Moments.
We all have moments in our lives—at times, it’s the best thing that could ever happen; or others when it feels as if you’re just swimming through mud. To chat to the creative community about “Moments”, CreativeMornings/Vancouver was excited to have Mark Haden, adjunct UBC professor and a Board of Directors chair for MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies), join us as our speaker for February.
Having spent 30 years speaking to people about drugs, Mark realized there are 3 lies told by drug educators (and he even includes himself in the mix):
1). Educators have exaggerated the harm caused by drugs
2). They’ve never acknowledged the benefits of drugs
3). The drug prohibition has failed our society miserably
Psychedelics have been around since recorded human history, used for ceremonies and traditions. And if you were to follow the use of psychedelics in these ceremonies or traditions, you’d find psychedelics were used to promote social activities. Communities would use them for bonding, to celebrate transitions, for spirituality and healing, creating a cohesive force within the community.
So, what was all about the harm psychedelics could do?
During the 60s, the science of studying psychedelics was banned. The media tainted the reputation of psychedelics because they were linked, for the first time, to disconnecting from society. And as the Vietnam war was going on, the CIA were worried the American youth would refuse to fight in the war. Another time science was banned was during 1616, when it became illegal to write what you saw in the telescope for 142 years (implemented by the papal Congregation of the Index) because it challenged the belief system.
And now we have a moment in our society with fentanyl and other harmful drugs on the rise. So what can we do about it? Watch Mark’s video for his solution:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLV7RsTAZ4c&t=1460s[/embed]
CreativeMornings/Vancouver is a free monthly breakfast meeting for creatives, born to inspire, connect, and engage the community. Want to join us for our April speaker, Julia Taffe, on the theme of Taboo? Click here to join the waitlist.
