One Word for the Future of Psychedelics: Legal

Although Timothy Leary’s infamous mantra, “Turn on, tune in, and drop out,” may echo through the minds of Baby Boomers, Nancy Reagan rolling in her grave all the while, you heard correct. With the help of research projects at the Imperial College of London, UCLA, NYU, John Hopkins, etc., and the pioneering/lobbying institution MAPS, the future of psychedelics is bright. At a Google company lecture in March of 2016, MAPS founder Rick Doblin predicted MDMA’s legalization for medical/psychotherapeutic purposes (a move from schedule 1 to schedule 2) as early as 2021. Other groundbreaking medical research trials, specifically those studying psilocybin effects on cancer patients, imply legalization’s inevitability. But before delving into medicinal benefits and mental health treatments, the driving forces behind legalization’s rational, let’s cover the basics.

What Are Psychedelics?

Psychedelics are a classification of min-altering substances most often associated with an altering of consciousness.

Psychedelics include but are not limited to:

mescaline (peyote);

psilocybin (magic mushrooms);

lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD;

3,4-Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine or MDMA (ecstasy/molly);

and finally dimethyltryptamine or DMT (ayahuasca/ibogaine or iboga/”the toad”).

There’s also debate regarding ketamine, marijuana, kava or yaqona, and 2cb, however the classics are those listed above.

A Brief History

Sweeping legislation banned LSD and psilocybin during the 70’s, with MDMA following suit in 1985 during America’s “War On Drugs,” however shamanistic cultures – most notably in the Andes, Amazon, South Africa, and Central America – have used psychedelics for consciousness expansion, coming-of-age rituals, and as conduits for mystical experiences for centuries. During the 1950’s, major institutions including Harvard conducted open and shameless clinical studies on LSD and psilocybin. It wasn’t until Timothy Leary’s dethronement from Harvard’s academic circle in the mid 60’s, on account of proliferating anti-war propaganda, that LSD and “magic mushrooms” became household names and then cultural taboos. Researchers and “psychonauts” were forced to go into hiding, taking their operations, research, and therapy underground. Yet, baby step by baby step, the psychedelic renascence blossomed and the early 2000’s the world witnessed a resurgence research involving psychedelics and their effects on the brain, mental illness, and quality of live.

The Movement

The findings from psychedelic studies all across the world, in America, Canada, and Europe specifically, have shocked the medical community and mollified great governing bodies (i.e. the DEA and FDA). At NYU and John Hopkins, psilocybin was used to help terminal cancer patients better cope with the existential crisis of death, and in some cases, completely eliminate fear associated with mortality all together. MDMA was shown to reduce or eliminate PTSD in a case-study population by 56% post psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, versus 23% from the control group that was not administered MDMA. The Imperial College of London studied the brains of individuals under the influence of psychedelics and found a significant quieting in the “default mode network” of the brain and subsequent increases in communication between regions that don’t normally connect, raising questions about neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. For those of that aren’t neuroscientists, the DMN is the part of the brain that takes over when we go on “autopilot” or is most commonly referred to as “the ego,” and is often found to be hyperactive in patients with depression and OCD. The Imperial College of London went on to apply these findings to clinical trials, dosing treatment-resistant depression patients with psilocybin, only to find awe-inspiring results. Out of a small population size, more than 70% of patients reported a reduction or elimination of their symptoms post trial.

Although psychedelics have somewhat of a reputation – party drugs that bring about festival adventures and heightened live set experiences, or on the other hand dangerous concoctions that can overheat, dehydrate, and in severe cases cause mental breakdowns – they’re clearly so much more. Mounting credence within the academic community – among scientists, psychologists, researchers, etc. – could potentially change perceptions, not to ramp up the party or to foster abuse, but to save lives. Improving the quality of life of those suffering from existential crises like death, depression, OCD, anxiety and so much more could do breathlessly spectacular things for this world, for the healing of the sick and for the betterment of the well. In the words of Rick Doblin, “Psychedelics, when used wisely, have the potential to help heal us, help inspire us, and perhaps even to help save us.”

For independent research purposes, the following links are great places to start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZIaTaNR3gk

https://www.instagram.com/paulstamets/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076GPJXWZ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

https://www.dosedmovie.com/