Inbox: Letters About the New Age of Psychedelics And the Ilani Casino

(Psychedelics proponent Esteban DeCorazon tends to his cacti, which he bought at a garden store but can be used to make mescaline. His Sonoran Desert Toad makes his own 5-MeO-DMT/ Christine Dong)

The New Age of Psychedelics

Microdosing is a good way for beginners to taste the power of psychedelics, and makes it possible without needing to be behind locked doors with a sitter ["Turn On, Tune In, Go to Work," WW, April 19, 2016].

It's also excellent for long strolls in nature.

—"Åtgaum venstrefot"

I hate to break it to the author, but Portland is at best a sideshow in the current psychedelic renaissance. There is zero research being conducted here, and the underground psychedelic therapy scene is very small compared to those in Los Angeles, New York City and the Bay Area.

Sure, a lot of hipsters and trendy types here will of course experiment with whatever the fad of the day is (currently it's ayahuasca and microdosing), but that doesn't make Portland special in the broad field of psychedelics.

—"nhr215"

Megadosing for five years cured my depression and anxiety disorders. My brothers both still suffer terribly.

These substances have been used by healers in other cultures for thousands of years. At the very least, they should be legal to prescribe.

—"Gungalagunga"

Will Ilani Casino Hurt Oregon?

The new Ilani Casino up north is a game changer, and it's an attack on Oregon revenues ["Betting on a Long Shot," WW, April 19, 2017]. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Now it's too late, unless something like that is built here in the Portland metro area, but I don't see that happening.

The state of Oregon won't just shrug its shoulders and not replace that lost revenue. You and I will pay more in other forms of taxes and fees to make up the difference. The fact is, Washington just fired a shot across Oregon's bow…no, actually, it just fired a big hole into Oregon's broadside.

—"Jake"

I have never supported gambling in Oregon. I'm not against gambling, it's just that for some it becomes such a crippling addiction. We are about to find out how bad that addiction is for the state as well. That hole in the broadside is self-inflicted.

—"TC"

Is Portland Meadows a horse track or a casino? If people don't want to go there for horse racing, turning it into a casino is not the answer.

If it wants to survive as a horse track, find a business model that works, but stop this silliness of turning it into a casino.

—"babcock123"

Clarification

A story on severance packages paid to city bureau directors since 2002 ("Parting Gifts," WW, April 19, 2017) implied that City Hall paid $1.2 million to at-will employees. In fact, several of those directors, including Dean Marriott and Gil Kelley, had civil-service contracts with the city, meaning they could not simply be fired at city commissioners' discretion.

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Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210.
Email: mzusman@wweek.com.

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