While it took decades of constant pushing by citizens and lobbyists to get to the point that the federal government would take a serious look at decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana, the same treatment towards psychedelics is moving at a far more rapid pace.
One of the aspects in their favor is decades of research and data that has been done by both universities and the government since at least the 1950s. While the government’s interest was in weaponizing psychedelics so as to innoculate the minds of enemy soldiers or to create incognito agents or so-called Manchurian candidates, university chemists, biologists, and psychiatrists had more academic reasons for stockpiling data: to see if there were any benefits to society.
Unfortunately, the government couldn’t have cared less about the empirical data that universities had amassed, because like marijuana, psychedelics, was a “swear” word that triggered fears about their abuse. Benefits for their safe, proper use be damned.
However, they were simply prolonging the inevitable. Like Prohibition in the 1920s, the will of the people was to be heard, and felt. After all, isn’t the government supposed to be an extension of what the population wants? If the people vote for something, it’s up to the government to make it happen no matter how much they dislike it.
In this sense, the fight for marijuana decriminalization and legalization paved the way for psychedelics, removing many of the hurdles along the path it would normally have had to leap over.
Decades of studies, data, and anecdotes demonstrate over and again the benefits of psychedelics when it comes to the relief of PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, decreases in cancer-related demoralization and hopelessness, suicide ideation, improved attitudes toward death for those with terminal illnesses, etc.
In addition, Ibogaine, a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in many psilocybin mushrooms or “magic mushrooms” and plants, has shown to be a powerful weapon in combating opiate addiction, something that is plaguing the entire planet.
Ibogaine Therapy is the utilization of the substance in a clinical setting to lead people away from drug addiction to recovery, improving not just the quality of life for the individual, but lowering crime and helping that person become a productive member of their community and society again.
Furthermore, in healthy minds, psychedelics are renowned for their ability to inspire the creative process among artists, writers, poets, sculptors, painters, engineers, and promote overall improved spiritual well-being for all.
For these reasons, expect the treatment that marijuana is currently getting to happen quicker with psychedelics. Especially, once the government sees the profit that they can make. That’s something that always gets their attention and helps smooth the process.
California has proposed a bill to be the next state after Oregon (Oakland, Santa Cruz, and D.C. have already done so) to take the step to decriminalize psychedelics in the state as well as expunge the records of the already convicted.
The bill, authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D), would decriminalize possession and personal use of DMT, Ibogaine, ketamine, LSD, MDMA, mescaline, psilocybin, and psilocyn. Read: not just for medical use, but recreational use.
Long gone is the misconception that marijuana and psychedelics are just used by criminals, crooks, junkies, hippies, and people just looking to have a good time and get high.
Properly used the benefits to the individual and communal mental and physical health outweigh the abuse or waste of use by the rube or ignoramus. Why should millions of people go without because of a small minority?
I suspect that Oregon’s bold step of being the first in the nation to decriminalize and legalize psychedelic drug use and what will likely be California’s following suit, will spark a fire across the nation and we’ll see nationwide acceptance with a rapidity that surpasses marijuana’s acceptance.
Let’s hope so, because until that happens, millions of people will go without and suffer, while they wait for the local and federal government catches up to the will of the people.
