"But Rachel also has another hobby, one that makes her a bit different from the other moms in her Texas suburb—not that she talks about it with them. Once a month or so, after she and her husband put the kids to bed, Rachel texts her in-laws—who live just down the street—to make sure they’re home and available in the event of an emergency.

“And then, Rachel takes a generous dose of magic mushrooms, or sometimes MDMA, and—there’s really no other way to say this— spends the next several hours tripping balls.”

  • Doomsider@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Why are “some” people applauding this?

    Lots of reasons. First and foremost mushrooms are pretty damn safe compared to doing cocaine, heroin, etc. Let’s face it, people are going to do something. Don’t play it is unnatural either when even animals in nature seek mind altering substances

    They are not without risk though as some people with latent schizophrenia can be triggered. I would never suggest doing psychedelics unless you have done them before. Yes, I realize that is a paradox.

    How can it be a positive thing?

    It is a positive thing if they think it is. That is the whole point and if you don’t think it is positive then don’t do it. If you read the article it has candid statements from people who do it. That is the answer you are not looking for.

    I am not sure I get what you are saying about getting drunk around children. I guess you have to be clearer. Is it okay to have just one drink with a child. What about two or three over the course of hours. What about getting blackout drunk. There is obviously a line somewhere there.

    Also it is important to note that many of the mushroom infused products being sold are not even illegal. You can buy them at the store. Your whole point about stigma kind of goes out the window considering this.

    Frankly, if you want to be critical this feels of marketing under the guise of a human interest story. If I sold mushroom infused products articles like this would definitely help my bottom line

    Claiming you will be downvoted is really cringe btw. I don’t typically down vote much but saying garbage like that sure does tempt me.

    • frezik
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      1 month ago

      I looked into those legal mushroom products, and I wouldn’t touch them.

      They’re not psilocybin, but rather muscimol from Amanita Muscaria mushrooms. Muscimol isn’t banned in the US, but it’s more toxic than psilocybin. Death from it is rare–it’s not one of those mushrooms that melts your liver if you breathe too heavily around it–but it’s much more toxic than psilocybin.

      The ibotenic acid needs to be converted properly, as well. Gas station mushroom gummies may not be doing that.

      As is often the case, US drug policy has made things worse than doing nothing.

    • HomerianSymphony@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      mushrooms are pretty damn safe compared to doing cocaine, heroin,

      Are you saying you think increased mushroom use will lead to a decrease in cocaine and heroin use?

      Or is “better than heroin” the standard by which we decide substances should be applauded and encouraged?

      • cows_are_underrated@feddit.org
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        1 month ago

        Are you saying you think increased mushroom use will lead to a decrease in cocaine and heroin use?

        Nice strawmann Argument you got there

        Or is “better than heroin” the standard by which we decide substances should be applauded and encouraged?

        Heroin is literally as bad as Alcohol(in terms of damage). Shrooms are so goddamn safe, that it is literally impossible to overdose in them. You might have a real fucking bad time but you won’t Die from them. Aside from psychological risks shrooms don’t really do any damage to your body. When you’re ranking them with other drugs they are the safest out of all of them.

        Source:

        https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/06/25/what-is-the-most-dangerous-drug

          • Gigasser@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            He said that shrooms are safer. You thought the argument he made was that shrooms use would lead to a decrease in cocaine and heroin use. They aren’t the same argument.

            A straw man fallacy (sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion, while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction.

            • HomerianSymphony@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              A straw man fallacy (sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion

              And I did not do that.

              He said that shrooms are safer. You thought the argument he made was that shrooms use would lead to a decrease in cocaine and heroin use. They aren’t the same argument.

              I asked him if that’s what he was saying (and I honestly thought it might have been). I was asking for a clarification.

              I didn’t misframe what he was saying and then refute it.

              • Gigasser@lemmy.world
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                1 month ago

                Ehh that’s fair. I guess I’m so used to the use of clarification questions(often ones that are asked in the most infuriating way possible) as a lead up to and reframing of a conversation into an area that it didn’t originally start as, that I thought such actions that you took as equivalent to strawmanning.