Illicit Air
May 14, 2009 4:18 PM Subscribe
Go to Spain, breathe, get high Scientists have recently discovered that there is a small amount of cocaine and LSD in the air of the Spanish cities Madrid and Barcelona.
I love that we shouldn't treat the results as representative because "In Madrid the test site was close to a ruined building believed to be frequented by drug dealers. And in both Madrid and Barcelona, the studies were carried out close to universities."
Some people are having way more fun than I did at university.
posted by bwerdmuller at 4:22 PM on May 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
Some people are having way more fun than I did at university.
posted by bwerdmuller at 4:22 PM on May 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
Hmm...maybe this explains why it felt shitty to be back in Calgary after 4 months of school in Barcelona. Then again...
posted by jimmythefish at 4:23 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by jimmythefish at 4:23 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
The cocaine in spain falls mainly in vain!
Better than in vein.
posted by gman at 4:23 PM on May 14, 2009
Better than in vein.
posted by gman at 4:23 PM on May 14, 2009
Full-immersion ad campaign for the Dalí theater and museum. Flagged.
posted by nitsuj at 4:24 PM on May 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by nitsuj at 4:24 PM on May 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
They should test the air in Washington sometime.
posted by rokusan at 4:25 PM on May 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by rokusan at 4:25 PM on May 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
lysergic acid -a relative of LSD
...which is not LSD at all. One of the craziest things about LSD is that the dosage is so low - measured in millionths of a gram - that if you can actually detect and measure it, you're probably high already.
This is the really astounding thing about LSD. 25-50 micrograms is enough for an intense 8 hour long experience for most people. That's 20,000 doses in a gram. No other chemical or drug discovered by mankind has a profile like that with such profound effects outside of certain toxins and poisons, and even then you're generally talking about a whole different chemical animal.
So, no, as the article says you're not going to get high from breathing the air in Spain. It would be more effective to start licking twenty and hundred dollar bills in the hopes that some of them had some cocaine on them, and since you'll probably catch the plague doing that you won't notice anyway.
posted by loquacious at 4:28 PM on May 14, 2009 [11 favorites]
...which is not LSD at all. One of the craziest things about LSD is that the dosage is so low - measured in millionths of a gram - that if you can actually detect and measure it, you're probably high already.
This is the really astounding thing about LSD. 25-50 micrograms is enough for an intense 8 hour long experience for most people. That's 20,000 doses in a gram. No other chemical or drug discovered by mankind has a profile like that with such profound effects outside of certain toxins and poisons, and even then you're generally talking about a whole different chemical animal.
So, no, as the article says you're not going to get high from breathing the air in Spain. It would be more effective to start licking twenty and hundred dollar bills in the hopes that some of them had some cocaine on them, and since you'll probably catch the plague doing that you won't notice anyway.
posted by loquacious at 4:28 PM on May 14, 2009 [11 favorites]
They should test the air in Washington sometime.
Little-known fact: Marion Barry's final form is a giant cloud of crack fumes. Fortunately, this form's attack only makes your thoughts and speech incoherent.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 4:29 PM on May 14, 2009 [4 favorites]
Little-known fact: Marion Barry's final form is a giant cloud of crack fumes. Fortunately, this form's attack only makes your thoughts and speech incoherent.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 4:29 PM on May 14, 2009 [4 favorites]
And a large percentage of U.S. currency bears traces of cocaine. Don't even get me started on what's in the water.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:29 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by filthy light thief at 4:29 PM on May 14, 2009
No wonder I coudn't stop staring at that damned bear.
posted by metagnathous at 4:31 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by metagnathous at 4:31 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
They should test the air in Washington sometime.
Different white powder.
posted by gman at 4:32 PM on May 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
Different white powder.
posted by gman at 4:32 PM on May 14, 2009 [2 favorites]
Go to Spain and get high on life.
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 4:34 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 4:34 PM on May 14, 2009
This explains much of Dali's artwork.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:45 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:45 PM on May 14, 2009
*yawn*
posted by Bathtub Bobsled at 4:51 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by Bathtub Bobsled at 4:51 PM on May 14, 2009
I shan't go into details, for obvious reasons, but this reminds me of the time I flushed about a *coff* kilogram of *coff* down the toilet. There must have been a lot of stoned little fishies that day...
posted by Sova at 4:51 PM on May 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Sova at 4:51 PM on May 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
It would be more effective to start licking twenty and hundred dollar bills in the hopes that some of them had some cocaine on them, and since you'll probably catch the plague doing that you won't notice anyway.
My stomach just made an awful noise when I read that.
posted by futureisunwritten at 4:52 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
My stomach just made an awful noise when I read that.
posted by futureisunwritten at 4:52 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
...start licking twenty and hundred dollar bills in the hopes that some of them had some cocaine on them... you'll probably catch the plague doing that.
