Scott Alexander explores why recreational drugs like ketamine and MDMA have shown more promise in treating mental health conditions than intentionally developed pharmaceuticals, suggesting a new direction for drug research. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the surprising effectiveness of ketamine and MDMA in treating depression and PTSD respectively, noting that these recreational drugs have shown more promise than intentionally developed pharmaceuticals. He speculates on why this might be, suggesting that drugs with strong effects on the brain, even if originally used recreationally, might be more likely to have significant therapeutic benefits. Scott proposes that pharmaceutical research might be more productive if it focused on chemicals with powerful psychoactive effects, rather than prioritizing minimal side effects. He acknowledges potential counterarguments, including the possibility that ketamine's antidepressant effects may come from a non-psychoactive metabolite. Shorter summary

An open thread post covering comment highlights, potential comment policy changes, user unbanning, and guidelines for reader communication with the author. Longer summary

This is an open thread post on Slate Star Codex, covering various topics. It highlights a comment about MDMA labs and discusses reports of Spiral-like experiences from readers. The author considers implementing email verification for commenting to reduce ban evasion. It announces the unbanning of a user named Deiseach. Finally, it requests readers not to send unsolicited emails about sponsorships or link requests, suggesting alternative ways to share information. Shorter summary