Hamilton's Pharmacopeia

Hamilton's Pharmacopeia is a Viceland docuseries which follows Hamilton Morris as he explores the history, chemistry and social impact of psychoactive substances. It chronicles Morris' travels and first-hand experiences, as well as his interviews with scientists, shamans and fringe culture figures.

The Story of the South African Quaalude [1.01]

 * [Opening titles] Due to precedents set by cable networks preceding ours, our Stable & Practices department has asked us to warn you that this program may contain mature language. Historically, Standards & Practices has been employed to regulate the fairness of TV game shows. Here though, they want us to note that sexual situations may be featured in this episode. We really love our S&P for letting us make disclaimers like this, comprised of too much text, even though we still have to say things like this program may contain violence. In a second, we're going to fade out most of this. As always, viewer discretion is advised.


 * Hamilton Morris: The smell of burning methaqualone brings me back to 2013 when I sat on this very couch, in the company of a gangster, a dealer, and a few white-pipe enthusiasts. I have been fascinated by psychoactive drugs my whole life. I love to study their chemistry and impact on society, and my work has allowed me to investigate extraordinary substances around the world, yet there are still mysteries that remain. But it was here that I found myself on the scent of a trail that would lead me to one of the most astonishing drug mysteries I have ever encountered. This is the story of the South African Quaalude.
 * Opening narration. Every episode begins with a variation of these words.

A Positive PCP Story [1.02]

 * Hamilton Morris: Do you ever feel bad for these people, or think that maybe they're not bad people? Frank Lyga: No, not at all. You don't have to be a bad person to do criminal activities. We follow the rules and the laws. Nothing personal. I catch you, I catch you. If I don't catch you, I don't catch you.


 * Timothy Wyllie: Everything happens intentionally. Nothing is left to chance.


 * Hamilton Morris: This bouquet of flowers is for Victor Harold Maddox, the chemist who discovered PCP. It contains 25 white roses to signify the 25 hydrogen atoms, 17 black roses for the 17 carbon atoms, and one blue rose for the nitrogen atom. Vic Maddox made a scientific breakthrough when he accidentally discovered PCP, paving the way for the study of NMDA receptors and revolutionizing the history of anesthesia. E. F. Domino once said that humans, in their never-ending quest to explore and discover, may yet find a pot of therapeutic gold at the end of a spectacular and, at times, rather dismal PCP rainbow. On behalf of a world that has misunderstood your greatest discovery, I'm sorry, Dr. Maddox. I'm sorry.

Magic Mushrooms in Mexico [1.04]

 * Hamilton Morris: Why don't you want people on your land picking mushrooms? Farmer: Because it's a liability. They're going there and get hurt and turn around and sue you. And I think it's a stupid thing to do. I don't use drugs, and I don't think anybody else should. I think it's a drag on society, and you get these people that are addicted, and all they want to do is to lay around and do damn drugs, and don't go to work, and collect welfare. Hamilton Morris: From mushrooms? Farmer: I don't know what it is. Maybe you start on mushrooms, and then you go to marijuana, and the next thing, you're on crack. I don't know. Maybe it's an entry drug, you know. Do something. Don't be getting out here and making mushroom milkshakes or whatever they do with it, instead of going to work. You know, it's too many good things to do in life besides that.

Wizards of DMT [2.04]

 * Hamilton Morris: In order to expedite the unjust punishment of people who use drugs unfamiliar to judges and prosecutors, a system was devised to convert certain substances into chemically and pharmacologically unrelated cannabis equivalents. 1 g of DMT is sentenced as being equivalent to 100 g of marihuana. 1 g of DOM is equivalent to 1.67 kg of marihuana. And 1 g of PCP is equivalent to 10 kg of marihuana.

Ketamine; Realms and Realities [2.05]

 * Hamilton Morris: The night after our meeting, I received a phone call from Timothy. He told me he had a new lease on life and had decided to get married. I was astonished by his change in mood, and wished him well. But when I called him the following week, he didn't pick up. It wasn't until a month later that I received a message saying he had been hospitalized on a trip to Pennsylvania and had died from heart failure. I was also told that on his deathbed, he had left me a gift.
 * Comment: The gift was a painting. It is displayed during the episode's credits.


 * Timothy Wyllie: We are all eternal beings, believe me. When you die, you just go on.

Quotes about Hamilton's Pharmacopeia

 * Morris is a good presence on screen – dressed all in white, he has a sort of charming awkwardness not dissimilar to Louis Theroux (they share the same disarming smile) and he allows his subjects plenty of space to tell their stories.
 * Tim Jonze: "PCP to psychedelic fish: uncover the stories behind the world's strangest drugs". The Guardian, 2017-01-16.


 * Mr. Morris has a grinning, laid-back persona, with an approach not dissimilar to Hunter S. Thompson's gonzo journalism. In person Mr. Morris, son of the filmmaker Errol Morris, is bookish and intense, speaking with a fastidious attention to word choice.
 * Ross Simonini: "A Psychonaut's Adventures in Videoland". The New York Times, 2012-02-10. ISSN: 0362-4331.