A growing body of research is showing this misunderstood chemical has huge therapeutic potential. — I tried ecstasy for the first time when I was 16. Prior to swallowing the little pill stamped with the Mitsubishi symbol, I was extremely nervous. What if it made me severely ill, or worse, killed me? Leading up to that point, I’d been heavily conditioned by sensationalist headlines and…

Abusing the herb ruined my life — Before I begin bashing Bob Marley’s favorite pastime, let me make my position clear: I am staunchly pro-legalization. More to the point, I am in favor of legalizing all drugs. Does this mean I think all drugs are safe? Or that we should start handing out Hunter.S.Thompson-style suitcases at bar…

I write for adults, thanks. — Every day, successful writers on Twitter bombard me with the same advice: “Simpler is better.” “Use plain, straightforward language.” “Don’t make it too challenging. ” Forgive me for rocking the boat, but that’s a load of crock. Let me clarify. My issue isn’t with people who write in this way…

Say goodbye to curation. — Do you remember the first time one of your articles was distributed? For me, that line of grey text filled me with a sense of pride and anticipation. What’s more, knowing my story was deemed worthy by the Medium Gods gave me a sense of validation. Of course, the more…

Just your average night in — My fiancé recently asked why my articles always have to be so confessional. She’s got a point. Maybe I should write more think-pieces about society, or impartial scientific analyses. Then again, that stuff is hard, so it’s time to double down! A hell of a drug I have an odd relationship with cocaine. I haven’t…

You may not be superhuman, but there are ways to hack through the humps. — You know the drill. You have a eureka moment: a winning idea for an article. Filled with the irrepressible urge to write, you get in the zone and sit down at your desk. You can’t wait to put your profitable ideas onto the page. This is the one! You think…

Language is rich, varied, and always surprising — “To speak another language is to possess another soul” — Charlemagne Shamefully, unlike many of my European compatriots, I can only speak English. Consequently, as a lover of world literature, I suffer from a subtle kind of melancholy. When I read the translated versions of the authors like Kafka, Camus…

Yeah, you’ve seen them, but they pack a punch at the pictures. — Seeing a movie at the cinema is radically different from watching one at home. It’s an immersive, communal experience that certain films are just made for. During the pandemic, cinemas across the globe suffered. In response to his dispute with Warner Bros. over the latter’s intent to make Dune available…

It does more to harm us than help us. — “God only knows, It’s not what we would choose to do.”―Pink Floyd Once I would have identified as left-wing. Not anymore. Does this mean I’m a pro-gun, anti-trans conservative? Not in the slightest. I’m human. I don’t feel like I have a duty to identify as anything beyond that, especially…