Michael Pollan - This Is Your Mind on Plants

PENGUIN PRESS

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Copyright 2021 by The Judith Belzer and Michael Pollan 2014 Revocable Trust

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The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams, from The Collected Poems: Volume I, 19091939, copyright 1938 by New Directions Publishing Corp. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. and Carcanet Press, UK.

Opium, Made Easy was originally published in Harpers Magazine, April 1, 1997.

Caffeine: How Coffee and Tea Created the Modern World was originally released as an audiobook by Audible Originals, January 30, 2020.

library of congress cataloging-in-publication data

Names: Pollan, Michael, author.

Title: This is your mind on plants / Michael Pollan.

Description: New York: Penguin Press, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021003519 (print) | LCCN 2021003520 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593296905 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780593296912 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Psychotropic plants. | Opium. | Mescaline. | Caffeine.

Classification: LCC RS164 .P764 2021 (print) | LCC RS164 (ebook) | DDC 581.6dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021003519

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021003520

Designed by Amanda Dewey, adapted for ebook by Cora Wigen

Cover design: Evan Gaffney

Cover images: (cactus) Paul Starosta / Getty Images; (cactus flower) Federica Grassi / Getty Images; (coffee bean) Westend61 GmbH / Alamy; (poppies) Mandy Disher Photography / Getty Images

This book relates the authors investigative reporting on, and experimentation with, the opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum) and mescaline in the form of mescaline sulfate, the San Pedro cactus (also known as Wachuma) (Trichocereus pachanoi), and the peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii). It is a criminal offense in the United States and many other countries, punishable by imprisonment and/or fines, to manufacture, possess, or supply opium (or opium derivatives from opium poppy plants or opium straw), mescaline in any form including mescaline sulfate, San Pedro (Wachuma), and peyote, except (i) in connection with government-sanctioned research, (ii) in the case of opium or opium derivatives by legally sanctioned prescription, or (iii) in the case of the peyote cactus, as permitted by the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments. You should therefore understand that this book is intended to convey the authors experiences and to provide an understanding of the background and current state of research into these substances. It is not intended to encourage you to break the law and no attempt should be made to use these plants or substances for any purposes except in a legally sanctioned clinical trial or by legally sanctioned prescription or as permitted by the American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments. The author and the publisher expressly disclaim any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, that is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the contents of this book.

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

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For Judith, for sharing the journey