People have a tendency of being scared of the unknown and because of this they carry many misconceptions and are often times in denial when the facts do not conform to their ideas. One such misconception is the effects of psychedelics such as LSD and magic mushrooms (psilocybin). The government has not helped in this area and has successfully led a misinformation campaign against these drugs. As the drugs became used more and more recreationally it was associated with hippies, the “counter- cultural revolution” and Vietnam protests which the government used as an excuse to label the drugs and those who used it as harmful and a detriment to society. LSD, and magic mushrooms among other psychedelics have been labeled as a schedule 1 drug meaning that it is an extremely dangerous substance with no known medical usage, although studies prior to the 70’s there were hundreds of academic papers investigating the potential to treat depression, addiction, and even headaches. Heroin on the other hand which is highly addictive and lethal is a schedule 2 drug because it has pain- killing effects.

Before the governments crusade against psychedelics, LSD was given to patients undergoing psychotherapy and was an effective treatment for depression, although the studies at the time were mostly just observations and no concrete scientific research was done. Addiction on the other hand was researched thoroughly and a study in the 50’s and 60’s proved that LSD was extremely effective in alcohol addiction treatment resulting in 59% of the participants reporting lower level of alcohol abused as opposed to the 38% who received the placebo. Magic mushrooms as well have been shown to help cigarette smokers stop with an 80% success rate, much higher than the 35% that stop off the best smoking cessation drugs on the market. A study on the effects of magic mushrooms on depression done recently yielded results that showed how psilocybin helped suppress the part of the brain that is linked to introspection and obsessive thinking, which leads to depression.

An even more recent study in Switzerland was done to see if LSD could be used to help people come to better terms with their impending death in terminally ill patients. 12 terminally ill patients were split into 2 groups one that was dosed with high amounts of LSD while the other was dosed with extremely low amounts. The results were intriguing and it was found that the group that had taken the high dosage saw positive effects on their anxiety levels. The lSD which made new connections in the patients brain is said to have made a large impact on how patients think and successfully helped them spiritually and physically come to terms with dying. Though research on these drugs is still scarce and is being hampered by government policies, hopefully the continuing efforts of scientists around the world can bring the truth of psychedelics to light and use them in the future to benefit our society.

works cited
Derbyshire, David. “Healing Trip: How Psychedelic Drugs Could Help Treat Depression.” The Guardian. N.p., 5 Oct. 2014. Web. 15 May 2015.

Thomas, Emily. “First LSD Study In 40 Years Shows Promising Medical Uses.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 06 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 May 2015.