A-A-ABC, I have it all with me
Chemicals from X to THC
And we want to carry on
So I’ll take a spot of C
I call an Uber for your ex
And she’ll hop on to my D
This is the (translation of) the chorus of the legendary student hit ABC by the illustrious Turfy Gang (for the boomers among us: D is not for duck). You’ll probably be able to guess what the song is about. It is a topic that, for some, opens the gates into new dimensions of reality; for others, it forms a way to push the boundaries of their comfort zone, and for others, it is far removed from their daily reality. And, for quite a few WUR students, it is a topic that will land you in jail if you so much as mention it out loud.
I feel blessed to have grown up in the open-minded Netherlands. I am not known as the greatest space cadet, but I don’t hit the hay every evening at ten.
Our friends in the alcohol and tobacco industry have succeeded in getting their products socially accepted on a global scale. Well done!
I get that doing something that changes your perception of the world, but, dear student, you enrolled at WUR, so your view of the world has likely evolved significantly since the start of your studies. Let’s take a look at what the Dutch government considers the top 5 most dangerous drugs (based on toxicity, addictive potential and individual and societal damage). Next to that list is the American website RehabSpot’s ranking:
- Crack 1. Nicotine/Tabak
- Heroin 2. Alcohol
- Tabak 3. Fentanyl
- Alcohol 4. Heroin
- Cocaine 5. Cocaine
Does anything stick out? For me, it does. Despite the fact that the Dutch and American governments consider it as two of the world’s most dangerous substances, our friends in the alcohol and tobacco industry have succeeded in getting their products socially accepted on a global scale. Well done!
And where are the oh-so-forbidden and taboo substances XTC, LSD and mushrooms? In the Dutch top 15, they are ranked 12, 14 and 15, respectively. In the American list, they aren’t mentioned at all.
In conclusion, we are all human, and many of us sometimes want to escape our nondescript reality. But rather than collectively destroying our livers and charring our lungs (and, you may want to question who benefits), I believe it would be good to sometimes move out of the comfort zone of our lost brain cells and consider other “chemicals”. Who knows, you may even live longer.
uden durven stappen en het wat vaker over andere ‘chemicaliën’ kunnen hebben. Wie weet, misschien leef je er nog langer door ook.
Resource-student editor Felix Landsman (22) is a likely future graduate of Environmental Sciences and an aspiring adventurer. He is often looking for something.
