A study done by Johns Hopkins University has people talking about magic mushrooms again. These people are wondering if there is any public benefit to using the hallucinogens.

Psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in magic mushrooms, was studied by researchers at Johns Hopkins University earlier this year. The study looked at changes in personality of the participants of the study who were given doses of psilocybin. Researchers found that 60% of the 51 participants experienced a measurable personality change lasting at least a year because of the drugs. Participants became more open about their feelings, more imaginative, and more in tune to abstract ideas and aesthetics. Participants who underwent the personality change also felt a mystical experience from the hallucinogen, or “a sense of interconnectedness with all people and things accompanied by a sense of sacredness and reverence.” (1)

Magic Mushroom Abuse

Psilocybin mushrooms are commonly abused throughout our country. Arrests are made daily because of growing and selling operations that provide the magic mushrooms to users looking for a good trip. The Johns Hopkins study seems to add fuel to mushroom users’ fire. They know the results of personality change and broad-mindedness because they’ve experienced it firsthand. They call it being creative and open-minded and having a greater awareness for the world around them. Seen as positive characteristics to possess, magic mushroom users wonder why everyone shouldn’t be given the opportunity to open their mind in this way.

Magic mushrooms are a schedule I drug because there is great potential for abuse and they possess no known therapeutic value. Chemically related to LSD, magic mushrooms can cause mood distortions, paranoia, and lasting hallucinations. They can also trigger or aggravate conditions like depression and schizophrenia.

Even though some people believe the problem with our world is a bunch of closed-minded people, pushing mushrooms is not the solution. This, like any drug, can be abused and can produce dangerous mental side effects.

Possible Benefits to Psilocybin Therapy

Johns Hopkins researchers do wonder about unrealized benefits of magic mushrooms. There have been ideas that this hallucinogen may help people with depression or anxiety, especially cancer patients, or that it may help smokers quit their addiction. “There may be applications for this we can’t even imagine at this point,” said study leader Roland R. Griffiths. “It certainly deserves to be systematically studied.” (1)

However, if psilocybin is found to be beneficial for therapeutic uses and can treat certain patients, it still won’t be available for the general public. Just as with morphine or ketamine or various other legal substances that are regulated, magic mushrooms will still be considered dangerous and will not be for the general public to use.

Sources

(1) One dose of hallucinogen may create lasting personality changes

When Jesus ate the magic mushrooms

Magic Mushroom Operation Busted

There has been a lot of talk lately about the new drug, bath salts, and while the concoction is illegal in many states, some areas of the country are still unaware of the dangers of this drug. The use of this drug is spreading like wildfire, however, and states that haven’t seen its abuse soon will.

A Synthetic Drug

Bath salts is the newest designer drug to hit our country and it is quickly becoming popular among recreational drug users. The drug consists of synthetic chemicals like mephedrone and MDPV, although each batch is different. That’s part of the danger with this drug – you never know what you’re going to get. The unpredictability, along with the fact that it is labeled “not for human consumption”, makes it very hard to track and regulate. “Drug makers will keep creating new combinations at home and in illicit labs,” Zane Horowitz, MD, medical director of the Oregon Poison Center says. “It’s almost impossible to keep up. And the motivation for buying them is always the same: Drugs like these are new and below the radar, unlike named illegal drugs.” (1)

Banning Bath Salts

At least 31 states have banned the substance, also known as Ivory Wave, and authorities are hoping the federal government will make it illegal. The DEA has already begun looking at the substances that make up bath salts and will most likely list them as Schedule I within the next year.

Dangers

Bath salts is a serious drug. It causes agitation, extreme paranoia, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts. High blood pressure and increased temperature are also common. One report tells of a man with a temperature of 107.5 degrees Fahrenheit after taking bath salts. “Some of these folks aren’t right for a long time,” said Karen E. Simone, director of the Northern New England Poison Center. “If you gave me a list of drugs that I wouldn’t want to touch, this would be at the top.” (1)

But the problem is that not everyone experiences such drastic effects. “One person could take it and have a great time and the next person takes it and has a horror story,” police Chief John DeLeo, of Ellsworth, Maine, said. (2) Mark Ryan, the director of the Louisiana Poison Center, said, “if you take the worst attributes of meth, coke, PCP, LSD and ecstasy and put them together, that’s what we’re seeing sometimes.” (3)

Paranoia and Hallucinations

Some people become so paranoid after using the drug that it takes a whole team of physicians to handle them. “We had two instances in particular where they were acting out in a very violent manner and they were Tasered and it had no effect,” Chief Joseph H. Murton, of Pottsville, PA said. “One was only a small female, but it took four officers to hold her down, along with two orderlies. That’s how out of control she was.” (3)

Other emergency room doctors have resorted to general anesthesia to calm patients down because sedatives alone do not work. Some users continue to suffer from paranoia for weeks after use of this drug.

