Psychotropics

Throughout this book, the methods described have been limited to those that can be accomplished through cognitive means—that is, the methods throughout this book are performed by exposing individuals to specific sensory stimuli, rather than drugs or surgery. The reason for this is that the use of psychotropic drugs (chemicals that alter consciousness, modify perception, and/or influence mood), which include any chemicals that influence the mind or mood when ingested, although quite effective, are also ethically questionable. In fact, in the majority of cases, the use of psychotropic drugs violates the 1993 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemicals Weapons and on their Destruction, which is the most comprehensive prohibition on chemical weapons in a series of treaties dating back to at least 1675, when the Strasbourg Agreement was signed, banning the use of poisoned weapons. In addition, Article 54 of the Geneva Convention forbids tampering with resources necessary for the survival of civilians, such as any water, food, livestock, or irrigation not used exclusively by opposition forces, which quite limits those methods available to expose the opposition to any psychotropics that don’t violate the chemical weapons ban. This array of legal restrictions was established for quite a good reason, as they were both responses to the horrors experienced by chemical warfare over the years, the vast majority of which aren’t related to the content of this book anyway (things like nerve gas, Agent Orange, and so forth; not psychotropics).