Carl Hart, a Columbia University professor of psychology and neuroscience, has come out as a proud heroin user. He’s not just any old professor, MTO News confirmed that he chairs the psych department. He loves heroin – not only as a subject of scholarly pursuit – but also as a substance for personal use.
At 54, the married father of three is openly admitting to snorting small amounts of heroin for as many as 10 days in a row and enjoying it mightily – even if, as he recalls in his new book “Drug Use for Grown-ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear” (Penguin Press), he’s experienced mild withdrawal symptoms “12 to 16 hours after the last dose.”
But, as Hart sees it, the possible withdrawal is a worthwhile trade-off.
“There aren’t many things in life that I enjoy more than a few lines by the fireplace at the end of the day,” he writes, pointing out that the experience leaves him “refreshed” and “prepared to face another day.”
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He adds that the use of the narcotic is “as rational as my alcohol use. Like a vacation, sex, and the arts, heroin is one of the tools that I use to maintain my work-life balance.”
Professor Hart is hoping to help President Biden work toward federal regulation and legalization of all drugs.
It’s not just heroin that Professor Hart uses. The prof also admits to using MDMA (better known as Molly or ecstasy) and methamphetamine (crystal meth). In describing MDMA, he recalled “intense feelings of pleasure, gratitude, and energy.
“When I’m rolling, I just want to breathe deeply and enjoy it. The simple act of breathing can be extremely pleasurable.”
He described himself using bath salts, a synthetic cathinone that’s been linked to disturbing behavior from barking to breaking into homes. Hart’s assessment: “unequivocally wonderful.” In his book, he recounts the effects as being “euphoric, energetic, clearheaded and highly social … niiiiiice.”
So nice, in fact, that he writes about wanting to take the drug ahead of “some awful required social event, such as an academic reception.”
Watch him talking about drugs:
