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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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091189
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09118900.058
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1990-09-17
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LETTERS, Page 9Altered States
Psychopharmacologist Ronald K. Siegel proposes that society
produce a harmless, nonaddictive drug (BEHAVIOR, Aug. 21). It is
extraordinary that anyone with expertise in psychopharmacology
would support such a pea-brained scheme. We do not have the
resources to combat the devastation of the psychoactive chemicals
that are already too available. Billions of dollars in lost
man-hours is only one of the results of our use of mind-altering
substances. But if Siegel is determined to find yet another poison
to put on our already overcrowded shelves, he won't have to come
up with a name. Aldous Huxley did that in his classic Brave New
World. He called it soma.
Luke G. Gardner
Washington
There are equivalents to the safe drugs Siegel yearns for. They
are called endorphins and are produced when a person exercises
vigorously. The endorphins are mood-altering chemicals. They induce
a high, a feeling of euphoria, well known to any jogger. The beauty
of endorphins is that they are inexpensive, safe and always on hand
as long as you're willing to work for them.
Joe Vikin
Corning, N.Y.