I’m not sure why Proposition 122 caught my attention last week, but I now find myself writing Part Three.
Because I believe in freedom?
Because I’m horrified that nearly one percent of the American population is incarcerated?
Because I had an interesting experience, ingesting psilocybin mushroom tea back in the 1980s, with a group of friends?
Because the facts about natural psychedelic substances have been mostly hidden for the past 50 years?
From the website DrugPolicy.org:
Psychedelic use is so low that several drugs are grouped under the category of “hallucinogens,” which includes LSD, peyote, mescaline, and psilocybin mushrooms…
In each year between 2002 and 2014, an annual average of 0.1% of people across all ages were considered to be current psychedelic users (meaning they reported use within 30 days of completing the survey). In 2014, 0.3% of the 16,875 adolescent respondents (12 to 17 year-olds) in the U.S. were considered to be current users of psychedelics, 0.3% of the 11,643 young adult respondents (18 to 25), and 0.1% of 33,750 adult respondents aged 26 or older.
However, from 2004–2005 (the last year data for this specific question were available), around half of the people who reported trying a psychedelic for the first time used psilocybin mushrooms (out of approximately 67,000 respondents).
We don’t know how accurate this data might be. Psychedelics have been criminalized since 1970, and we have to wonder how many Americans would respond truthfully to a survey asking them if they have been engaging in criminal behaviors?
Another interesting data point. According to DrugPolicy.org, we have considerable evidence that ‘magic mushrooms’ have medical applications, especially in the realm of mental health. Fully legal, well-funded research programs, conducted prior to the passage of the U.S. Controlled Substances Act of 1970, found that carefully monitored and controlled use of psilocybin may be beneficial for many psychiatric disorders, as well as for personal and spiritual development and creative enhancement.
From their website:
Today, there are dozens of studies taking place to evaluate the medical safety and efficacy of psychedelics, including psilocybin, and the potential benefits of psychedelics as a treatment for cluster headache, anxiety, addiction to alcohol and other drugs, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as neuroimaging experiments furthering the understanding of its effects on the brain…
The campaign to legalize natural psychedelics in Colorado, as laid out in Proposition 122, relies heavily on the idea that the use of psilocybin and other natural psychedelics, in a controlled therapeutic setting, can be beneficial.
This is, in some ways, similar to the claims being made about marijuana — claims that it was medically useful, when prescribed by a doctor — that led Colorado voters to legalize medical marijuana in the year 2000.
It would appear, however, that most Americans currently believe natural psychedelics are medically useless. From a July 2021 Business Insider article byJohn Haltiwanger:
More than a third of US voters (35%) say that psychedelic substances like “magic mushrooms” have a medical use, according to a new Hill-HarrisX poll released Tuesday. A majority of American voters (65%) said such substances do not have medicinal uses.
There was a huge split in views on this issue across party lines and younger versus older voters. Overall, 43% of Democrats and 41% of independents said psychedelic substances have a medical use, while only 23% of Republicans said the same. And a majority of 18 to 29-year-olds (53%) said that psychedelics have a medical use, but majorities of voters 30 and older disagreed.
Research suggests that certain psychedelic substances, including magic mushrooms, LSD, and MDMA, could help treat symptoms depression and PTSD…
I don’t own a TV, so I haven’t been exposed to TV ads regarding Proposition 122. But I visit YouTube regularly, and have seen a few Prop 122 ads have featured military veterans explaining that psilocybin has been essential in helping them overcome PTSD.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has a section of their website dedicated to PTSD. The website also includes 18 articles that mention psilocybin uses in therapy.
Here’s a related video. 9 minutes long.
Apparently, no less than the richest man in the world — Elon Musk — has spoken favorably about psychedelics as an alternative to alcohol, and for therapeutic uses. From another Business Insider article, from earlier this month, by :
Alcohol reduces production of serotonin and dopamine, mood-boosting chemicals in the brain. It has been linked to a higher risk for depression. Alcohol use is also linked to a number of health disorders and chronic conditions.
Researchers have not compared health benefits from alcohol and psychedelic mushrooms head-to-head. And researchers are still studying whether psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, improves anxiety and depression.
However, one small, 12-week trial, published last month, found psilocybin reduced the number of days heavy drinkers drank alcohol compared to those who took a placebo…
Musk is far from the only tech CEO whose expressed interest in psychedelics. Apple founder Steve Jobs previously touted the practice of microdosing on psychedelic drugs, such as LSD or psilocybin mushrooms in order to promote creativity…
I’m personally a big fan of creativity, however people can achieve it.
Fortunately, I don’t need to be creative when writing for the Daily Post. All I do is report on, and comment on, the sometimes ridiculous — but creative — things I witness in government board rooms.
Our elected and appointed leaders supply the creative content.
Whatever they might be on.