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In the Dune series by Frank Herbert, at what age would people not from Arrakis (eg. Members of a Great House/aristocracy or the rich) start taking Melange? As it has geriatric properties to extend the life span of the user, would you wait until post 20s so you prolong at a mature stage or if you started say pre-teen would you still go through puberty at a normal rate?

If I remember correctly Paul Atreides hadn't taken​ Melange before arriving on Arrakis and he is 15 at the start of the series.

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  • IIRC, Spice wasn't commonly taken by people that weren't training to be navigators, no? I expect there might be some recreational use in the upper class. but I had the impression it was a thing people knew about, but did not use.
    – VBartilucci
    Mar 8, 2019 at 16:05
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    @VBartilucci yes the Guild use it as do the Bene Gesserit but most of not all of the Great Houses were using it mainly for its life prolonging qualities.
    – Seamusthedog
    Mar 8, 2019 at 18:41
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    Given that Fremen children and other children on Arrakis develop normally, it's most likely a matter of expense, and not being necessary. Agree that late 20s, early 30s would be when consumption would begin.
    – WillAdams
    Jun 14, 2019 at 19:30
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    Whenever they get left alone at home for the first time and find their parents stash?
    – Forral
    Jun 19, 2019 at 21:57
  • This is never covered in the book series, so there is no canonical answer. But there is the line "on some worlds a handful could buy a house." This gives us some idea of price, and thus availability to a common user. But is still very unclear, given that on our world the price of a house can range a thousandfold from one country to the next.
    – CaptainSkyfish
    Aug 6, 2021 at 22:00

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