Jenkem: Bringing the Levitt Family Together

I often get emails from blog readers asking me to shed light on some issue that, in the mind of the email writer, is a pressing social or economic issue. Sometimes it is a big issue like immigration or the financial crisis. More often it is something less mainstream, like election fraud or an unusual application of incentives.

And then every once in a while there is something so absurd that I am left to wonder what people will think up next. Blog reader Jeff‘s email falls into that latter category. He’ll be glad to know that I’ve chosen to omit his last name. Jeff’s interest: jenkem.

I’d never heard of jenkem, and I’m not sure I believe it is for real, but according to media reports, it is the name given to the hallucinogenic recreational drug made by fermenting human excrement. If nothing else, at least it is cheap to make.

Others might shudder at this new development, but I’ve learned to see opportunity where others do not: finally a topic that perfectly blends my own research interests with those of my father. Maybe we can co-author our first research article.