One dose of LSD in a clinical trial significantly improved anxiety and lasted for 12 weeks, convincing the FDA to give the drug a breakthrough therapy designation.
in a controlled environment. There’s plenty of people who would not benefit from popping an LSD tab with no sense of set or setting
I’m all for therapeutic use of psychedelics, but most people I know would end up worse after trying LSD without having the right sitter and a planned trip session
I've always been very empathetic, but a few imperfect acid/mushroom experiences deepened my understanding of empathy and highlighted the significant energy expenditure that comes with it—an aspect I continue to manage carefully to this day. I also realized through these experiences that nothing affects my emotional state more than witnessing someone share their passion for absolutely anything.
These are just a couple examples, and I realize they may seem trivial, but the experiences changed the course of my life. And perhaps I would've reached similar conclusions otherwise, but I was deeply unhappy too, so...
I think we have a tendency to over-inflate the importance of our place here on this planet. It's cool that we get to do this, but it's not important. I wish it were 'ok' for me to introduce my teen children to these experiences in a safe, controlled environment. Especially the 100% of them with worse anxiety than I experienced when I was their age wondering whether I'd make it.
If your concern is collective social wellness, perhaps we should gatekeep religion till 25+, with psychedelics as a prerequisite.
lmao yeah gatekeeping religion would do wonders. But that's not happening.
I was trying to be realistic with my suggestion there. We know for a fact that brains finish up development when we're 25, and you can't ignore the fact that psychedelics fuck with your brain rather hard, be it good or bad - they still do do that.
If we were to try and convince "the masses" that LSD is good actually, we'd need to acknowledge that it can be dangerous & suggest appropriate action for mitigating those risks.
I was in a rush in the morning, but if I wasn't I'd also add something like: "and for those who would benefit from psychedelics for the purpose of medical therapy, a doctor's note should allow them to buy them before they turn 25" or something
I would say 18+ with a mandatory safety class and guided first trip for recreational purposes. For medical/psychiatric purposes, I think there should be no restriction as long as someone with an MD is overseeing it.
I heard that cigarettes are the most addictive of all. There are people who smoke one pack a day. And people try to quit, only to relapse at any time. So, I stayed away from tobacco too.
The issue with cocaine is that it's more harmful than tobacco short-term.