The Beatles immortalised LSD with Lucy in the sky with diamonds. The belief is John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote this while “trippin’ out on LSD”— an incident well reported in the global press. Samuel Coleridge penned down one of the most vivid poems, Kubla Khan, when he was high on opium. A sniff, snort and a mesmerizing trance might be considered “harmless” by the pop stars, artists and musicians, and even if not, their brilliance, when attributed to these substances, makes up for the ill-effects. Well, atleast in their cronies minds.
In our very own city, from pubs to beach hubs in Besant Nagar, you can spot youngsters taking a drag on weed, oblivious to the many curious onlookers. Well, God made grass and the ingenious man made pot. And so who do we blame?
Marijuana, the ageless drug continues to be the favourite of many. However, party drugs like Cocaine, Heroin, Hashish, Ketamine and Ecstasy have their own set of followers. According to a well-known DJ in Chennai, “The party scene isn’t as vibrant as before. The cops crack down on venues constantly. And often you don’t know whether your peddler is an informer. They get much more money for informing the cops than they would make by supplying a pill.”
Kamlesh, a media professional says, “It was out of curiosity that I took to smoking weed. And since I am into the creative field, I used this as a means to process my creative energies. When I am high, I produce works of art that I wouldn’t otherwise.” Similar sentiments are echoed by a up-and-coming DJ who says, “One or two club managers have often encouraged me to bring in a peddler to keep the crowds interested in the venue.”
A well-known writer in the city, who requested anonymity shared with us his parental reaction. “They have left the choice to me to continue or to quit. It's after all a very personal choice,” he says. He also decries the belief that the city has a drug culture, “It is a micro community with no inkling of bigger and better highs that they’re missing. I prefer Goa for the indulgence.” In a bid to sound cautious he says, “Over the counter drugs, if taken in the right quantity, are not as lethal.”
Expresso spoke to a lot of club managers and hotel staff, who said the expected: “We have a zero tolerance to drugs and we shall deal with it seriously if it comes to our notice.” Although we fail to understand the lure of the powder and painful syringes, we empathise with the families of all those battling with the addiction.