Mayer 1

Daniel Mayer
Dr. Lynch-Biniek
English Composition 023
November 17, 2015
Cover Letter
The original catalyst that made me want to write about my topic to allow
psychedelic drugs to be prescribed by doctors stemmed from an article I came across
online. The author couldn't understand why society hasn't accepted these drugs even in
the face of overwhelming evidence that they could be used safely and responsibly to
help people struggling with certain diseases or addictions. Upon hearing all that he had
to say, the topic really interested me because originally, I disagreed that people should
have access to those drugs however after some research I found that he actually had a
pretty valid point. My experience in writing my paper really opened my eyes to how
quickly most people, especially most lawmakers and doctors, would dismiss these
claims as ridiculous or unimportant. It really made me feel happy to read about patients
glowing accounts of how much they were helped by taking part in programs that used
the drugs.
In my final draft I think my strongest aspect is getting my point across about the
data that has been collected during these studies involving psychedelics. I really think it

Mayer 2
drives home my point when you read about the statistics compared to traditional drugs.
If I had unlimited time to develop my paper further I would like to include more first
person accounts of how peoples lives have improved by using these drugs when other
medicines were not helping.
Medicinal Use of Psychedelic Drugs
If there was a medication that could help people with their addictions that had
almost double the success rate of existing medicine, wouldn't you want it to be available
for those who need it? What if I told you there are drugs that can help a smoker quit with
a success rate of 80%, a drug that can help alcoholics quit with almost a 60% success
rate, and furthermore a drug that can provide our veterans with a 75% reduction in
symptoms from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD)? The only issue is that these
drugs are currently illegal even for doctors to prescribe(Carey).
Unfortunately, when many doctors hear the name of psychedelic drugs, they think
abuse or recreation. This bias may stem from the popular 1960s use of these drugs,
once banned, this association remained.
According to the DEA, it is extremely rare to overdose from lysergic-aciddiethylamide (LSD) or Psilocybin (the chemical found in magic mushrooms). The DEA
says deaths related to these substances often occur because of accidents, or
dangerous behavior, not as a result of the substance directly. There have been reports

Mayer 3
of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) overdose before, however, the cause of
overdose is often not from the MDMA itself. Since it is illegal, most MDMA acquired off
the street is mixed with other more harmful drugs, in addition to this, using MDMA
recreationally is very risky and dangerous as there is no supervision, no way to control
the amount consumed, and the consumer is free to do anything they want while under
the drugs influence(Platt). "Nobody dies of taking MDMA, its a misreporting, according
to Andrew Feldmr a psychotherapist based in Vancouver, What the person could die
of is whatever its mixed with, or dehydration, or some other constellation of factors that
have nothing to do with MDMA itself(Platt). In a medical setting pure MDMA would be
able to be synthesized in reputable labs, and administered in a controlled environment
under supervision. In this sense it is extremely unlikely to overdose on the substance,
and in the rare case something goes amiss, there would be many resources available to
help the patient stay safe.
In recent times, there have been several scientific studies that have been
conducted to further understand our knowledge about banned psychedelic substances
and how some medical patients may benefit greatly from using them. So far they have
all found extremely positive results pertaining to the potential medical application of the
drugs. I believe that most information about these substances is not accurately
conveyed, which is a big reason as to why there is such a stigma against using them

Mayer 4
even in the face of overwhelming evidence that they are much more effective given the
correct circumstances.
For example, on LSD has been proven to ease the pain of cluster headaches in
individuals in which traditional medication was not working(Kupferschmidt), MDMA has
been used to help army veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression
that often accompanies it(Carey). Furthermore LSD has been utilized in aiding people
from smoking and drinking addictions(Shroder), and additionally psilocybin has helped
people with large amounts of anxiety felt after being diagnosed with a terminal
illness(Pollan).
In a perfect world I believe these substances would be able to be utilized in
controlled settings for the sole purpose of medical advancement without the
awkwardness that people currently feel in relation to these substances.
The safety profile of these drugs is well established, according to the National
Study on Drug Use and Health, there was no link between mental illness and the use of
psychedelic drugs, nor did they find that users were at any increased risk of developing
a mental illness(cited in NTNU). In addition to this, the study finds that longterm users of
LSD were found less likely to be treated for any mental disorders (cited in NTNU).
Between 1966 and 1970 the Journal of Psychopharmacology conducted a study on
LSDs effect on alcoholism. The study found that of 536 participants, 59% of them were

Mayer 5
able to quit drinking after one dose of LSD. This is a clear advantage over traditional
forms of therapy which average around a 39% success rate(cited in NTNU).
The 1950s and 60s were a time of great advancement in the medical field.
Researchers in countries across the globe were researching these new drugs and
unlocking their potentially life saving properties. Psychedelic drugs were being called
Wonder Drugs because of their vast advantages over existing medicine. I think it is a
shame however that during the same time period of all of this advancement, these drugs
were being realized by the general public and began to be abused on a large scale. In
the early 70s, Nixon passed the Controlled Substances Act in response to the rampant
abuse of these substances, thus halting all scientific research as well. It was only in the
1990s that the FDA began granting permission to start small scale studies with
psychedelic substances and since then, the results have been nothing but
positive(Healy).
A 21st century pilot study out of John Hopkins University utilizing psilocybin as a
method to quit smoking resulted in 80% of participants successfully quitting after only 3
sessions of therapy (cited in Shroder). Compared to a 35% success rate of the next
most effective medicine for smoking cessation, Varenicline, it seems only common
sense to use the psilocybin. The reason Varenicline is not nearly as effective is because
it works by binding to the same receptors in the brain as nicotine would bind to, in hopes

