legalization of psychedelics

[yarkadin]

I'm not sure if this has been addressed before in these forums but I thought it might be an interesting and possibly even "fun" (!) topic:

What are the thoughts of those who have suffered life-long or long-term negative impacts of psychedelics (obviously, we are all biased to some degree) on the decriminalization of these substances in your respective countries? 

My own view and "two cents" is that this is a complicated subject and merits more than a simple "yes" or "no"... though I PERFECTLY understand those who would say "no", and to a degree (but not fully) I agree with them.  The problem, for us, is that the frequency of use of these drugs has a direct impact on the possibility of finding cures or medications to help ameliorate what we are going through.  I think that much should be obvious to everyone.  I also am able to understand and sympathize with those who have taken psychedelics  who were/are in crushing or potentially suicidal depression or other illness and claim that it helped them out when everything else failed.  Outside of various indigenous people who use them only because their families use them or its a part of their cultural or religious dogma, and thus unquestioned (a separate subject in itself), psychedelics clearly, obviously, have positive impacts on people using them voluntarily -- otherwise they would not be used as frequently as they are throughout the human population.  Not everyone has debilitating trauma or develops HPPD or flashback disorders.  I think far more people who use psychedelics have HPPD than we are led to believe but it is probably very mild for that majority (again, separate subject).

What I find frustrating is the kind of nonchalant way certain proponents of psychedelics talk about them, as if they are the least dangerous substances in the world akin to drinking fucking bottled water.  These people also tend to be, I have found, very loud and outspoken.  One thing I would impose here on a regulatory level would be like that of the pharmaceutical companies today with their television ads (do they do this anywhere outside of the USA?) that run through the 100 potential hazardous side-effects of taking their drugs.  Psychedelics are legal in many parts of the world.  They should definitely be regulated with concomitant and required educational programs.  NO ONE should be led by misinformation (as I have years ago) that psychedelics have no harmful nor long-term affects.  If a person wants to take a gamble with their life and try something out for no particular reason but to conquer their boredom (which, let's face it, is the case for many people who do psychedelics) with the knowledge that they may be stuck with DP/DR, tinnitus, palinopsia, visual snow and so forth to the grave, they SHOULD have full freedom to do so.  I'm a full-fledged "libertarian" in that regard... if the person taking the drug understands the risk, no matter how minimal, and wants to go ahead ANYWAY since the problem they are facing is so much greater, then all the more so.  And more power to them, by the way.

Back in the late 90s when this started for me there was far more reason to be ignorant of HPPD since the disease (to call it a disorder I think is to trivialize it) was less spoken of then and the internet was still in its Web 1.0 infancy.  I suspect now many people who are concerned are better informed, or at least have access to far more data mixed as it is with an unavoidable sea of misinformation.

Here is a resource (from the fucking horrible BBC) about where psychdelics are legalized presently: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240320-legal-status-of-psychedelics-around-the-world .  Zero mention of HPPD or flashbacks.  But hey, this is corporate media and the BBC so it's expected.

Edited August 3 by yarkadin

[brake]

I think it's crazy but to be fair it could be legal just with a warning label like cigarettes. Cigarettes obviously might cause lung and throat cancer but at least every pack has a warning label. I think psychedelics are 100% bad lol. So if they legalize it, it should come with serious warnings about visual snow syndrome and HPPD. Had I had warning labels of these disorders I personally would have never tried them.

[yarkadin]

I think that's a very good idea, actually, better than what I proposed with television ads -- go direct to the source and slap a big sticker on it.  This will only work if it is ever legalized and regulated.  I am pulling my hair out thinking about it because, like you, on a personal level I think psychedelics are 100% bad.  On the other level, where I try to be objective, I know there is pretty much ZERO chance we get any help on this unless it is legalized.  I was thinking the other day that if anyone finds a cure or at least some really helpful agent to cut on our symptoms, it will probably need to be a doctor with HPPD.  I don't know what Henry Abraham's story is... I asked him on the phone, back when he wasn't retired, if he took hallucinogens... which is about the last question you ever want to ask any doctor, I know, but I was young at the time...  Of course, he said "no".  I think he was lying to me.

Anyway, going back to what i was saying, I agree with you 100% - if there was warning label, I would NEVER have tried LSD.  I had a few people over the years ask me about this and after I told them the risk, they declined to try it out.  Well, it's nice to know I made an impact in that way.

Following up on people with severe depression taking hallucinogens to help cure their symptoms -- to me it makes as much sense as drinking bleach to cure Covid like Trump suggested - but I'm telling you, I have read from people in deep slumps taking hallucingoens and claiming they got better.  I don't know how long that transition lasted or if it was ultimately worth it but at least such stories do exist or these dope doctors wouldn't be using it to treat depression or PTSD.  It's absolutely pure insanity to me to treat PTSD with hallucinogens.

[brake]

Yes I am also a libertarian but libertarians are about improving quality of life, not using violence, rehabilitating people instead of punishing them, freedom, non interventionalism, etc. I feel like psychedelics don't improve quality of life but as long as they aren't fatal they can't be illegal I guess. Yes if someone wants to take psychedelics and wants to have visual snow and HPPD then I guess he or she should have the right to do it. But if you don't want that, then you should know and be made aware. I had a few therapists admit to me that they tried psychedelics without any harm done to their mental health. I also try to spread the word and tell people to never try psychedelics. Treating PTSD with psychedelics seems stupid when you can get PTSD from using psychedelics. Supposedly there is a functioning doctor with visual snow but I'm not sure if it's Dr. Rupa Wong. I forgot who it was.