By Nick Perry

F+L: When was your first time smoking pot?

MJ: Well, I was at school, with my friend, and we smoked out of, like, an aluminum pipe that he made out of aluminum foil. It was really gross. It was during freshman year. It was totally peer pressure-less.

F+L: When did you first use prescription drugs [without a prescription]?

MJ: Probably Junior year. Somebody probably gave me some Adderall.

F+L: To study?

MJ: To study… I studied for multiple days. Like, I remember the first time I took Adderall I didn’t sleep for at least two days.

F+L: How much did you take?

MJ: I don’t remember.

F+L: So did you exclusively do Adderall in high school?

MJ: Well, what I really–Oh! No! That wasn’t the first time I did Adderall.  The first time I did Adderall I was at a computer LAN, which is where everyone hooks up their computers and plays–

F+L: Oh yeah, I know. I’ve LANed.

MJ: Okay, well I was with some older boys and it must have been like sophomore year and we did an outside LAN; all the computers were outside and then we went into a bathroom and this kid was going to snort some Adderall and I was like, “Hey, I want to do some of that.”

F+L: Just ‘cause?

MJ: Yeah, I don’t know why I wanted to do it but I did it. Actually, I think I pressured my way in because, you know, people don’t want to give away drugs for free.

F+L: Okay, well what is the most recent–are you on any drugs right now?

MJ: No. (laughs then pauses) Oh wait, yeah, I did take some Adderall today.

F+L: So you’re kind of on Adderall?

MJ: I took like a really small amount.

F+L: Okay, so when did you start doing smart drugs outside Adderall?

MJ: Well, smart drugs I got into here… Well, I got an Adderall prescription at the start of Senior year and I didn’t really get into smart drugs until the end of senior year or when I got here.

F+L: What smart drugs do you use?

MJ: I have some Modafinil which makes you not tired and stuff and it’s pretty tight because it doesn’t get you high–it just keeps you awake. You’re like awake and your reading comprehension is better. I think it’s going to get pretty popular in the coming years.

F+L: Is that all you use?

MJ: Uh, yeah.

F+L: What did you use last year?

MJ: I tried Peracitan, which is more like a supplement than a drug, and it’s supposed to increase memory and stuff, but I never really noticed anything different; also, it tasted bad. And then there was Cava Cava. It’s like this herbal shit, it’s a legal drug that you can buy. I really reacted bad to that… [Note: interviewee spent literally 24 hours in bed immediately after taking this drug]

F+L: How often do you order drugs off the internet?

MJ: Well I ordered a bunch off the Internet last year, but I’ve kinda stopped doing that.

F+L: How many times have you ordered drugs off the internet, and how many different varieties?

MJ: I’ve ordered like 4 drugs, 5 times. The only thing I’ve had success with is the Modafinil.

F+L: What else have you done besides smart drugs and weed?

MJ: Coke, mushrooms, acid, E, molly, Oxycontin, Percocet, and Vicodin, stuff like that.

F+L: Do you think there’s a cause for doing them?

MJ: I don’t know, I think it’s fun. (laughs) I think I like the novelty. I don’t know, I think it’s really crazy that you can just take a drug and it like alters–you know, you get high and stuff. That’s pretty wild.

F+L: Do you prefer being high to being sober?

MJ (adamant): No, I’m not someone who ever wanted to be super fucked up all the time. Like I remember in high school, waking and baking and thinking, “Oh, I wish I wasn’t high, this was such a mistake.” You know, in my experience, most drugs take just as much as they give. So if you get high and you have a really fun time, you’re gonna feel bad at some point. And, like, I actually joke with my girlfriend sometimes because, like, after doing a lot of drugs I go, “Oh, I’m never going to do drugs again!” And like, I’ve said this multiple times because, like, you come down from drugs. You know, they’re a harsh mistress.

F+L: Have you ever lost control?

MJ: Um (pauses) no. I think too much about it to really lose control. I don’t want to get addicted to something and I think that’s why I don’t get addicted. I really worry when I start using a drug more–like, that’s why I stopped smoking cigarettes.

F+L: Do you do painkillers a lot?

MJ: No, not really. I used to have a neighbor who did a lot of painkillers and I used to go over there–he was kind of a sketchy kid.

F+L: What’s your favorite drug?

MJ: (after a few moments) I guess like shrooms would be my favorite, in terms of giving me something, and you know, giving me consistent positive experiences.

F+L: How many times would you estimate you’ve done each of those drugs you mentioned?

MJ: Pot a ton. Coke maybe ten times, shrooms maybe eight times. Only done acid once. E four times, molly once. Vicodin, Oxycontin, and Percocet… I mean, like, 15-20 times. You know, because they come around a lot.

F+L: What do you think about drug laws?

MJ: I think it’s tough, because what I’ve discovered is that some drugs really are addictive. I remember–and I think a lot of kids have this–when I first smoked pot being like, “We’ve been lied to.” And you feel like drugs aren’t what you thought they were, which is, you know they’re evil and bad, and there’s a reverse reaction and you start to think like, what else have they been lying about? And so for a long time I thought, like, look, people are individuals and they should be allowed to do what they want and they should take responsibility for the consequences. And I did a lot of drugs in high school and I never really found that I was in any danger of getting addicted to anything. But then doing something like Oxycontin, and then doing more cocaine, I realized that like, “Oh, wow, these drugs are addictive.” I mean, I’ve never had a problem but certain friends of mine, you can see, like, this is how it starts. And you can see, once you’ve done enough drugs, your brain just starts to put up with them, and your tolerance goes up a ton, and you get in the mindset that you just don’t care about other shit, and I think that’s the dangerous part about drugs–that they make you not care because you’re high. So no, I don’t think drugs should be legal.

F+L: What about pot?

MJ: Pot should be legal. I think it’s crazy–I think every thinking person thinks pot should be legal. Especially considering that the drug I see the most problem with, and the drug that I use the most, and the drug I could most see myself having a problem with is alcohol. And I think as far as drugs go, that’s the most legal one, especially in our society where, like, you don’t feel bad about it until you’re like really… Like there’s no shame in drinking.

F+L: Okay, so where do you draw the threshold for drug legality?

MJ: I think shrooms should be legal, definitely.

F+L: Acid?

MJ: Acid… I think acid should be legal.

F+L: Acid can fuck you up pretty good, too. I know some people that have gotten pretty strung out on acid.

MJ: Yeah, but I don’t think you have the same urge to do it again and again and again. I don’t know. I think also ecstasy is… It’s just bad for you. Like, it just burns out your brain. I don’t know… I mean, once I did some Adderall and then I snorted a lot of coke and I thought that, like, I had damaged my heart because it kept beating really fast, but it got better.

F+L: Do you think it’s over-prescribed?

MJ: Oh yeah, I think it’s pretty fucked up. As a person with an Adderall prescription, like if I was to take it as prescribed, I would take it everyday, and I don’t think that’s right. I think that’s like legalized addiction. Adderall treats ADD like a hammer treats a dent in a car. It’s not subtle. Basically what it’s doing is like pumping your body full of like adrenaline and dopamine and stuff and that increases concentration, but it has tons of other finicks, it’s not just a subtle thing that makes you concentrate better. And I don’t think it’s really right that it’s prescribed to children.