Since the start of the pandemic more than 2 years ago, business travel and corporate gatherings have become the exception rather than the rule. And at the same time many employees may also have started to feeling disenfranchised working from their kitchen table or spare bedroom at home. So some firms have come to the conclusion to offer their staff and executives an experience of a somewhat different kind.
Psychedelic drugs are illegal almost everywhere, nevertheless they are becoming increasingly popular as treatment for numerous mental health issues and are gaining some notoriety with executives who have done well for themselves, but at the cost of their own well-being. Or NBA basketball players who were about to quit and were put back on their career path with a course of psychedelic drugs.
In a corporate setting, the pandemic and the extended periods of absence from offices have made some executives less emphatic, an issue which now can be helped with the appropriate stimulant. These drugs are apparently also used to increase creativity and help teams to bond.
Now just imagine for a second where this could lead: future corporate retreats will feature ketamine fuelled strategy workshops. At the annual shareholder meetings cannabis will be offered at the same time as tea and coffee. And just imagine for a second what a psychedelic drug fuelled Christmas party is going to be like…..
Personally I am all in favour of CBD based medical treatments for example, but encouraging the social use of some synthetic drugs in my opinion is a different game: I presume everyone reacts differently to the various substances. Are business deals going to be better when they are closed by executives on a synthetic high? And I doubt anyone of us would really want to board a flight where the captain has recently been ‘under the influence’, or just imagine for a second being operated on by a surgeon who has just enhanced his performance with the help of some stimulant.
Helping teams bond and raising empathy is obviously desirable, but personally I would prefer if all this could be achieved without any chemical additives no one has a clue , at least at the moment, what the longer term implications of such substances on our physical and mental well-being will be.
The grumpy older man 