With the unpredictable nature of this drug, it is amazing people still continue to use, but the numbers keep rising. In 2010, only 303 calls were made to poison control centers about this drug. The number has already risen to 3,470 calls for the first half of 2011. Police departments are becoming overwhelmed. “Bath salts is quickly becoming an epidemic for law enforcement and something we are all starting to deal with,” Police Lt. Michael L. Moody, of Brunswick, Maine, said. (2) The dangers of this drug are not something to take lightly.

Sources

(1) ‘Bath Salts’ Drug Trend: Expert Q&A

(2) Bath salts drug use spreading throughout Maine, officials say

 (3) Alarming New Stimulant, Legal in Many States

Native Americans are known for their natural healing and their holistic remedies. One way some tribes have begun to heal their own who suffer from alcoholism is to use Peyote, which is deemed an illegal substance to the rest of the country.

History of Peyote

Peyote has been around as long as inhabitants of North America have. Researchers estimate use of Peyote to have occurred as early as 3780 B.C. Specimens of the plant have been found in burial caves and in archeological digs. The substance, a spineless cactus, is chewed or boiled as a tea, and it gives psychoactive effects to users. Peyote has been used for thousands of years to treat fever, toothaches, skin disease, diabetes, and even blindness. Peyote, called the “sacred medicine”, is common in Native American religious rituals, including the legendary Ghost Dance. Even when Peyote became a Schedule I drug in the U.S. because of its psychoactive effects, Native Americans became exempt from the law, based on their religious purposes for the drug.

Peyote for Healing Alcoholism

Peyote, in recent years, has been used as a treatment for alcoholism among Native American peoples. It is used extensively in the Native American Church (NAC) for alcoholism recovery and emotional healing. The NAC has more members from the Navajo Nation than any other tribe, and is centered in southwestern United States. It’s main goals are faith, hope, charity, and sobriety. When used in a spiritual healing rite for alcoholism, Peyote “offers the opportunity for self-understanding through ritualized introspection and self-examination.” (1)

Native American Church Family

While many people would consider the use of Peyote to cure alcoholism as a new and successful holistic remedy, many people credit the work of the church as having the healing powers. Members of the NAC are a close family, and they act as a support system to those striving for sobriety. In fact, the church as a whole abstains from alcohol use completely. This camaraderie and sense of being in it together can work wonders with someone trying to give up the addiction of alcoholism. NAC members share everything in their lives, including their worship and prayers, their pains, and their struggle for sobriety. This bond is very much like the bond between a sponsor and a recovering alcoholic, or among members of an AA support group.

Not only do Native Americans claim that Peyote offers pure healing power to cure alcoholism, but the Native American Church itself plays a large part in healing alcoholism. Just as anyone recovering from an addiction needs the help and support of others, Native American tribes have found this to be an important part of healing.

Sources

(1) Peyote Use in the Treatment of Alcoholism in the Native American Church

Peyote & Mescaline

NIDA InfoFacts: Hallucinogens – LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP 

It’s amazing the lengths that people will go to in order to get their hands on drugs. Stealing, lying, and begging are all common ways to get drugs or to get the money needed to buy drugs. Other people find their drugs in other ways.

A Drug for Animal Medicine

Ketamine is mainly a veterinary drug, and a substance that is also abused by humans. It is a substance that has led to many vet clinics being broken into; a sudden increase in break-ins a few years ago occurred when users discovered the powerful effects of the drug. Animal clinics now have their ketamine and other abused drugs under lock and key, and monitor their use closely.

Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic, used most commonly to help sedate animals for surgery and painful procedures. Ketamine in animals makes them sleepy enough to work with or to safely administer gas anesthetic, and it typically wears off in a few hours.

