Modern Culture

…the way to… psychedelic…

At 28% usage across the population, psychedelics have penetrated mainstream American culture to a significant extent. It looks like those old D.A.R.E. lessons were every bit as effective as researchers expected: A 1992 Indiana University Study found that participation in the anti-drug program increased rates of “hallucinogenic” drug use among graduates. That certainly provided job security for police officers who taught the program in schools and apparently generated a new generation of lawbreakers.

Importantly, we’ve been here before. Prohibition was famously a failure because enforcement was impossible when much of the population defied the law or at least tolerated scofflawry (violating laws, especially laws that do not involve serious criminal offenses.) If scofflawry ended Prohibition, and interest in marijuana by one-third of the population led to legalization, what can we expect when 28 percent of Americans experiment with psychedelic drugs? History suggests that, if the numbers hold, support for letting people make their own choices will rise. That softening of attitudes can only be helped by growing evidence that psychedelic drugs can offer mental health benefits for a variety of ailments… “It’s all part of a mass movement to decriminalize and eventually legalize drugs like psilocybin mushrooms and open up access for all,” reports Bloomberg. Stances On Decriminalization… while progress on psychedelic decriminalization and research has been noticed over the last couple of years, most Americans are still against it. By 44% to 27%, Americans oppose decriminalizing psilocybin (mushrooms); By 53% to 20%, Americans oppose decriminalizing LSD (acid); By 53% to 19%, Americans oppose decriminalizing MDMA (ecstasy); Those who have tried one of these three drugs are more inclined toward backing their decriminalization. 68% of people who have tried psilocybin say it should be legal; 48% of people who’ve tried MDMA say it should be legal; 43% of people who have tried LSD say it should be legal.

Original Article (Reason & Yougov & Freshtoast):
Scofflaws lead the way to legalizing psychedelic drugs & Are psychedelics going mainstream? Here’s how many americans have tried psychedelics & One in four Americans say they’ve tried at least one psychedelic drug
Artwork Fair Use: Sascha Grosser

Modern Culture

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Modern Culture