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Originally Posted by Lanfear
I actually think it's the opposite?
I've seen a lot of arguments along the lines of weed and psychedelics being natural and used by ancient tribes and not marketed for profit as opposed to the bad artificial chemicals that these evil capitalist companies developed.
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As a chemical engineer, the argument of just because it's natural, then it is inherently better than synthetic is so infuriating. Anthrax (from bacillus anthracis) is "natural". Cyanide is "natural". Also, there is no such thing as artificial chemicals. Every element and molecule is natural. Just because we can isolate or recreate the conditions that are required to form a particular chemical doesn't mean that it doesn't "naturally" occur. Chemists are still playing by the rules of nature. And more often than not, chemicals that are "synthetic" are safer than isolated molecules from "natural sources" because it's easier to isolate exactly the molecule you want rather than getting a bunch of unwanted contamination molecules along with it.
People just have a romanticized association with "natural" drugs, like weed and mushrooms, because they like the primary side effects of taking the drugs, so they search for secondary alternative "health benefits" to justify liking the primary effect of taking the drug. There isn't nearly as much passion about acai berries or chai seeds or kale which are all "natural" and have been shown to have incredible health benefits, because they don't also make you trip. Just admit you like what being on weed and mushrooms feels like. Stop trying to say it's only for health reasons.