Mayer 6
of crushing the craving to smoke. While this drug may help the physical addiction, it
doesnt satisfy is the psychological aspect. After ingesting a dose of psilocybin,
participants said it allowed them to quit by changing the way you orient yourself toward
the future, such that you now act in your long-term holistic benefit, rather than acting in
response to immediate desire(Shroder).
Another important study to consider posted in the Journal of
Psychopharmacology relates to MDMA. There is a growing problem with todays army
veterans, that is when they return home after their service, an increasing number of
them are returning with post traumatic stress disorder(Carey). Currently prescribed
medicines have little benefit, and instead more and more veterans are lining up to try
alternative medicines such as MDMA(Carey). A psychiatrist and a nurse by the names
of Michael and Ann Mithoefer, the husband-and-wife team" offer a dose of MDMA along
with a session of therapy. They have observed that their therapy with a dose of the
psychedelic drug offered a 75% drop in symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD), more than twice that of traditional medication. The couple found that "80
percent of the patients treated in the early 2000s reported that much or all of the initial
benefit they achieved on this standard test persisted a year to five years after the
therapy ended(Carey). They report that they have had over 250 army veterans call
them asking to be included in their alternative therapy including the psychedelic

Mayer 7
drug. Dr. Mithoefer reports that the purpose of using the drug is not get get a "high",
instead it offers an opened and more emotional mindset which he reports offers
tranquility among his patients(Carey). I thought it was very interesting that Anthony, an
army veteran who took part in a trial of MDMA alongside therapy requested his last
name not be included in the article because he was embarrassed of admitting that he
used the drug, even though he said using it is what helped him the most with his
PTSD(Carey). Id like to see the day where it wont matter what method was used to aid
someone, as long as it can provide a benefit to a persons health or well being it
shouldn't be something to be embarrassed about.
Another account of a man named Eddie Marritz who took psilocybin in order to
come to terms with his terminal diagnosis was not ashamed at all of his journey. He was
happy to have an interview and share how life changing the experience was for him. He
recounted that he took the pill and laid down on a couch with a blindfold on and
headphones playing soothing music. He said it his session is very difficult to describe
because of how incredible it was for him and it took away all of his anxiety of his illness
and was actually able to put him in remission(Dyan-Robbins).
In the United States, a schedule system is in place to determine how controlled
and what medical benefits each drug comes with(DEA). Schedule 1 drugs include LSD,
MDMA, Psilocybin, among others and are classified by the government as unsafe drugs

Mayer 8
with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical benefit(DEA). Even marijuana
is currently a schedule one drug which is contradicting in itself because the government
classifies it as having no medical benefit, yet medical marijuana exists and is prescribed
for many illnesses(Howard). It doesn't make much sense that these drugs have been
proven not to be addicting physically or mentally, they are proven to be non toxic, and
have an amazing therapeutic potential. Yet they are classified as schedule 1 drugs,
higher than meth and cocaine which are schedule 2 and classified to be less dangerous
and addicting than schedule 1 drugs. I believe we need to make a distinction between
these beneficial substances and the more destructive drugs like cocaine, heroin and
meth. If more people were open to looking at the facts and the data of these pilot
studies, I truly believe the long standing stigma against these drugs will be dropped. If
the use of these drugs were allowed without people immediately thinking of abuse,
psychedelic drugs would be able to to utilized very effectively in a medical setting. It
comes down to having the correct circumstances and responsible, monitored use.

Mayer 9

Works Cited
Carey, Benedict. "A Party Drug May Help the Brain Cope With Trauma." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.

Cooper, Ryan. "Why the Government Should Be Funding Mass Scientific Studies of
Ecstasy, Magic Mushrooms, and LSD." The Week. 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.

"DEA / Drug Scheduling." DEA / Drug Scheduling. DEA. Web. 14 Nov. 2015.

Mayer 10
Healy, Melissa. "LSD, Excstasy, Other Psychedelic Drugs May Be Ready for a Medical
Comeback." The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.

Howard, Marc. "Ten Health Benefits of Marijuana." Ten Health Benefits of Marijuana. 29
Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.

Kupferschmidt, Kai. "LSD Alleviates 'Suicide Headaches'" Sciencemag. 27 June 2011.

Web. 13 Nov. 2015.

"LSD and Other Psychedelics Not Linked with Mental Health Problems." NTNU. 19 Aug.
2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Platt, Brian. "Music Festivals Need Better Strategies for Party Drugs, Health Advocates
Say | Toronto Star." Thestar.com. 9 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

Pollan, Michael. "The Trip Treatment." The New Yorker. 9 Feb. 2015. Web. 16 Oct.
2015.

Mayer 11
Shroder, Tom. "Want to Quit Smoking? Eat a Magic Mushroom, New Study Says." Time.
Time, 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.