Yet there’s still the nagging sense that he’s benefiting from these hypocrisies: that he enjoys a freedom of self-tinkering and contemplation that is not universally applied
This sentence points out a key contradiction in Pollan’s position. While he criticizes the drug war, the author suggests Pollan can explore drugs safely because of his social privilege, something many people, especially those targeted by drug laws, don’t have. It highlights how personal freedom around drug use is uneven and shaped by race, class, and power, not just individual choice.