Debunked: The Harmful Effects of Marijuana - Dr. Sanjay Gupta

[Bill]

What about stimulants?
There are a whole class of drugs called 'performance enhancing' that are tested for in sports, so clearly they exist.

But we're talking recreational usage to get high, and that is rarely going to lead to enhanced performance long-term.

I do wonder though if any concert violinists or pianists were regular users when they were performing?
Drugs that enhance concentration or sensual feedback might be useful in that arena.
Still, that is moving it to an arena that is not what is commonly referred to by 'work'.

I left off amphetamines. I can look for those studies if you really think it's necessary. It's anecdotal but I've only known two regular users of stimulants besides caffeine and nicotine. One was a Dexedrine using lawyer that produced a large volume of work but was fired because her inability to focus adversely effected the quality of her work. The other is a crystal meth user that dropped out of our group of friends because she preferred her habit.

 

[Pete Tar]

Not necessary, just vaguely interesting to the general topic of drug-use and efficiency.

It's still used in the military, but one supposes (hopes) only for short periods.

http://www.wellcorps.com/Mothers-Li...amine-and-Anti-Depressant-Use-in-America.html
World War II soldiers in the Allied and Axis forces were given liberal amounts of amphetamines. Pilots, tank drivers and infantry used Benzedrine, Dexedrine and Methedrine to stay awake for long periods of time and to 'enhance' levels of courage and bravado. Some records indicate that from 1966 to 1969, the U.S. Army dispensed more amphetamine to its troops than the combined total of British and American forces during the entire Second World War. As one veteran of Vietnam put it on an Internet citation, "Take 100 non-aggressive men and give them all enough speed and you end up with the equivalent of 150 men that'll kill anything that moves and if they have to, they'll kill it with their bare hands." Biographers of war crimes committed by troops from various nations throughout the history of modern warfare believe the most heinous acts were the result of the maniacal effects of amphetamines.

Today amphetamine use in the military continues under the current market name of Adderall. Dextroamphetamine is dispensed by the Air Force to keep pilots awake and alert on long missions. Air Force pilots must sign a form called "Informed Consent for Use of Dextroamphetamine as a 'Go Pill' in Military Operations." Although taking the drug is not technically mandatory, as the form states, a refusal to sign the form could result in a commander designating them as 'unfit to fly a given mission'.

Content from External Source

Amphetamine, through activation of a trace amine receptor, increases biogenic amine and excitatory neurotransmitter activity in the brain, with its most pronounced effects targeting the catecholamine neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine.[20]

At therapeutic doses, this causes psychological and cognitive effects such as euphoria, change in libido, increased arousal, and improved cognitive control.[13][14][21] Similarly, it induces physical effects such as decreased reaction time, fatigue resistance, and increased muscle strength.[12]
In contrast, much larger doses of amphetamine are likely to impair cognitive function and induce rapid muscle breakdown.[13][17] Substance dependence (i.e., addiction) is a serious risk of amphetamine abuse, but only rarely arises from proper medical use.[17][22][23] Very high doses can induce a state of psychosis characterized by delusions and paranoia, and, although rare, this may also occur as a side effect during long-term use at therapeutic doses.[17][24] Moreover, recreational doses are generally much larger than prescribed therapeutic doses, and recreational use therefore carries a far greater risk of serious side effects.[25]

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So not really a recreational drug for what one would consider desirable civilian work-place performance.
Presumably only caffeine can be considered an acceptable recreational drug in that environment.

 

[Dan Wilson]

It's pretty well known that polymerase chain reaction was developed as the result of Kary Mullis' LSD use. That was major progression, brought about through drug use.
But that will be dismissed as hearsay, since there's no experiments to prove it.

While Mullis contributed important working to developing the PCR technique, crediting his contributions to LSD is quite a different story. Was it because of the LSD? Hard to say. Mullis himself says he doubts he would have had the insight he did without it, but then he also thinks that climate change is false, that HIV does not cause AIDS, and he believes in astrology and claims to have once communicated with a glowing green raccoon. To add to this story, PCR invention was a product of teamwork. Another addition to this story, it was said that Mullis preferred to avoid lab work and instead spent a lot of time thinking about concepts while doing his hobbies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kary_Mullis#Accreditation_of_the_PCR_technique

Unless someone needs to be high to work, I don't think you can make a feasible argument for making working while under the influence a generally good idea.

 

[Bill]

Not necessary, just vaguely interesting to the general topic of drug-use and efficiency.

It's still used in the military, but one supposes (hopes) only for short periods.

http://www.wellcorps.com/Mothers-Li...amine-and-Anti-Depressant-Use-in-America.html
World War II soldiers in the Allied and Axis forces were given liberal amounts of amphetamines. Pilots, tank drivers and infantry used Benzedrine, Dexedrine and Methedrine to stay awake for long periods of time and to 'enhance' levels of courage and bravado. Some records indicate that from 1966 to 1969, the U.S. Army dispensed more amphetamine to its troops than the combined total of British and American forces during the entire Second World War. As one veteran of Vietnam put it on an Internet citation, "Take 100 non-aggressive men and give them all enough speed and you end up with the equivalent of 150 men that'll kill anything that moves and if they have to, they'll kill it with their bare hands." Biographers of war crimes committed by troops from various nations throughout the history of modern warfare believe the most heinous acts were the result of the maniacal effects of amphetamines.

Today amphetamine use in the military continues under the current market name of Adderall. Dextroamphetamine is dispensed by the Air Force to keep pilots awake and alert on long missions. Air Force pilots must sign a form called "Informed Consent for Use of Dextroamphetamine as a 'Go Pill' in Military Operations." Although taking the drug is not technically mandatory, as the form states, a refusal to sign the form could result in a commander designating them as 'unfit to fly a given mission'.

Content from External Source

Amphetamine, through activation of a trace amine receptor, increases biogenic amine and excitatory neurotransmitter activity in the brain, with its most pronounced effects targeting the catecholamine neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine.[20]

At therapeutic doses, this causes psychological and cognitive effects such as euphoria, change in libido, increased arousal, and improved cognitive control.[13][14][21] Similarly, it induces physical effects such as decreased reaction time, fatigue resistance, and increased muscle strength.[12]
In contrast, much larger doses of amphetamine are likely to impair cognitive function and induce rapid muscle breakdown.[13][17] Substance dependence (i.e., addiction) is a serious risk of amphetamine abuse, but only rarely arises from proper medical use.[17][22][23] Very high doses can induce a state of psychosis characterized by delusions and paranoia, and, although rare, this may also occur as a side effect during long-term use at therapeutic doses.[17][24] Moreover, recreational doses are generally much larger than prescribed therapeutic doses, and recreational use therefore carries a far greater risk of serious side effects.[25]

Content from External Source

So not really a recreational drug for what one would consider desirable civilian work-place performance.
Presumably only caffeine can be considered an acceptable recreational drug in that environment.

The drugs are used in combat situations but you'll notice they are not given to the logistics department and the motor pool which are a closer comparison to the civilian workplace.
I have wondered if the ingestion of cocaine by sucking or chewing on the leaves would have acceptability. It's supposed to be a mild stimulant like caffeine when taken in this form and is widely used in some parts of South America for the same purposes as coffee and tea. The biggest problem would be preventing people from converting the leaves into crack or powdered cocaine.