Are you feeling depressed? Do you experience feelings of irritability and difficulty sleeping? Are you easily distracted and put down by minor tasks in daily life? That’s ok, these are all perfectly normal symptoms of being a sane and conscious person in a world that is increasingly filled with corruption, deceit and stupidity. Frankly, you would have to be on drugs to be able to watch the evening news without submitting to uncontrollable outbursts of Rage & Fury. Drugs like Xanax, Vioxx, Prozac, Ritalin or Bromazepam. The kind people use to either kill themselves or keep themselves alive. Hell, the only reason we’re not on those drugs is because we are experts at self-medication.

Who knows what to take two of in a world of expiring patents and renewed marketing strategies for the kind of pills that can take the gloom out of a depressed rhino – if said rhino had somehow managed to find a prescription. Oh yes, the newly emerging mental marketplace offers a lot of high-powered medication for a lot of disorders whose symptoms sound a little vague to say the least. Some would say that treating ADHD with Ritalin is the medical equivalent of pulling out weeds with a rocket launcher. Others argue that problems like depression and relational disorders are often caused by social issues and shouldn’t be medicalized since drugs don’t tackle the actual root of the problem and instead focus on a quick fix to get you to the next stop.

In our next issue, POSTRmagazine brings you a look into the 900 billion USD market that is the pharmaceutical industry. We will shed some light on why some drugs are legal while others are smuggled into the country in homemade submarines and armored car convoys – even as the death penalty looms in some of the more dissuasive regimes in the world. We take a look at an aspect of our evolution – the power to heal ourselves – and how we have used it to improve our public health. Consider it a self-diagnosis – based on hard work & research and fueled by conspiratory paranoia & delusions of grandeur.

WARNING: POSTRmagazine #11: The Legal Drugs issue may cause erratic behaviour, insomnia, heartburn, severe depression, epileptic seizures, psychotic episodes and explosive diarrhea. Always consult your physician before reading.