He was referring to the mushroom intelligence. And apparently he was selling hash which got him in trouble.. there's a conspiracy wacko whose name I won't mention who because of this quote thinks Terence was a CIA asset. The quote: "You mean, am I the alien ambassador, whether I like it or not? Well, often when asked this question, I've said, you know, it beats honest work. I mean, my brother is a PhD in three subjects and works in hard science. And I don't think it's brought him immense happiness. Not that he's despondent. But I was always kind of a slider. And certainly when I reached La Charrera in 1971, I had a price on my head by the FBI. I was running out of money. I was at the end of my rope. And then they recruited me. And said, you know, with a mouth like yours, there's a place for you in our organization. And, you know, I've worked in deep background positions about which the less said, the better. And then, you know, about 15 years ago, they shifted me into public relations. And I've been there to the present. I think ideas get me high." Source: https://uutter.com/c/terence-mckenna/9ce189b2-ebf7-4011-b22d-6bf810cc6b00

@Keith Brier sure but doesn't make any sense... Why would the management class be in the business of "enlightenment" and "spiritual" or individual growth? Isn't that counter productive if you want a subservient population?

Interesting, if anyone knows anything about this it should be Kevin Whitesides - maintainer of this: https://terencemckennaarchives.com/ And if he doesn't know about it he would likely appreciate the heads up about it