of perception. Its scope is any material that “affects the person’s mental functioning or emotional state”. The list of exemptions shows that practically anything we put in our bodies can do that; “food”, for instance. Even so, such is the pace of innovation that the law might already be unable to stop people getting high. Thync, a US company, allows its customers to choose from a menu of “mental alertness”, “bursts of physical energy”, “detachment from stressful thoughts”, even “mild euphoria”.
Related: Queen's speech: the day ‘psychoactive drugs’ tripped off the royal tongueRelated: Queen's speech: the day ‘psychoactive drugs’ tripped off the royal tongue
But there are no potions or powders involved. Instead, the effects come from a device which, worn elegantly on one side of the forehead, makes use of transcranial direct current stimulation. That’s to say, an electrical charge designed to change the activity of the brain itself. Though this might seem like New Age woo, and the models on their website have a touch of Brave New World about them – the science behind it is sound. And the effects can be dramatic. The “calm” setting on a Thync device (yours for about £200) knocked a reporter for New York magazine for six, rendering her incapable of finishing the day’s work. Needless to say, this wouldn’t be covered by the bill before parliament. As such it’s an example of how the war on drugs has all the absurdity of an arms race – no sooner does one side put up barriers than the other finds new ways to bust through them. People will always want to alter consciousness. Trying to stop them really is fighting a losing battle.But there are no potions or powders involved. Instead, the effects come from a device which, worn elegantly on one side of the forehead, makes use of transcranial direct current stimulation. That’s to say, an electrical charge designed to change the activity of the brain itself. Though this might seem like New Age woo, and the models on their website have a touch of Brave New World about them – the science behind it is sound. And the effects can be dramatic. The “calm” setting on a Thync device (yours for about £200) knocked a reporter for New York magazine for six, rendering her incapable of finishing the day’s work. Needless to say, this wouldn’t be covered by the bill before parliament. As such it’s an example of how the war on drugs has all the absurdity of an arms race – no sooner does one side put up barriers than the other finds new ways to bust through them. People will always want to alter consciousness. Trying to stop them really is fighting a losing battle.
Head of altered statesHead of altered states
One psychonaut we should all be grateful for is Oliver Sacks, who has talked openly about his experiences with LSD and other drugs. They were part and parcel of a curiosity about the brain which drove him to both medical breakthroughs and some of the most beautiful writing about its peculiarities. Sacks is now terminally ill, but talks about his condition and the problems of ageing with a scholar’s detachment. In a recent column he lists the little mishearings worsening deafness brings him. He learns from a friend of a “big-time cuttlefish diagnosed with ALS” (actually a publicist) and hears “Christmas eve” as a command to “kiss my feet”. What fascinates him is the way we can’t help trying to make sense of sounds. Rather than just taking them as garbled noises we “translate them”. One psychonaut we should all be grateful for is Oliver Sacks, who has talked openly about his experiences with LSD and other drugs. They were part and parcel of a curiosity that drove him to make medical breakthroughs and produce some of the most beautiful writing about the brain’s peculiarities. Sacks is now terminally ill, but talks about his condition and the problems of ageing with a scholar’s detachment. In a recent column he lists the little mishearings brought about by worsening deafness. He learns from a friend of a “big-time cuttlefish diagnosed with ALS” (actually a publicist) and hears “Christmas eve” as a command to “kiss my feet”. What fascinates him is the way we can’t help trying to make sense of sounds. Rather than just taking them as garbled noises we “translate” them.
All of which reminds me of a French colleague with a liking for Americana. She spent years labouring under the illusion that one of Henry VIII’s wives was an anachronistic Southern belle: Amber-Lynn. Think about it.All of which reminds me of a French colleague with a liking for Americana. She spent years labouring under the illusion that one of Henry VIII’s wives was an anachronistic Southern belle: Amber-Lynn. Think about it.
Bee brings down planeBee brings down plane
We learn that a flight from Southampton was forced to turn back due to a bee lodged in one of its instruments. But hilarity, rather than bad temperedness, was the result, because the plane was operated by Flybe, an airline with obvious apian associations. There was always a story waiting to happen here – the poor bee was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But at least it has achieved a measure of fame.We learn that a flight from Southampton was forced to turn back due to a bee lodged in one of its instruments. But hilarity, rather than bad temperedness, was the result, because the plane was operated by Flybe, an airline with obvious apian associations. There was always a story waiting to happen here – the poor bee was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But at least it has achieved a measure of fame.
In contrast, we seem to have forgotten other exemplars of nominative determinism (the idea that your name determines your fate). So let’s hear it for urologists AJ Splatt and D Weedon, TV weatherman Storm Field and dentist Randall Toothaker. Coincidences? If only we could consult such an eminent mind as the late WR Brain, 1st Baron Brain, neurologist and long-time editor of the journal Brain.In contrast, we seem to have forgotten other exemplars of nominative determinism (the idea that your name determines your fate). So let’s hear it for urologists AJ Splatt and D Weedon, TV weatherman Storm Field and dentist Randall Toothaker. Coincidences? If only we could consult such an eminent mind as the late WR Brain, 1st Baron Brain, neurologist and long-time editor of the journal Brain.