Should Psychedelic Drugs Be Legalized Persuasive Essay Sample

Could drugs really be the answer? Many individuals use prescription drugs daily without thinking that they are still drugs. The illegality of some drugs may just be the result of a lack of research done by professionals. Psychedelic drugs should be put in this list. Psychedelics are deemed to be mostly advantageous in treating mental illness and overall mental wellness especially in a controlled setting. Psychedelic therapy is the combination of the use of psychedelic drugs and talk therapy to better treat patients with mental illnesses. Whether you believe that all drugs are bad or psychedelics are the answer to everything, I believe psychedelic drugs should be legalized for medical treatment and psychedelic therapy. 

LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, and DMT all belong under the psychedelic category of drugs. They all contain a different psychoactive chemical that reacts very uniquely with the brain as compared to other drugs. All of these psychoactive drugs have very similar effects. When referring to one psychedelic drug, you could almost substitute one for another. Although I will be focusing mostly on LSD, the research I have collected may go over the other three drugs I have listed. 

“Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a semisynthetic product of lysergic acid, a natural substance from the parasitic rye fungus Claviceps purpurea” (Passie 2). Its psychoactive effects were discovered in 1943 by Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist (Garcia-Romeu 4). “In 1966, LSD was placed into the most restrictive drug control schedule, and since that time there have been no human studies about the effects of LSD on the human brain” (Passie 62). We see here that there hasn't been much research done with LSD or any psychedelics for that matter. How are people supposed to know that a drug is beneficial or not without the extensive research it needs? Regardless, there have been a few studies in that time span of over seventy-five years. 

You may have your doubts. Psychedelics are still drugs, and drugs kill, right?  Well, strangely enough, there have been no reported deaths due to the ingestion of the stated drugs with the exception of MDMA. Even when a few individuals took astronomically high doses of LSD, they did not pass from it. Dr. Torsten Passie, a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and a professor at Hannover Medical School, states “There have been no documented human deaths from an LSD overdose. Eight individuals who accidentally consumed a very high dose of LSD intranasally … had plasma levels of 1000-7000μg per 100mL blood plasma and suffered from comatose states, hyperthermia, vomiting, light gastric bleeding, and respiratory problems. However, all survived with hospital treatment and without residual effects” (Passie 19). As far as we know, it’s basically impossible to actually overdose on LSD. These eight individuals took well over fifty times the amount of a single-dose. Other individuals claim to have even taken more than what these eight took. These side effects that they suffer from can also be prevented when in a monitored setting, with a psychiatrist present, and taken strictly to treat a mental illness as my argument suggests. The safety of drugs is unfortunately often left in the hands of the individual. Although LSD seems to be one of the safest illegal drugs. 

The whole simplified process of psychedelic therapy is quite simple. You take the drug which dampens old ways of thinking. This is great for things like addiction or major depression. It then opens your mind to new ways of thinking and functioning. This, all combined with a psychologist guiding you in the right direction, proves wonders in most patients. Many individuals who take regular medication sometimes struggle with finding the right medication that actually works for them because everybody is different. However, psychedelic therapy is deemed to work in even healthy patients that want better overall mental wellness. “Other work during the 1960s also explored psychedelics' ability not only to help alleviate clinical syndromes such as addiction and depression, but to enhance creativity, spirituality, and optimal functioning in healthy individuals…” (Garcia-Romeu 16). 

Most psychedelics affect the brain all in a similar way in terms of treating mental illness. “He describes psychedelic therapy as more similar to psychotherapy than a course of treatment with most psychiatric medicines. When used for addiction, for example, pharmaceuticals act as a substitute for the desired substance, blunting withdrawal. But psychedelics provoke self-reflection, which is what psychotherapy aims to do, he says” (Landau 10). “He” is Matthew Johnson, Ph.D., who is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. The main idea here is that psychedelic therapy is more like psychotherapy, or a monitored therapy session, rather than a psychiatrist who just prescribes the drug to treat yourself. Psychedelic therapy uses talk therapy with the combination of psychedelics. Johnson also stated that psychedelics promote self-reflection which is one of the main goals of a normal psychotherapy session. This seems to be the biggest part of psychedelics. “Psychedelics also seem to dampen brain regions known as the default mode network that in part help maintain our sense of self. This could explain why many participants relax long-held beliefs and are open to new ways of thinking about themselves and their problems” (Landau 9-10). These drugs dampen old ways of thinking almost way too easily and open your eyes to new ways of thinking. This is great for realizing and overcoming problems associated with an individual. “The combination of drug administration embedded within talk therapy was meant to help process the psychedelic experience and achieve novel insights into the patient’s condition, and accompanying improvements in mood, mental functioning, and behavior. This approach showed promise in treating alcoholism and opioid dependence, as well as mood and anxiety issues…” (Garcia-Romeu 15). This implies that if the psychologist knows what they are doing in regards to psychedelics, it can treat bad habits, behavioral issues, and anxiety issues. They can really treat a lot. Based on how psychedelics work, you can even treat issues without the guidance of a psychologist if you know how it works. “However, patients sometimes report a sense of being drawn into or guided towards ‘necessary’ experiences, bearing the notion of an ‘inner therapist’...” (Wolff 22). If you are aware of psychedelic culture and terminology, psychedelics take you on a trip and show you what you need to be shown in order to grow from it. Psychologists may not always be readily available especially for this type of thing, so treating yourself may even work on its own. 

Would psychedelic therapy work for everybody? The simple answer is no, but it would work for most. Just like how certain medications work for some people and don’t for others, psychedelic therapy is the same. People are different, and therefore, may not work for some. The majority of people, though, would benefit from it which is even shown in healthy individuals. The safety of psychedelics were already covered earlier. The use of these drugs are completely safe with the exception of MDMA which may be life threatening in rare cases. Again, the safety of drugs is in the hands of the user. However, this can be prevented with the presence of a psychologist.