Culture
From Gephqua
[edit] Drug Culture
As on Earth, various substances have been used for medicinal, spiritual and recreational use throughout the history of Gephquanese history. In modern times most substance abuse is prohibited in some form or another, while others are tolerated and still others are accepted quite freely.
[edit] Shazin
Shazin is the dehydrated form of the shaziya root, the roots of the shaziya plant, a small shrub-like plant that is usually characterized by its foul smelling odor. The dried roots are usually prepared by grinding them into a powder which is then ingested in some form, smoking shazin is one of the most common methods, though mixing it with starch sap and eating it is equally as common. The intoxicating compound dihydrocarbontetraoxide (H2CO4), also called DHT, has a psychoactive effect upon the brain. Users of shazin usually report a sense of intense euphoria, an increase in heart rate, and all the major senses amplified. The cause of this psychoactive process is the interaction between the DHT and certain neural receptors, causing an overproduction of serotonin by the brain, the effects of the drug can in some ways be compared to the effects of both methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy) and cannabis (the THC) combined. Shazin is officially banned in the Gephquanese Imperial Republic, however this has not stopped its use among the underground subculture, where it is typically used by young, adolescent Gephqua.
