Weed and other hobbies the "DIscovery" crew might/should have?

[Commander Keiran MacDuff]

Presumably someone has invented a drug that is both non-addictive and whose effects can be turned off instantly in an emergency.

Then again, maybe they're all playing that Ktarian game Riker found on Risa...

 

[ALF]

Yes, I think the crew of the Discovery should be constantly experimenting with mind altering substances. In fact, I hope it's not too late to rename the whole project, Star Trek: Drugs.

Caffeine isn't a controlled substance though.

Controlled substances? In outer space? I'd like to see the Federation try and enforce that one. "This is captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. Has anyone on your ship been drinking or doing any drugs tonight? Is your starship registered with the UFP?"

 

[Awesome Possum]

Well there's been no evidence of humans using drugs in the time of Trek, they even got over controlling their armies through drugs at some point in the 21st century. Caffeine isn't a controlled substance though.

Drugs do not equal controlled substance and caffeine is still a drug. We were also shown those Star Trek stories at a time when certain drugs were vilified and treated as a terrible plight on mankind. Now scientific evidence is showing health benefits to many of them. Given that our society isn't as socially conservative as it was, why should Trek stick to an outdated worldview? It has alcohol still in use as well, IIRC there have even been a few No Smoking signs implying that it's still a thing in the future. It's absurd to think we'll suddenly get over certain drugs.

 

[Kemaiku]

Scotty was a functioning alcoholic, Kirk was swigging brandy at any oppertunity, McCoy had his whiskey, and don't tell me all that herbal Vulcan meditation mist was just for show. Tucker couldn't go a day without a sugar hit, Klingons guzzled gallons of wine on a slow week, Quark's bar was one of the most successful and populated areas of DS9, the Orions and people like Mudd made their livelihood off of shipping substances, etc etc

 

[Long Syntax]

because right now the only time trek even came close was Yar's famous "Just Say No" speech to Wesley Crusher and a few mentions of "chemicals" on DS9,

There was also the Trellium-D addiction depicted in ST:ENT. If drug use is featured in DSC I'd rather have a more positive outcome than purely recreational.

 

[Ganderplus]

I bet in the future recreational drug use is something only old people do. Young people will be fighting in the Ushaan and have sex in the transporter buffer.

 

[Pindar]

I know a lot people do so It makes sense to finally deal with this, because right now the only time trek even came close was Yar's famous "Just Say No" speech to Wesley Crusher and a few mentions of "chemicals" on DS9, all done during flashbacks to the Ocupation days./QUOTE]

There as been a lot of stories referencing narcotics of different types through all the series. TNG had several stories about the subject, in DS9 the Jem Hadar were controlled by drugs, T'Pol became a junkie.
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Narcotic

 

[ALF]

Ganja specifically has never been mentioned or referenced otherwise in any Trek series episode, though, right? I was thinking maybe Voyager's Future's End, but maybe that's just because it features Sarah Silverman.

 

[Jayson1]

That's true. I had forgotten about the Jem'Haddar addiction or the T'pol stuff. I would even toss in those salt sticks I think they were callled in the TNG ep "Unification" were Riker is talking to the piano playing alien.

What they haven't done though is tackle the merrits of recreational drugs. Trek can be a little weird in how it is both really super liberal but also really conservative also. In a time were you even have republicans sometimes support legal weed it seems weird for Trek to be so conservative on this issue, anymore. Granted I would have liked 24th century Trek to have taken a stand, much sooner just like there should already have been several gay humans by this point but they didn't. It's hard to justify those choices in the modern world.

Jason

 

[Kor]

Why do we keep assuming that people will be the same and will be doing the same things centuries from now?

I would imagine that in the advanced future, recreational drugs would be taken in ways other than smoking, which directly damages the mouth, lungs, etc. There would probably be a whole industry of designer recreational substances that are engineered for maximum potency and sensation, while minimizing or even removing any harmful effects, and somehow designed in a way that their use does not lead to dependency.

