Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Ecstacy in the Army

Ecstacy and Ketamine are being given to soldiers returning from Iraq as an experiment in treating post-traumatic stress disorder: a great step forward, seeing if recreational favourites have legitimate uses. A bit surprising in the current political climate -- and the article suggests that LSD and psilocybin are also once again being explored for possible legitimate uses, for the first time in a very long while. (Early treatment of various disorders with LSD, from alcoholism to more emotion-based discomfitures, showed promising results; actor Cary Grant described some very positive experiences, and claimed acid taught him how to love). The world since Bush has taken enormous steps backwards on many frontiers, but it's nice that a few reasonable babysteps are being made in progressive directions, as well. I wonder if Hunter knew this was happening?

Apparently one of his last requests, by the way, was that his ashes be fired from a cannon. Ralph Steadman apparently has been given the job of orchestrating this -- he writes about it in the Independent, here -- some great little snippets of Hunternalia in the margins.

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