Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analyzed data from a US National Health Survey. The total sample population was 135,095, which included 19,299 users of psychedelic drugs. The purpose of the study was to determine whether use of psychedelic drugs led to future mental health problems. As reported in McNamee’s article, the study was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Lead authors of the study were clinical psychologist Pål-Ørjan Johansen and neuroscientist Teri Krebs. Johansen provided the summary of the study results.
Over 30 million US adults have tried psychedelics and there just is not much evidence of health problems.
Co-author Krebs compared the relative effects of LSD and psilocybin with alcohol and other drugs on mental health.
Drug experts consistently rank LSD and psilocybin mushrooms as much less harmful to the individual user and to society compared to alcohol and other controlled substances.
The focus of the study was to determine whether prior use of LSD and psilocybin had negative effects in the areas of psychological distress, depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts, including planning or attempting to commit suicide. The study concluded that there was no evidence that the psychedelic drugs generally created any of these problems.
There is always a risk of a “bad trip” when using psychedelic drugs. People with a prior history of mental illness should act with caution before ingesting psychedelic drugs. A useful analogy is that taking an effective dose of LSD, psilocybin or other psychedelics is like getting on an airplane traveling from Boston to London. You can’t get off the plane during the flight, and you can’t get off the drug trip for a comparable amount of time.
Johansen and Krebs found that psychedelic drugs could decrease the risk of mental health problems for some conditions and some patients. These finding are not an endorsement for self-medication for mental health treatment. The study cautions that individual results may vary when psychedelic drugs are ingested.
Herman Hesse wrote the novel Steppenwolf in 1929. For those that have not read the novel, Cliffs Notes provides a summary of the novel. The cover of the novel showed a theater door. The caption was
This is sage advice for those readers that are contemplating the use of psychedelic drugs as a method of expanding consciousness. There may be serious effects that should be considered. This is not for everybody.
The final conclusion of Johansen and Krebs research is in the area of public policy. They feel that prohibition of the use of psychedelic drugs because of mental health issues is not justified.
Given the history of the DEA on prohibiting the use of marijuana and psychedelic drugs, any change in public policy is unlikely for psychedelic drugs. The legalization of marijuana has become a monetary issue, and the states are driving the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use.
