Psychedelics May Be Good For Us
By James Donahue
Some years back, when Jerry Garcia was the featured performer in the Grateful Dead band, my late wife Doris and I had the opportunity to attend a live performance at the Pontiac Silverdome. Not only was the music good but the packed crowd of mostly young people had a grand time not only at the concert but afterwards in social events in the courtyard.
We were struck by the fact that the air was thick with the smell of marijuana and hashish, and tiny squares of LSD were being passed among the thousands of participants. What was even more interesting that even though most of those people were clearly under the influence of various psychedelics there were no fights; no acts of violence. Police officers were clearly present in the building that night but we witnessed no confrontations leading to arrests, even though the crowd was clearly breaking existing drug laws.
In short, everybody had a wonderful time.
Because of this experience it was not surprising to learn about a research team at the University of Alabama that found that psychedelic use reduces the likelihood of criminal behavior. The team, led by Professor Peter Hendricks, used data compiled in a 13-year study among 480,000 participants that used such psychedelics as DMT, LSD, mescaline and psilocybin mushrooms. The study analyzed the effects these drugs had on criminal behavior. The team came up with a belief that the application of these drugs would have an important effect in taming the criminal element.
"These findings make a case that classic psychedelics may provide enduring benefits for criminal justice populations," Hendricks said. "They certainly suggest that clinical research with classic psychedelics in forensic settings should be considered."
The team found that participants who used a psychedelic at some time in their life were associated with a 22 percent decrease in the odds of ever being arrested for a property crime and an 18 percent decrease for violent crimes. The use of psilocybin mushrooms in particular was linked to a decreased likelihood of criminal acts.
It is interesting that Hendricks’ team has been involved in the same kind of research that the late Dr. Timothy Leary was following some 60 years ago. Even though Leary was reporting the same results when applying psychedelics among convicted criminals, he was ostracized and eventually sent to prison. Thus the harsh “war on drugs” launched by President Nixon appears to have succeeded in blocking important research in reducing criminal and aggressive behavior.
By James Donahue
Some years back, when Jerry Garcia was the featured performer in the Grateful Dead band, my late wife Doris and I had the opportunity to attend a live performance at the Pontiac Silverdome. Not only was the music good but the packed crowd of mostly young people had a grand time not only at the concert but afterwards in social events in the courtyard.
We were struck by the fact that the air was thick with the smell of marijuana and hashish, and tiny squares of LSD were being passed among the thousands of participants. What was even more interesting that even though most of those people were clearly under the influence of various psychedelics there were no fights; no acts of violence. Police officers were clearly present in the building that night but we witnessed no confrontations leading to arrests, even though the crowd was clearly breaking existing drug laws.
In short, everybody had a wonderful time.
Because of this experience it was not surprising to learn about a research team at the University of Alabama that found that psychedelic use reduces the likelihood of criminal behavior. The team, led by Professor Peter Hendricks, used data compiled in a 13-year study among 480,000 participants that used such psychedelics as DMT, LSD, mescaline and psilocybin mushrooms. The study analyzed the effects these drugs had on criminal behavior. The team came up with a belief that the application of these drugs would have an important effect in taming the criminal element.
"These findings make a case that classic psychedelics may provide enduring benefits for criminal justice populations," Hendricks said. "They certainly suggest that clinical research with classic psychedelics in forensic settings should be considered."
The team found that participants who used a psychedelic at some time in their life were associated with a 22 percent decrease in the odds of ever being arrested for a property crime and an 18 percent decrease for violent crimes. The use of psilocybin mushrooms in particular was linked to a decreased likelihood of criminal acts.
It is interesting that Hendricks’ team has been involved in the same kind of research that the late Dr. Timothy Leary was following some 60 years ago. Even though Leary was reporting the same results when applying psychedelics among convicted criminals, he was ostracized and eventually sent to prison. Thus the harsh “war on drugs” launched by President Nixon appears to have succeeded in blocking important research in reducing criminal and aggressive behavior.