Why Carl Sagan Liked Smoking Marijuana

Here’s a short answer: serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship

We have known Carl Sagan as a luminary in the domains of cosmology, astronomy, and science communication in general. What many people do not know is that he was also fond of smoking marijuana. The major question here is: What exactly did he see or feel in smoking weed that other scientists we know (or at least I know) didn’t? Did Carl Sagan really just admit to getting high and finding it enlightening? Oh yes, he did, and how! Let’s dig into the narrative he left us (and I’ll leave a link to his own writing at the bottom of the story so you can check it our yourself), and you’re not just traversing the stars but exploring the intricate landscapes of the mind, all through the lens of a marijuana-induced high (feels kind of weird writing that).

Because when a man who spent his life demystifying the universe talks about his dalliances with cannabis, you know it’s going to be a trip worth taking.

Sagan’s cannabis confession isn’t your average “I tried it at a party” tale. No, this is a journey of a skeptical scientist becoming a believer, not in pseudoscience, but in the profound enhancements marijuana brought to his perception, creativity, and understanding. Initially dismissing it as a mere placebo, Sagan’s curiosity (because what is a scientist without it?) led him to a discovery that would change his views on the plant. “After about five or six unsuccessful attempts, however…