Today's Question
Was the legendary liqueur absinthe hallucinogenic?
The movie Moulin Rouge has a sequence about drinking absinthe and the apparent hallucinogenic effects of same. Now a wire story, widely reproduced, announces the new Absente brand of absinthe that is made with "southern wormwood" and is legal and safe. The story goes on to say that the regular absinthe was banned because it contained a neurotoxin. Weird things happened back in the early 20th century (cocaine in cola, "killer weed," etc.), so I have to wonder: Was there really a neurotoxin in absinthe? Was it hallucinogenic? Will it rot your brain? Would it be fun?
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