Effects of Ketamine

Humans, ever searching for a drug to get high on, learned that taking the drug will give them an altered state of mine. In low doses, it stimulates and increases heart rate. At higher doses, it depresses respiration, and acts as a paralyzing psychedelic. Ketamine is in the same class of drugs as Angel Dust and laughing gas. Known on the street as Special K, ketamine gives the user a feeling of dreaminess, numbness in their extremities, and hallucinations. Some users liken it to an out-of-body experience.

Negative Side Effects

The post-effects of Special K can be unpleasant. Users compare it to waking up from surgery; the drowsy, confused, uncomfortable feeling. Some people feel pain, called k-pains, when coming off the drug, which usually takes place one to two hours after use.

Ketamine has been found to have lasting effects, including impairments in thinking ability and psychological disorders. Users typically have a hard time remembering things, and many will suffer from some sort of delusions. Ketamine can cause pain when the effects wear off, which can lead users to rely on other drugs like opioids to deal with the pain. Ketamine has also been known to cause urinary tract infections in many of its users.

Some people begin to have a hard time distinguishing “ketamine world” from the real world, and combined with their real-life delusions, some heavy users start to see their life under ketamine to be the reality.

Ketamine is not something to mess around with. It can cause lasting effects and its side effects can be dangerous. Prevention campaigns should continue to educate people of the dangers of this drug.

Sources

Ketamine Effects

Harmful effects seen with repeated ketamine abuse

Ketamine

Many drugs have their origin in the religious rituals of ancient civilizations. The Mayans, Aztecs, and Egyptians were among the first to use plants and mushrooms with hallucinogenic powers to help contact the spiritual world or mystical beings for guidance or enlightenment. Today, these drugs are used recreationally by most, but they are also still used in spiritual rituals, often to the detriment of the users. While many stories may just be myths, there are spiritual groups that use drugs and mind control to manipulate their members.

Mind-Altering Drugs

Some would call it a quest for deeper spirituality, or increased perception, or stimulating an alternate consciousness. Drugs are used in religious rituals in modern day to “look beyond their ordinary concept of God by chemically opening the door in their mind to experience higher consciousness and come to know the God within their own mind”.(1.) Drugs are also used in occult practices as a way to clear the mind, increase creativity, and give one’s mind over to a different power. Hallucinogens, marijuana, and other drugs used in spiritual practices make a person’s mind more open and their attitude more free.

Many of us, however, would consider the use of drugs or chemicals like this to be dangerous or risky. To use drugs to clear one’s mind is a good way to open the door for undesirable thoughts and attitudes to creep in. Our minds were made to be filled with good things and positive thoughts, and not purposely distorted by using mind-altering drugs.

Halloween Fun without the Drugs

At this time of year, when there is much focus on spirituality and the dead; the evil spirits, witches, goblins, ghosts, and other scary things, it is important to stay clear of things that are harmful. Young and older people alike may be exposed to drugs at parties or Halloween events. We may want to join in the Halloween fun, dress up, and get scared, but let’s not lose control over our minds. To mix the scariness of Halloween with drugs, especially hallucinogens, would be a mistake. Since the Halloween holiday sometimes celebrates the kinds of spiritual practices that use drugs to manipulate the mind, avoid the drugs that might be around. It becomes very easy to be led to believe that things are good or desirable when we are under the influence of drugs. We tend to do things we wouldn’t normally do, believe the unbelievable, and even get involved with some pretty scary behavior.

We need to keep watch and be vigilant. Don’t let drugs manipulate your mind. Instead, develop a strong sense of who you are, what you stand for, and what you believe. Don’t let the temptation of drugs, even those labeled for spiritual use, lead you down the wrong path.

Sources

1. Marijuana Churches, Drugs, & Freedom of Religion

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens and Spiritual Rituals

A Short Guide About Hallucinogenic Drugs

What is the Role of Drugs in the Occult

LSD has had a fairly short, but wild history in the United States. It was first synthesized in 1938 from lysergic acid derivatives. The pharmaceutical company studying it did not realize its potency until 5 years later, however, when a researcher accidentally absorbed a small amount through his hand and felt the powerful effects. This researcher took an LSD trip a few days later, which sparked great interest in the drug.

LSD Medical Research

The first hope for LSD was that it could be used as a powerful psychiatric drug. It was used to try to replicate mental illnesses, as a way to study them. It was also experimented with to help with psychotherapy, to enhance creativity, and later to cure alcoholism. Many researchers jumped on the LSD bandwagon in the 1950′s and 60′s, hoping that this drug could provide breakthroughs in mental health treatment. Many patients were given the drug in experiments, and an estimated 400,000 people were actually prescribed the drug for treatment. However, no real medical use was found.

