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
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