> hallucinogens sometimes cause minor hallucinations indefinitely
The author definitely did not think those were minor side-effects.
> What's missing, crucially, is the only useful information- how many of each there are. There is nothing else that is relevant!
the evidence that a bad trip can potentially cause permanent damage is useful and relevant.
> If "some guy had a bad time" was a robust argument for "never ever do this thing", it would be a bad idea to do anything ever.
"some guy got permanently fucked up doing something" is a strong argument for me to very carefully consider the potential benefits of "doing something" and whether they are worth it; in the case of LSD, for me personally, the benefits don't outweigh the potential downsides, and anecdata is more than enough for me to make this decision.
The author definitely did not think those were minor side-effects.
> What's missing, crucially, is the only useful information- how many of each there are. There is nothing else that is relevant!
the evidence that a bad trip can potentially cause permanent damage is useful and relevant.
> If "some guy had a bad time" was a robust argument for "never ever do this thing", it would be a bad idea to do anything ever.
"some guy got permanently fucked up doing something" is a strong argument for me to very carefully consider the potential benefits of "doing something" and whether they are worth it; in the case of LSD, for me personally, the benefits don't outweigh the potential downsides, and anecdata is more than enough for me to make this decision.