Alexander Shulgin and the War on Drugs
This week’s death of Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, the chemist in Berkeley who is credited with developing the party drug ecstasy, reminded us of a 2005 piece he wrote for MIT Technology Review (“Abused Substances”) in which he argued that the so-called war on drugs inhibited research into potentially beneficial psychedelic compounds. At the time, clinical trials were examining whether psychedelic drugs could be used to help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder, and Shulgin hoped that medical and legal winds would shift in favor of his kind of research.
That hasn’t really borne out. But read the piece anyway for a lesson on the difference between entactogens, empathogens, and entheogens.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.
“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.
What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines
New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.
Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats
With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure
Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation
From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.