That Hazia Obsession

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_toppoint.de>
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 96 19:09 MET DST


Time for a minor Gregging:

Quite a lot of people seem to assume that Hazia would be illegal in the Lunar Empire. Quite to the contrary, Hazia is a most legal mind-enhanncing substance required in considerable quantities by the Lunar Schools of Magic and other devotees, at times even including complete regiments of ordinary troops, although even the tolerant Lunar Empire draws a line there (in theory).

Hazia smuggling still might be criminal - either the empire itself has a tax on it, or more likely there is a monopoly privilege held and enforced by certain powerful people and families.

The Hazia business in Pavis might be totally legal, or might be a major tax evasion.

"Modern" puritan attitude to drugs is considerably different from earlier civilisations. There is nothing wrong with drug use in most barbarian cultures. If you tolerate berserks, why not tolerate anabol steroids or other pushers?

I am not sure whether the disregard for drugs comes from monotheism - IIRC Zarathustra made his fire religion to counter the somewhat bacchanalic rites of the bull sacrifices. Other "western" monotheist religions from the near east borrowed heavily from his scriptures.


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