How Would Hedonists View a Hypothetical "Perfect Drug"?

Question

If there exists a "perfect" drug that could safely reproduce the exact same experience as the greatest happiness and pleasure possible for a specific candidate in every respect (hedonic, cognitive, etc.) without reducing the probability of future happiness (no associated negative risks or increases in risks), are there any negatives for this candidate in choosing this drug over more "natural" processes of happiness and pleasure (such as through relationships, eating, listening to music, etc.) according to a hedonist?

The only argument from hedonism I have seen against drugs is drug's negative instrumentality. How then would a hedonist argue against drugs if instrumentality was not an issue? This is a purely hypothetical situation, as there does not yet exist a "perfect" drug. However, this situation does feel similar to the situation where a person is capable of abusing drugs with a low probability of any negative outcomes. It seems difficult for a hedonist to argue against occasional, recreational drug use when the probability of negative outcomes is very low.

Answer 1

Well, first thing you need to know is what kind of hedonism are we talking about, and secondly if these drugs have negative repercussions on the future of the person taking the drug. From these two perspectives we get two different answers.

In the first case you can argue than the hedonism you practice doesn't mean full pleasure, all the time, for example the Epicureism prefer take a great pleasure with less future potential pain than one with a enormous amount of pleasure, but with a high rate to suffer in the future, while a Lucrece hedonism will be prefer the quantity against the quality, and take these drugs without thinking about any consequences, because only the present matters (more or less, it's not exactly like that).

In the second case, and if you choose an other type of hedonism, it will be in term of closeness the utilitarianism of rule.

So, for example you can argue the impossibility to perpetuate the pleasure for maximum of persons around you, and to create a more long term happiness, because if you depend on that drug, you need it, so you can live without this.

In other term you life will be based in this drug, and from another perspective if you depend of this drug, all the happiness created by it, it's only a illusion, and that mean as a long term you not sure if this drug will do the same effect on you, and also if this kind of happiness it's only possible because in this moment you are not you, and as a consequence it's not your life but the life of yourself drugged.