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Drugs, A.D. 2149

Tom Ball

    I, Warren, said to Gloria, “You can’t beat the drugs at Gina’s bar!” She said, “They must have some brilliant scientists supplying them. I’ve never had better!” And the bar was so successful here on Mars, that soon there were 80 of them on this Planet. And they featured unique Martian drinks and food which also had drugs in them. The drugs included Panept which made one’s brain function at 100%, using your whole brain. So, this drug made people cleverer. And was patented on Mars and exclusive to Mars.
    Another drug, Amore, made people amorous like never before and there were plenty of good-looking people here on Mars. A mad, all-encompassing love that made one wild.
    And then there was the drug Nod, which caused vivid night dreams that one would remember the next day. Of course, about 1/3 of the population took anti-sleep medication, but they still slept for two hours, however, they were strung out. Anyway, the vivid dreams made good conversation pieces at parties and could be sold if they were really good. And Mars was now becoming a haven for dreamers; they liked to be around other dreamers.
    Also, the Planet featured, “Athletic drugs,” which were drugs for playing sports. The drugs allowed one to have more energy and were protection against fatigue. Mars sports teams were therefore among the best athletes in the Worlds. And some took Athletic drugs to give them more stamina in having sex. Our sports teams won the most medals at the Olympics which no longer banned drugs.
    And another drug was Martian inventors Dirk and Boon’s “Anti-Evil drugs,” which affected one’s conscience and caused one to do the right things. This patented drug was sweeping Earth as many wanted to be good. On Mars everyone had to take it. And many said, this drug saved the World. It’s two inventors were fabulously rich and highly respected. And they reinvested their profits into new brain apps which created enhanced memory and knowledge retention. They were known as “Drugs of Recall.” And these two scientists also created Imagination drugs which maximized one’s imagination. These drugs made Mars a center for writers, musicians, architects, painters, actors, directors and so on.
    And another Martian inventor devised drug apps for parties. This included absorbing lots of anecdotes, real or imaginative. And drugs which induced a feeling of Euphoria. Many people wanted to be in a state of bliss permanently and so got the necessary brain surgery.
    Also, there was the drug, “Oblivion,” which like many Earth drugs caused one to be totally out of it. But the difference was one would see hallucinations and visions and many people enjoyed that.
    And then there was, “The Drug of War.” This made one brave for fighting and Leaders were known to force conscripts to take it. And the drug made one more alert on the battlefield, used in tandem with cyborg technology. Many people on Mars were angry at the developer of this drug saying it condoned war. But the patent brought in a lot of money, further enriching the Martians.
    In addition, Martian scientists invented a series of drugs which renewed one’s brain. Even though everyone had eternal youth, some felt the weight of their years. And these drugs caused them to feel refreshed. And the drugs were anti-suicidal. Almost everyone on Mars and Earth and elsewhere took these drugs, enriching the Planet.
    Also, there was a maverick Martian scientist who developed drugs which improved concentration and allowed one to multi-task. These drugs were taken by almost everyone in all creation. Again, bringing wealth into the colony.
    Many people took a drug cocktail, a different one every day and mixed the new Martian drugs with more traditional drugs like stimulants and tranquilizers.
    Gloria, said, “Thanks to the new drugs developed on Mars, the Planet is the richest of all the Worlds.” I, Warren, said, “The more drugs we develop here, the more we will have new brilliant scientists come to the colony.” She said, “I have suggested new Mind Reading Technology (MRT) could use some drugs which calm one and relax one and make one open-minded.” I said, “Yes, the people of Mars appreciate the value of open minds. It is a good concept.” And I said, “I’d like them to develop drugs which cure all rare diseases. And also develop cures for madness. I know it won’t be easy, but in my view, madness and mental problems are the greatest scourge of the modern day.”
    She said, “It’s not very good that almost everyone is mad. But new drugs don’t seem to work. I guess we’ll have to live with it; humans are unfortunately not designed for such a complicated life.” I said, “It doesn’t need to be so complex. One can still lead a simple life and be happy.” She said, “But nearly everyone wants to live in modern times and try and keep pace with the Joneses. And I have heard they have some new drugs of sanity that work on most people. There’s still hope yet.” I asked, “But do those drugs require a lifestyle change?” She said, “From what I’ve heard, They work on almost everyone. They are a panacea solution.” I said, “If this is so we’ll import a bevy of such drugs, enough for everyone but we need to be sure first that it really works. I’ll arrange for testing right now for these drugs.”
    So, we tested the new drugs for sanity and everyone in the study claimed to be saner. But some admitted they liked being wild and crazy.
    And I was sorry we hadn’t invented such a drug here on Mars and it cost us trillions to pay for the drug for just a year (there were 4.9 million people on Mars). But Gloria and I were very pleased with the new sanity that was taking hold. And many who had been on Oblivion drugs now wanted to play an active part in society. And our scientists were inspired to create their own sanity drugs and we invested a lot of money in it. The goal was for it to work on everyone, regardless of whether they wanted to be sane. And the plan was for everyone to be forced to take it.
    So, it turned out to a whole new World. And scientists stopped designing AI of any kind. We just had computers for calculations only. Those that had been conscious were turned off. And androids and holograms were also turned off. Some tried to survive, but they were hopeless. It was not the way the Worlds were going. And bounty hunters took out androids and holograms, even though there were so many. It took many years before the last hologram disappeared. Of course, many people were saddened by the demise of their love androids and adventurous hologram Worlds, but now most humans were more interested in loving and having adventures with humans.
    And Gloria said, “I knew I wasn’t wrong being involved with drug creations.” And I said, “Me too!” And so that was how it was in the year, A.D. 2146.

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