Editor's Notes
THE DRUG ISSUE: We at the Guardian recognize the often subtle role narcotics play in a wide variety of human endeavors

steve@sfbg.com

People like getting high. Whether to just shake off the busy day with a joint or cocktail, or to break free of normal sensory reality and explore the wild beyond, drugs have always been part of the human experience, shaping our societies for good, ill, or a complex and fascinating mixture of both.

Media portrayals of drug use tend toward the extremes, telling either dark tales of dysfunction or else celebrating some counterculture. But we at the Guardian take a more nuanced view, recognizing the often-subtle role that narcotics and their related hysteria play in a wide variety of human endeavors.

That's why the Guardian's Drug Issue isn't contained in a single section, but laced throughout the paper, from Paul Krassner's op-ed on the early acid pioneers all the way back to Dennis Harvey's list of the top freakouts on film.

In the news section, we explore the growing movement to decriminalize marijuana, rising meth-related emergencies among women, and drug use at Burning Man. Super Ego takes a muddled journey to the bathroom stall, flashing back to the alphabet soup of yesterday's dance floors, while in Lit, we hunt for shrooms and hallucinatory reading, and take a hard look at addiction in Bayshore.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T


And in music, Shady Nate shares the purple you can drink.

Enjoy the trip, and we'll see you on the other side.


( 3 comments | Comment on this article )
mbstewart_79 on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 12:33 PM
It's unfortunate that you guys made no mention about the need to legalize industrial hemp -- a cash crop that could bring in way more money in taxes than recreational marijuana ever could. With its massive farming capabilities, California would be among the best places to grow it too.
somawally on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 01:05 PM
RE: Oaksterdam ...

How many headshops are there in Fairfield? Just curious.
Scribe on Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 03:34 PM
The Guardian has always been a big supporter of legalizing industrial hemp, but this was the Drug Issue and those are really separate issues. We will return to the hemp issue again.

Steven T. Jones

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