Psychedelic drugs hurt few and could help many. California must decriminalize (opens in new tab)

I think the definition of "hurt" is relative. I've heard so many people describe their experiences on psychedelics as, to paraphrase, seeing more of reality, seeing the true nature of reality, expanding their minds, etc. In reality, they make you hallucinate, i.e. perceive things that are not real; the feelings of expansion are just part of the brain-meddling they cause. If people can separate their experiences from reality, then sure, I have no problem with them (just don't do them alone, in case you have a bad trip). But because so many people don't seem to be able to make that distinction, it's kind of a major problem.

This is insane.

The solution is to study the drugs and permit limited usage under medical care -- i.e., for the federal government to lower the schedule and fund research.

California decrimininalizing would open the floodgates to abuse, of the weak by the powerful. Imagine companies with billions at stake selling high's to anyone who's troubled. The decriminalize-now push is not for medical reasons, but for an industry to make money off people's pain. None of the bill's "protections" -- "for personal use" "over 21" -- are effectively enforceable.

Microdosing has been shown to be indistinguishable from placebo in its short term effects (i.e., it has no real effectiveness), but that doesn't mean full doses or regular use is safe. Unlike marijuana, there's a lot of evidence that brain and psychological damage from bad trips is permanent. Anecdotally, I'm old enough to know people who died, and others who never really came back, after using psychotropics. To me decriminalizing psychotropics is about as socially beneficial as dropping napalm on villages in Vietnam.

Finally, this will definitely sink Democrats nationally. It's inexplicable to anyone outside hyper-liberal enclaves why you would permit big business to fry the brains of troubled people.

Defacto legal in the Bay Area and it hasn't collapsed yet.

I’m all for psychedelic therapy especially for those with a terminal illness and in a controlled environment with a sitter or an experienced psychonaut, but psychedelics are a double edged sword and need to be treated as such. So many going fully mentally ill after taking them.

  This bill would make lawful the possession, obtaining, giving away, or transportation of, specified quantities of psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), (MDMA) for personal use or facilitated or supported use, as defined, by and with persons 21 years of age or older.

It's great that this is an attempt at real decriminilization rather than sentencing reform or some form of deprioritization that doesn't change the criminal law.

It would be nice if one of the facilitated uses is to give the legislators the option to experience some of these substances so that they can make better informed law. But probably not when in session.

My spouse is cancer patient, and it helped her a lot to go through the times of intense stress with only microdosing liberty cap psilocybin mushrooms. It also helped myself as well, the only regret I have - why we haven't discovered it earlier.

This bill (sb-519) goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee tomorrow - I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xh...

Psychedelics can be extremely helpful for most people.

But don't ever give LSD to somebody fighting schizophrenia. It will not turn out well. But I have seen MDMA lead them to believe actual treatment is possible, and find it.

"With regard to self-treatment, a harm reduction approach should be adopted. Low-risk psycholytic self-treatment protocols could be developed for future use in public health care systems." https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psycr.2022.100029

Everybody want to replace SSRI with LSD and psilocybin.

A business opportunity.