This episode is brought to you by Ayahuasca!
Hey there day trippers, Jules here for Dnews.
In 1971, Richard Nixon started what many called the war on drugs in the United States, cracking
down on illegal narcotics and, quote, “tighten[ing] the noose around the necks of drug peddlers.”
The same year, the United Nations enacted a treaty designed to ban psychotropic substances..
Nonetheless a number of illegal drugs can, were, and are still used recreationally and
as medicine.
And one of the most widely debated categories of drugs, in this respect, is psychedelics.
Just to be clear, a psychedelic is a drug which most often works by activating serotonin
receptors, causing changes in cognition and perception.
This is similar to the effects found in activities like meditation, dreaming, even having a near-death
experience.
And in fact, this dramatic shift in perception is not necessarily a bad thing.
For centuries psychedelics have been used in medical treatments and religious ceremonies.
Native Americans have used, and continue to use psychotropic cactuses, called peyote,
which contain a chemical called “mescaline”.
Anecdotally, it is a successful treatment for alcoholism, and other addictions.
The indigenous people of Mexico’s preferred religious drug is psilocybin mushrooms, and
in South America, a drink called “Ayahusaca” contains a very strong hallucinogen called
DMT.
And while the merits of drug-use are up for debate, we at DNews certainly do not encourage
you to experiment; the fact that they are illegal means that these claims are incredibly
difficult to verify.
Until very recently, many illegal drugs were also effectively impossible to legally procure
for scientists to study, so while politicians can demonize all drugs as the same, science
has been unable to fire back with much proof.
Although the 1950s through 1970s saw a flurry of government sponsored studies on LSD and
other psychedelics, many were dismissed as unscientific, or done illegally in secret.
One study in 1969 did find that when autistic and schizophrenic children were given LSD
and psilocybin, they consistently found improved speech behavior in mute children, increased
emotional responsiveness, happier moods, and less compulsive behavior.
And some researchers have found clever ways to study the effects of psychedelics without
actually having it.
In 2012, two Norwegian scientists did a meta-analysis of existing studies on LSD use and alcoholism.
These studies were completed between 1966 and 1970, before the United Nations called
for the global ban.
Essentially, the scientists were examining the progress of alcoholics at inpatient clinics,
some of whom were given a small dose of LSD.
The researchers found that 59% of those who had taken it decreased their alcohol consumption,
compared to 38% of those patients who did not take LSD.
Additionally, they found that the LSD patients were 15% more likely to stay sober after leaving
the clinic.
In recent years, more and more studies have been able to be performed with psychedelics,
particularly psilocybin mushrooms.
One ongoing study out of NYU is looking at their effects on treat cancer patients with
anxiety.
For many terminal patients, providing palliative care can be of the utmost importance, and
it’s been shown that psychedelics do seem to ease this form of anxiety.
In the past few years, several other studies have shown that psilocybin can induce a mystical
or spiritual experience, which can be a method of dealing with cancer patient psychosocial
distress.
And in a more recent study released in 2015, Brazilian researchers gave patients with depression
the drink Ayahuasca.
They found that not only did their depression decrease almost immediately, but that it remained
that way for the following few weeks.
To be absolutely fair, the study has little external validity, as the sample size was
only six volunteers, and there was no control group to compare to.
Of course, the difficulty in studying psychedelics hasn’t stop people from self-medicating
outside of an appropriate scientific and medical setting.
This can lead to less than optimal reactions and adverse effects.
So although we here at DNews cannot in good conscience promote drug use, we do promote
scientific research, so in that light, I say: let’s legalize psychedelics.
For science.
[SPONSOR/AD READ] In addition to testing drugs on human, scientists
have also tested drugs on rats.
If you’re into rats, you might want to watch the documentary RATS on Discovery Go.
Download the Discovery Go app for free at your app store or check out the link below
to learn more.
Interestingly, scientists still don’t completely understand how and why psychedelics affect
the brain, but you can hear about some ideas about how LSD affects the brain in this video.
So what do you think, should psychedelics be made legal to study?
Let us know down below in the comments and don't forget to like and subscribe to DNews
for more episodes every day.