Drugs
Caught Fresh Air on NPR during lunch. It was pretty thought provoking. The guest was discussing the effects of Marijuana and he was telling how the chemicals in it affect memory. He was saying that these same chemicals have also been the ones that allow us not to remember everything. "Would you really want to remember every face you have ever seen, every ad jingle you have ever heard?" He said that these chemicals are what allows our mind to edit our memories and why they have been so useful for treatment of certain kinds of pain. It allows the user to forget the pain. It also induces a "zen-like" state where you don't think about the past or the future. You only experience the present. This is why food can became so flavorful and silly things seem so interesting. You are merely experiencing.

When Terri asked him, "Doesn't it also cause you to forget things you'd rather not?" He replied, "Of course!" He referred to several studies on college students that smoke marijuana. He said that Americans seem to have a tough time believing that some things can be good AND bad. Every plant will either save us or doom us. He said that the ancient Greeks had a much healthier attitude towards drugs. They remembered that Wine could make you feel good and that it could turn men in to animals. They treated wine and intoxicants with respect. Not fear, just healthy respect.

I wished I didn't have to return from break when I did. I would have liked to have heard the rest of the interview.