highly likely
Highly Likely highlights Cannabis pioneers who paved the way to greater herbal acceptance.
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SUSANBLACKMORE In the same lecture, she went on to talk about how Memetics refers to the before any sort of SUSAN BLACKMORE IS societies have developed relationships to mindstudy of information and recreational legalization A RENOWNED BRITISH altering substances: culture, and is based on in America, Blackmore WRITER, LECTURER, “In just about every human society there has ever the concept of Darwinian admitted to a largely PROFESSOR AND been, people have used dangerous drugs - but evolution. One of the best academic audience that BROADCASTER WHOSE most have developed rituals that bring an element ways to simply look at what FIELD OF RESEARCH she consumes Cannabis: INCLUDES MEMETICS, of control or safety to the experience,” noted memetics studies is the “Some people may PARAPSYCHOLOGY Blackmore. “In more primitive societies, it is shamans concept of the ‘meme’ in smoke dope just to relax AND CONSCIOUSNESS. and healers who control the use of dangerous drugs, internet culture. One can or have fun, but for me choose appropriate settings in which to take them study what effect memes the reason goes deeper. and teach people how to appreciate the visions created and shared (and edited) online In fact, I can honestly say that without and insights that they can bring. In our own society, can have in the real world; say, on social Cannabis, most of my scientific research criminals control all drug sales. This means that justice movements or the rise of neowould never have been done and most users have no way of knowing exactly what they are fascism. of my books on psychology and evolution buying and no one to teach them how to use these Parapsychology is the study of processes would not have been written,” she said. dangerous tools…” typically considered outside of scientific “Some evenings, after a long day at my “It’s an old metaphor, but people often liken the knowledge of the capacity of the human desk, I’ll slip into the bath, light a candle task to climbing a mountain. The drugs can take brain. Processes like telepathy, telekinesis and a spliff, and let the ideas flow - that you up in a helicopter to see what’s there, but you and hypnosis. lecture I have to give to 500 people next can’t stay. In the end, you have to climb That said, listening to a lecture from week, that article I’m writing the mountain yourself - the hard way. Blackmore can be a heady experience. for New Scientist, those “I can Even so, the drugs may provide the But it’s Blackmore’s wit and colloquial tricky last words of a book honestly say inspiration to keep climbing.” style of interpretation of big subjects (like, I’ve been working on for that without This is only an introduction to you, for example – consciousness) that has months. This is the time Cannabis, most dear reader, of one of the many subjects made her such a popular lecturer and when the sentences seem to of my scientific (61, by my count) that this column has essayist. I recommend a seven minute write themselves. Or I might research would covered over the past five years. It is YouTube video called “Consciousness sit out in my greenhouse never have my hope that this small introduction – A Short Introduction” to see how easy on a summer evening been done will pique your interest enough to learn she makes big, sweeping concepts among my tomatoes and and most of a little bit more about her and about understandable to lay people. peach trees, struggling with my books on your own consciousness - and what But what might be Blackmore’s most questions about free will or psychology beneficial things that Cannabis does for compelling thoughts on Cannabis (and the nature of the universe, and evolution it. If a leading scientist can be helped other mind-altering drugs) can be taken and find that a smoke gives would not have by this remarkable plant, let’s see what from her 2005 speech at the Cheltenham me new ways of thinking been written.” we can do! Science Festival. There, a full 10 years about them.”
Sept. 2020
By PACER STACKTRAIN for LEAF NATION | PHOTO by CREATIVE COMMONS