In fact, why stick with substances at all? Why not develop electronic devices that directly interact with the brain's centers of pleasure, perception, consciousness, etc? Then you can replicate the sensations of all kinds of psychoactive drug experiences, but in a controlled fashion with built-in safeguards to eliminate any risk of physiological or psychological damage, even including addiction and withdrawal.

Am I right, or what?

Kor

 

[Jayson1]

Why do we keep assuming that people will be the same and will be doing the same things centuries from now?

I would imagine that in the advanced future, recreational drugs would be taken in ways other than smoking, which directly damages the mouth, lungs, etc. There would probably be a whole industry of designer recreational substances that are engineered for maximum potency and sensation, while minimizing or even removing any harmful effects, and somehow designed in a way that their use does not lead to dependency.

In fact, why stick with substances at all? Why not develop electronic devices that directly interact with the brain's centers of pleasure, perception, consciousness, etc? Then you can replicate the sensations of all kinds of psychoactive drug experiences, but in a controlled fashion with built-in safeguards to eliminate any risk of physiological or psychological damage, even including addiction and withdrawal.

Am I right, or what?

Kor

I think your right in that seems like something people would proably aim for in reality and the show should also acknowledge this. In fact we kind of got that in "Voyager" with that device Choctay used to summon up his animal guide instead of drugs.
To me though it is more important in how the stuff plays in terms of drama or comedy. If you have characters getting high you want the audience to relate to what they are doing on emotional level just as much as a intelligence level. You don't want to just focus on how futuristic the experience of getting high is in the future but you also want people see themselves in the experience or for me see what that experience is like for people, or more importantly the specific characters that would be doing these future drug experiences.

Jason

 

[Borgminister]

Chakotay had his vision quests...

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Well there's been no evidence of humans using drugs in the time of Trek

Yeah, no, that's wrong.

Scotty was a functioning alcoholic, Kirk was swigging brandy at any oppertunity, McCoy had his whiskey,

And Guinan kept real alcohol under the bar....

Also:

...Also Harry Mudd, known Venus drug dealer.

 

[Ganderplus]

Why not develop electronic devices that directly interact with the brain's centers of pleasure, perception, consciousness, etc?

Like Garek's implant in "The Wire."

 

[fireproof78]

Why do we keep assuming that people will be the same and will be doing the same things centuries from now?

I would imagine that in the advanced future, recreational drugs would be taken in ways other than smoking, which directly damages the mouth, lungs, etc. There would probably be a whole industry of designer recreational substances that are engineered for maximum potency and sensation, while minimizing or even removing any harmful effects, and somehow designed in a way that their use does not lead to dependency.

In fact, why stick with substances at all? Why not develop electronic devices that directly interact with the brain's centers of pleasure, perception, consciousness, etc? Then you can replicate the sensations of all kinds of psychoactive drug experiences, but in a controlled fashion with built-in safeguards to eliminate any risk of physiological or psychological damage, even including addiction and withdrawal.

Am I right, or what?

Kor

That's what the holdeck is for.

Chakotay had his vision quests...

Without drugs though. He had a special device for it.

 

[Kemaiku]

Yeah, but Chuckles fucked up at everything.

 

[Borgminister]

That's what the holdeck is for.

Without drugs though. He had a special device for it.

Which simulated a psychotropic drug. Like synthohol. I mean, the objective of both is to get high or drunk ostensibly without the addiction or hangover.

I prefer my malt.

 

[fireproof78]

Which simulated a psychotropic drug. Like synthohol. I mean, the objective of both is to get high or drunk ostensibly without the addiction or hangover.

I prefer my malt.

You want to get...um electronically high?

Yeah, that sounds weird.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Just nobody mention "The Game," OK?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

You want to get...um electronically high?

Yeah, that sounds weird.

Isn't that what Chakotay's calculator-ish thing did when he went on a vision quest? It's like electronic peyote.

As for the thread: No, I don't particularly want to see DSC characters using drugs.