Exploring the science of psychelics

Psychedelics have been around since the beginning of civilization, but have waxed and waned in use and popular opinion over the years. While traditionally used in ancient times during religious rituals, we now tend to associate psychedelic use with the counter culture of the youth in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the United Nations created a treaty banning the use or distribution of psychotropic drugs. The US adopted this treaty and shortly thereafter psychedelics became a Schedule I drug. Then, after twenty years of silence on psychedelics, a few studies began to look at how these substances could help patients in a way, beyond the capabilities of traditional medicine. Works Cited  Sayin, H.Umit. “The Consumption of Psychoactive Plants During Religious Rituals: The Roots of Common Symbols and Figures in Religions and Myths.” NeuroQuantology , vol. 12, no. 2, June 2014, pp. 276–296. EBSCOhost , doi:10.14704/nq.2014.12.2.753.

Though many forms of psychedelics and hallucinogens have been used traditionally for centuries, psychedelics first entered the mainstream cultural awareness in the 1960s. However, their use was associated with the counterculture of the time. In 1968 the possession of LSD was made illegal and for almost 50 years now, psychedelics have been lumped into an ongoing “war on drug” started by President Nixon in 1971. Stories of trips gone wrong and untrue urban legends regarding psychedelics have been spread for dozens of years. The conversation around psychedelics is beginning to shift, however, and promising research has come out about possible therapeutic uses of these psychedelic compounds. 

Conversations around psychedelics tend to revolve around the counterculture of the 1960s, the music and art they've influenced, and stories of bizarre trips. However, a new conversation about psychedelics is emerging. Promising research has come out showing that psychedelics can be an effective treatment for conditions such as addiction and depression, as well as helping terminal cancer patients come to terms with the inevitability of their own death. This semester, I plan to dive deep into this research explore how psychedelics can be used as medicine.