An Argument for the Legalization of Psychedelics for Medical Use
Thanks to the counterculture movement of the 1960s and the recent psychedelic renaissance within neo-spiritual movements, the therapeutic value of psychedelics has been eclipsed by stereotypes.
It was these very stereotypes that led to the criminalization of psychedelic use in the first place. In their article Psychedelics: Where We Are Now, Why We Got Here, What Must We Do, Sean J. Belouin and Jack E. Henningfield explain that the political and cultural reaction to the intertwining of psychedelics in American counterculture movements of the 1960s resulted in the United States Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970. The CSA “codified harsh penalties for manufacture, possession, and use of many psychedelics, which hindered their research and medicinal development” (Belouin et al, 2018, p.9). As a result of the CSA of 1970 and subsequent political campaigns designed to stamp out drug use in the United States, psychedelics have gained an “unfavorable reputation among numerous political and medical leaders” (Belouin et al, 2018, p.9).
Tossing Out the Psychedelic Stereotype
However, recent research in the psychiatric use of psychedelic substances has challenged the assumptions of the public and lawmakers alike regarding psychedelic substances including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Although some may still be wary of these compounds, psychedelics are non-habit-forming and relatively safe. Legalizing psychedelics for medical use will provide new remedies for common mental illnesses and protect the rights of Americans to use mind-altering substances in their pursuit of happiness.
Despite sensational reports in the media, LSD, Psilocybin, and MDMA are not dangerous substances. According to Daiv Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at the Imperial College of London, “It’s virtually impossible to die from an overdose of them; they cause no physical harm; and if anything they are anti-addictive, as they cause a sudden tolerance which means that if you immediately take another dose it will probably have very little effect” (Nutt, 2012, p. 254).
Given that psychedelics do not carry the risk of harmful side effects or the perils of addiction, they are substantially safer than other mood-altering substances like alcohol and nicotine that are legal in all US states. In the case of psychiatric use of psychedelics, doses are administered in a clinical setting monitored by a mental health professional even further reducing the risk of misuse. While many commonly prescribed psychiatric medications cause negative side effects and dependence, no such effects occur with the use of psychedelics.
Much of the public concern surrounding the use of psychedelics results from a fear of the irrational or dangerous behaviors of individuals under the influence; fear that the user might hurt themselves or someone else while using the drug. However, in 2015, an article titled Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study discussed the use of psilocybin in the Netherlands where magic mushrooms are legal for recreational use. The article reported that even in a country that sells hundreds of thousands of mushrooms each year, the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) found that “injuries related to psychedelics are extremely rare” (Johansen and Krebs, 2015, 275).
Far from being detrimental to health, recent studies strongly suggest that psychedelics show promise for the betterment of individuals suffering from common mental illnesses. In the past decade, significant research has been performed to support the use of psychedelics in mental health treatment. Beginning again in the 1990s and early 2000s, the body of clinical research has shown that clinically administered psychedelics integrated with psychotherapy is effective in treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction (Belouin et al, 2018).
Combining psychedelics with psychotherapy is referred to as Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) and is effective even when more traditional psychiatric interventions have failed to relieve the suffering of patients. Psilocybin has even been shown to reduce alcohol and tobacco dependence (Thrul & Garcia-Romeu, 2021). Notably, the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) “designated MDMA as a ‘breakthrough therapy’ based on its use in assisting psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD” (Reiff et all, 2020).
Criminalization of Psychedelics as a Restriction on Human Rights
Restricting the use of a drug with such profound mental health benefits has been interpreted by many as a violation of fundamental human rights. For example, in his book Drug Use for Grown-Ups, psychologist Carl Hart of Columbia University explains that negative media reports and the criminalization of drug use, in general, interfere with the fundamental right of all Americans to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.
Surely for individuals suffering from the crippling psychological maladies of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, to restrict them from access to a substance that offers the promise of relieving their symptoms because of drug laws drafted in reaction to societal changes decades ago seems like an unnecessary restriction. The legalization of psychedelics is in the human interest of thousands of Americans who are currently denied their freedom to choose whether or not to use LSD, psilocybin, or MDMA in their “pursuit of happiness”.
Some may still be fearful of the dramatic perceptual changes induced by psychedelic substances. However, in 2013 LSD and psilocybin resulted in only 4,819 emergency room visits nationwide in 2013, compared to over 258,000 from heroin and 455,000 because of marijuana (Huber, 2021). Additionally, the legalization of psychedelics as medicine would result in far less risk because of the continuous monitoring of clinical professionals during use. Although the consciousness-altering effects of psychedelics are indeed profound, they are harmless.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in twenty US adults faces the debilitating effects of serious mental illness. Despite their historical marginalization, psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA could relieve the symptoms of mental illness for millions of Americans.
Rather than restricting access to the healing properties of these substances, it is time to give more attention to amending legislation and legalizing psychedelics for psychiatric use.
References:
Belouin, S., Henningfield, J. (2018) Psychedelics: Where we are now, why we got here, what we must do, Neuropharmacology, Volume 142, 2018, Pages 7-19, doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.02.018.
Hubert, Bridget (2021) What do we know about the risks of psychedelics. Retrieved from https:// michaelpollan.com/psychedelics-risk-today/
Johansen, Pål-Ørjan, and Teri Suzanne Krebs. “Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study.” Journal of Psychopharmacology 29.3 (2015): 270-279.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (2021) Mental health by the numbers. Retrieved from: https://nami.org/mhstats
Reiff, C. M., Richman, E. E., Nemeroff, C. B., Carpenter, L. L., Widge, A. S., Rodriguez (2020). Psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 177(5), 391-410.
Thrul, J., Garcia-Romeu, A. (2021) Whitewashing psychedelics: racial equity in the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted mental health research and treatment, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 28:3, 211-214, DOI: 10.1080/09687637.2021.1897331
