For the Past 45yrs or so Hallucinogenic drugs have been getting a bad rap, some of it for good reasons and some of it not. Most of the time when people think about Hallucinogens their view is either black or white. Up until I had my first life changing experience with psychedelics I was one of the people who viewed them in a negative way. It wasn't until psychedelics freed me from the chains of Heroin Addiction that I started to see them in a different light. I haven't moved completely over to the white camp since I believe there are still some negative aspects to psychs. So in this post I want to try to open up a discussion on the Grey side of psychedelics. I want to show that there are medicinal values to these drugs but there are also reasons for caution.
Legality Of Psychedelics
All of the popular Hallucinogenic drugs (LSD, Psilocybin Mushrooms, Peyote, Ayahuasca) have a Schedule 1 Classification on the DEAs banned substance list. What this means is that drugs in this category:
- have a high potential for abuse
- have no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States
- have a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision
Except as specifically authorized, it is illegal for any person:
- to manufacture, distribute, or dispense, or possess with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense, a controlled substance
- to create, distribute, or dispense, or possess with intent to distribute or dispense, a counterfeit substance.
Types of Halucinogens: Psychedelics, Dissociatives and Deliriants
Psychedelic Drugs
Psychedelics is a term used for a variety of chemical compounds with a variety of Psychoactive effects. There are Three sub-groups of Psychedelics, Cannabinoids, Empathogens and Sertonergic Drugs.
Cannabinoids- Are psychoactive compounds that act on the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. This receptor controls the release of certain neurotransmitters that can alter the perception of things like pain, time and hunger. THC, CBD, CBN and THC-A are some of the well known Cannabinoids.
Empathogens - are a class of psychedelic drugs that release serotonin and produce experiences of oneness, emotional openness and empathy. MDMA(Ecstasy), MDPV and MDA are some of the famous drugs in this category.
Sertonergic Drugs- Are known to inhibit the re-uptake of serotonin and cause alterations of perception like, Auditory and visual hallucinations, synesthesia and unusual thought patterns. LSD, DMT, Psilocybin and Mescaline are the well known Sertonergic Psychedelics.
Dissociatives
Dissociatives work as antagonists of the NMDA receptors in the brain. These drugs may cause perceptual alterations similar to the Psychedelics but the distinguishing feature of these drugs is that they produce feelings of depersonalization (Being Disconnected with ones body) and derealization (perception that ones reality isn't real). Some of the well known Dissociative drugs include Ketamine, Ibogaine, DXM(cough medicine) and PCP.
Deliriants
Are a type of Hallucinogen that are anti-cholinergic. What this means is that they prevent or block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from binding to certain receptors in the central nervous system and the brain. The distinguishing feature of these types of hallucinogens is that they cause a state of delirium rather than the lucid states of other hallucinogens. Atropine, Scopolamine and Diphenhydramine(Benadryl) are some of the drugs in this class.
The one thing all these drugs have in common is that they distort the perception of reality in some way. Some do this more than others but these drugs can be very dangerous if one decides to operate heavy machinery or not have a "Trip Sitter" when they are doing them.
I met a guy that did shrooms once and when he was hallucinating he decided to try to cut his throat. He cut one side down to the aorta but passed out from the blood loss before he could get to the other side. They got him to the hospital and he lived but that always stuck out to me that someone would try that when they do psychedelics. I'm not sure if it was the Shrooms alone because this guy was also a crack head so it might have been a combination of the 2 that caused an adverse reaction. But what is certain is that his reality was distorted so much that he was not able to realize the gravity of what he was doing.
The Medicinal Value and Abuse Potential
This isn't something I'm proud of but I've done a lot of different drugs in my life. I've pretty much done all of the major hard drugs heroin, cocaine, meth, oxycontin and benzos. I can't say that I've done all the drugs in this article but I've done a couple from each category. So I'm going to talk about the medicinal benefits of these drugs and give my personal opinion on the addiction potential from my experiences.
- Cannabinoids- The Medical Benefits of cannabinoids range from the inhibition of bacterial growth to reducing or eliminating seizures. The best researched medical benefits include pain relief, suppression of nausea, anxiety relief and anti-insomnia. Cannabinoids are some of the most researched Hallucinogens and have some of the most medicinal benefits of them all. Cannabis can be addicting but not nearly as bad as the hard drugs. I use cannabis from time to time and when I run out its no big deal I can always wait to get more and withdrawal effects aren't even noticeable.
- Medicinal Rating 7/10
- Abuse Potential Low-Moderate 3-5/10
- Empathogens- Most of the Medicinal value of these drugs are therapeutic. MDMA can help open a person up so one can unlock the full potential of psychiatric treatment. I've done Ectacy and from my experiences i'd say that it has a moderate abuse potential. Out of all the drugs on this list of hallucinogens ecstasy produces the most desirable effects. Euphoria is high and its stimulating making it a popular party drug. The withdrawal effects are noticeable with and can cause depression, anxiety and lethargy. I don't find it too hard to stop but some people commit suicide from the depression so it can potentially do more harm than good.
- Medicinal Rating 3/10
- Abuse Potential Moderate-High 5-7/10
- Sertonergic drugs like Psilocybin or LSD have potential at treating chronic depression, Alcoholism and PTSD. I've done shrooms a handful of times and the effects can make you giggly or completely blow your mind. I've never really had a bad trip but it is possible to get one if you are In the wrong set or setting. Addiction potential of these drugs are low. when most people do these drugs they usually never want to do them again but I've found the effects pleasant and put me in a happier mood for weeks after I do them even if the trip wasn't that desirable.
- Medicinal Rating 6/10
- Abuse Potential Low 3/10
- Dissociatives Have been found to be very good at treating addiction and chronic pain. In the Case of Ketamine it can also be used as an anesthetic. I've undergone Ibogaine treatment for the heroin addiction I once had and let me tell you this drug is amazing. Not only did it feel like my brain was "reset" to its normal pre-drug functioning but it also causes a great deal of introspection so you can see all the things that you need to change in order to live a healthier life. I give these drugs a high medicinal rating only because they treat things that do not currently have an effective treatment. Until Ibogaine there was nothing that can eliminate heroin withdrawal except to continue the use of heroin or other opiate drugs.
- Medicinal Rating 8/10
- Abuse Potential Low-Moderate 3-4/10
- Deliriants The medical benefits of these drugs range from eye care to anti-histamines. Benadryll would be the only drug in this class I've done but never at the doses that would cause hallucinations. Users of Sertonergic Psychedelics usually report euphoric spiritual experiences but users of Deliriants almost universally report unpleasant undesirable effects.
- Medicinal Rating 3/10
- Abuse Potential Extremely Low 1/10