#2: Mike Jay on high society

Uncharted Territory

Have we always got high? Historian Mike Jay, author of books such as Mescaline and his latest, Psychonauts, discusses how psychotropic drugs have been used for thousands of years, often for religious purposes, and that drug use is a fascinating lens for studying and understanding different cultures. The 50-year failed global war on drugs and the imprisonment of users is therefore a relatively recent phenomenon and could even be looked at as a historical – and certainly futile – aberration. Humans have a near insatiable appetite for altering their consciousness, whether through a cup of tea or a DMT containing shrub. Mike also calls on folks to cultivate their own san pedro plants, while he and host Mattha Busby also discover they have been to the same kava bar in San Francisco. Check out photos from Mike's Wellcome Collection exhibition, High Society, here. And Mattha's book "Should All Drugs Be Legalized?".