Lister

By Katrine Villadsen
Translation by Minna Julie Kolte

Agora N is filled with people, even though the subject of today's lesson is heavy natural science. But the key figure is a festive and attentive Johan Olsen. He is a PhD student in molecular biology (and the lead singer of the Danish band Magtens Korridorer).

We are taught about tetrahydrocannibanol - better known as hash. We learn that you cannot die from an overdose of hash, because there is simply a physical barrier for how much the body can absorb. If you want to try anyway, you have to consume 680 kilograms of hash in 15 minutes - but then it is probably not the hash itself, that kills you.

However, you can drink yourself to death, if you refresh yourself with too much ethanol - also known as alcohol. A blood alcohol content of 5 per mille is lethal, so it is better to keep within 1-3 per mille. Should you be in need of getting sober in a rush, Johan recommends that you find a pressure chamber, as over pressure expands the fat membranes of the brain, which causes the ethanol to contract.

Johan's good advice about the use of stimulants:

1. Never drink shots - you will miss out on too much of the festival.
2. If you should get a bad trip, just think that it is chemistry in the brain - it does not exist!
3. Go ahead with laughing gas! The trip is very effective and brief, with no side effects, and then you can even buy it in the Danish hardware store Imerco.
4. Drink plenty of beer! The reason: carbon dioxide reduces the content of hydrogen in your farts. And hydrogen can, in condensed form (for instance in a tent) cause explosions!