What a great metaphor for the 1980's.
posted by rokusan at 5:00 PM on May 14, 2009 [7 favorites]
What a great metaphor for the 1980's.
posted by rokusan at 5:00 PM on May 14, 2009 [7 favorites]
Well that explains a whole lot. There's no way Gaudi designed every building in Barcelona.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 5:03 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 5:03 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Sova, sounds like a rough day, no?
posted by nonreflectiveobject at 5:18 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by nonreflectiveobject at 5:18 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
It finally makes sense now. Cocaine's one hell of a drug.
posted by applemeat at 5:18 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by applemeat at 5:18 PM on May 14, 2009
Airijuana!
posted by porn in the woods at 5:23 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by porn in the woods at 5:23 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'll bet your gonna start seeing a lot of harvesters, uh...I mean, air purifiers sitting out on people's balconies.
posted by orme at 5:42 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by orme at 5:42 PM on May 14, 2009
Well, and LSD's incredibly sensitive to solvents and UV rays, so it's not like it's active or anything.
(Insert long jeremiad about hwo I can't even find LSD anymore and even good ol' MDMA seems to have dried up and I'm even contemplating asking friends for mushrooms despite hating the flavor…)
posted by klangklangston at 5:53 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
(Insert long jeremiad about hwo I can't even find LSD anymore and even good ol' MDMA seems to have dried up and I'm even contemplating asking friends for mushrooms despite hating the flavor…)
posted by klangklangston at 5:53 PM on May 14, 2009 [1 favorite]
Sova, sounds like a rough day, no?
Nah, it's not as interesting as that. It was only cough medicine, you know?
posted by Sova at 5:53 PM on May 14, 2009
Nah, it's not as interesting as that. It was only cough medicine, you know?
posted by Sova at 5:53 PM on May 14, 2009
Though the Quicksilver Messenger Service seems prescient.
posted by klangklangston at 5:54 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by klangklangston at 5:54 PM on May 14, 2009
Pfft. If this had any effect at all, you'd be able to see the evidence. Where are the colossal chuch-building projects that seem like they'll never be finished or buildings that look as though they're metling?
posted by bunglin jones at 6:06 PM on May 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by bunglin jones at 6:06 PM on May 14, 2009 [3 favorites]
deci, centi, milli, micro, nano, pico, femto, atto, zepto, yocto.
posted by Tube at 6:32 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by Tube at 6:32 PM on May 14, 2009
And this is different from my university apartment...how?
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:55 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:55 PM on May 14, 2009
lysergic acid -a relative of LSD
So acid's still hard to find..
loquacious: 25-50 micrograms is enough for an intense 8 hour long experience for most people
What? 25 ug barely breaches the ED50 barrier i.e. you'll get some effect, maybe, but an intense 8 hour ride? Need probably 100 ug for that.
posted by daksya at 7:04 PM on May 14, 2009
So acid's still hard to find..
loquacious: 25-50 micrograms is enough for an intense 8 hour long experience for most people
What? 25 ug barely breaches the ED50 barrier i.e. you'll get some effect, maybe, but an intense 8 hour ride? Need probably 100 ug for that.
posted by daksya at 7:04 PM on May 14, 2009
They should've measured near my old place during the weekend botellones, where hundreds of youth would gather in the streets to drink cheap booze, chat, and trip out, as well as sing and dance.
posted by cmgonzalez at 8:43 PM on May 14, 2009
posted by cmgonzalez at 8:43 PM on May 14, 2009
Wouldn't that be a lot of Lysergic Acid to just be hanging on the air, the morning after breath of a couple thousand University students? Maybe there is a lot of mold in that town, that produces ergot, or some other precursor.
Whoa man, while I was there the buildings looked odd, was it just me? The waiter seemed odd, he kept bobbing from the waist like a Heckel and Jeckel perpetually pecking toy, and there were floating cubes everywhere. I could swear one of the cathedrals actually had teeth. You mean it was really bad air? Whoa man, like, I am having a really bad air day. It's sick, it is so bad, ya know what I mean?
I imagine the Mediterranean must be some unholy stew, by now.
posted by Oyéah at 8:47 PM on May 14, 2009
Whoa man, while I was there the buildings looked odd, was it just me? The waiter seemed odd, he kept bobbing from the waist like a Heckel and Jeckel perpetually pecking toy, and there were floating cubes everywhere. I could swear one of the cathedrals actually had teeth. You mean it was really bad air? Whoa man, like, I am having a really bad air day. It's sick, it is so bad, ya know what I mean?
I imagine the Mediterranean must be some unholy stew, by now.
posted by Oyéah at 8:47 PM on May 14, 2009
This does explain why the Spaniards here tend to go on partying for hours, far beyond normal human endurance. Even the ones who aren't deliberately coked up to the gills.
posted by slimepuppy at 1:01 AM on May 15, 2009
posted by slimepuppy at 1:01 AM on May 15, 2009
It would be more effective to start licking twenty and hundred dollar bills in the hopes that some of them had some cocaine on them
Dirty bills!
posted by FatherDagon at 9:37 AM on May 15, 2009
Dirty bills!
posted by FatherDagon at 9:37 AM on May 15, 2009
When I get really old, I'm totally going to get into drugs again.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:47 AM on May 16, 2009
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:47 AM on May 16, 2009
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