The Scary Trend Of Microdosing

- Emma Norris

Jen, 25, pulls a ziplock bag out of her purse. She carefully retrieves a tiny piece of blotting paper, covered in bright, kaleidoscopic patterns. She pops it in her mouth, letting the strange, metallic taste melt into her tongue. In seconds, it’s gone – the chemicals have been let loose into her bloodstream. Her heart pounds in anticipation as she waits to see how they make her feel. Jen has done LSD before, but never like this. Far from being at a warehouse rave or a music festival, Jen is sitting at her desk at the start-up she works for. She’s hoping it’ll make her work day that little bit easier, but not by making her hallucinate unicorns and mermaids by the water cooler. She’s seeking a new kind of career high through what ‘microdosers’ say is an increase in focus, creativity and productivity.

WHAT IS MICRODOSING?

When you think of psychedelic drugs, an image of a hippie might come to mind. There’s a reason for that: hallucinogenic drugs like LSD and magic mushrooms were a huge part of 1960s counterculture, when young people were disillusioned with the status quo. The popularity of the drugs began to wane when they were outlawed later that decade, although they had a brief resurgence in the rave scene of the ’90s.