Drugs have kept both kids and adults busy for centuries, but psychedelics have recently come back into rotation.
On the NIH’s list of commonly used hallucinogens, magic mushrooms, LSD and salvia are classified as psychedelic drugs. Psychedelics are categorized as drugs that influence the brain’s chemical serotonin to produce visions and impact the senses.
The University of California, Riverside released an article in the spring of 2023 discussing the history of psychedelics. Their introduction came in 1943 when a Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann created LSD-25 for medicinal purposes. He ingested a large dose and, without realizing the impact, recorded the world’s first bad trip.
Hofmann’s passion was carried on by others. Researchers pushed for LSD to be considered a cure for alcohol addiction and magic mushrooms, also known as psilocybin, were used in consciousness experiments.
Not all were in favor of this research though. When psychedelics became a staple of counterculture in America, President Richard Nixon deemed LSD and psilocybin as Schedule 1 substances, meaning they had a potential for abuse and no recognized medicinal use.
While there was a huge push for psychedelics to be restricted, the FDA allowed studies of using MDMA, or ecstasy, to treat PTSD and psilocybin to treat depression.
“There is serious discussion about MDMA being removed from the list of Schedule 1 substances in 2024, with psilocybin possibly not far behind,” the article said.
Reveal published an article containing interviews with different people attending Psychedelic Science 2023, the largest conference centering on psychedelics. Interviewees included the leader of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a former governor of Texas, NFL quarterbacks and everyday people.
“Psychedelics were being talked about in hushed tones even a decade ago, but now they’re being publicly championed,” Reveal reporter Jonathan Davis said. “For a lot of people, they have gone from being just recreational drugs to actual medicines. These drugs have shown a lot of promise in treating some really challenging mental health issues, from depression and anxiety to PTSD and addiction.”
One group most in favor of psychedelic’s comeback is veterans. Disabled American Veterans (DAV) reviewed how veterans oftentimes have fewer suicidal thoughts after partaking in psychedelics. Jonathan Lubecky, a veteran who completed MDMA-assisted therapy in 2017, believes taking psychedelics saved his life.
“I’m one of the fortunate people on this planet who can say I’ve been healed of PTSD longer than I’ve actually had it,” Lubecky said.
Substances like MDMA have medical risks, but so do alcohol and tobacco. Psychedelics have started gaining support from the FDA and other organizations due to their ability to reconnect people with their sense of self. Taken in moderation, psychedelics can be an enhancement to life, not a hinderance.