Recreational LSD Use

Soon after, psychiatrists began using the drug recreationally, and this type of use became very popular, very quickly. Then came the age of the 60′s, with their psychedelic culture, and LSD and other hallucinogens were widely used.

California became the first state to ban LSD in 1966, and the rest of the states and other countries quickly followed. The effects of using LSD were too risky, including the hallucinations, panic reactions, and psychotic behavior that are so common with it. It became a Schedule I drug because of its potential for abuse, and its lack of real medical uses.

Music and Art

An art exhibit in Rochester, NY is bringing back the art styles of the 60′s, complete with their LSD influences. Called Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art Since the 1960′s, the exhibit features colorful, hallucinogenic works inspired by the 60′s. Exhibits like this one seem to celebrate the influences LSD has had on our history. There are many people that strongly believe that LSD aided in the creation of the best artwork and music in the 20th century. The Doors, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and others undoubtedly made music while on an LSD trip, but instead of brilliant creations, many of these songs and art pieces could be called simply a jumble of confusion.

Dangers of LSD

Whether a person wants to fondly remember the LSD stimulated trips of the 60′s or not, we have to be careful not to glamorize drugs like this. LSD has ruined many lives over the years because of the altered mental state it produces. Just this past summer, a 17 year old student fell to his death while tripping on LSD. The teen was on a field trip to Vancouver when he and some friends experimented with the drug. The victim fell down a cliff after being agitated and experiencing delirium because of the drug.

LSD and other hallucinogens are more than an entertaining drug that provides an escape from the world. The dangers are real, which is why the drug is illegal still today.

Sources

History of LSD
Student who fell to his death at Capilano bridge was high on LSD, says coroner
Psychedelic vision on display at Memorial Art Gallery

It’s not uncommon for new drugs or synthetic substances to come along that pose a danger to users. But it’s a little less often that a substance causes such a stir that it gains popularity quickly among new users.

K2, also known as “Legal Weed”  or “Spice” is not new, but there is a new craze for it right now. It was created in the mid 90′s by a Clemson University chemist. The chemical, similar to pot, can be sprayed on herbs, flowers, and tobacco leaves, and smoked. It was picked up and used right away by some pot users that were looking for the same effects as marijuana. However, it was not until this year that is became a part of the teen scene.

The Popularity of K2

K2 is growing in popularity quickly. This year, more than 1259 calls have been made to poison control centers about this substance, compared to 14 calls last year, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Last year, no one knew about the drug, and this year, experimenters are finding themselves in the emergency room with symptoms like high temperatures, racing heartbeat, and high blood pressure. It has many of the same effects on the user are marijuana, it is cheaper than marijuana, it is hard to detect, and it is still legal in 39 states.

The Debate over Banning

In a world where there is such a debate over the legalization of pot, K2 will most likely add to that debate. Already, because of the negative side effects and the rush for young people to get their hands on K2, 11 states have banned it. However, the way this drug can be marketed makes it hard to regulate. It can be sprayed on herbs and sold under different names, or marketed as incense or even bath salts, making it hard to monitor.

For those people that are pushing for the legalization of marijuana, K2 is an easy alternative. They argue that you can’t control every substance that comes along, so these less potent drugs should be left alone so people can have a good time.

Negative Effects of K2

There are a few problems with K2. First of all, people are not using it responsibly if they are making calls to poison control about it or visiting ERs because of it. Secondly, the spike in popularity itself is cause for concern. Just like many of the other trends that teens find for fun, there is the possibility for it to become a misused substance very quickly, if it isn’t already. Thirdly, this substance is known for its contaminants. There is sometimes no telling what all is in a batch of K2.

The most important thing is for people to be educated about the dangers of this and all substances. Sometimes the fact that things are legal makes people forget that they can still be harmful. It should not be necessary for the government to make something illegal before people realize the dangers of abusing any drug.

Sources

Fake-Pot Panic 

Synthetic Marijuana Gives Users Legal High  

K2 also known as legal weed

Five years ago our nation’s most costly natural disaster took place, and unfortunately many people are still trying to recover. Hurricane Katrina made landfall this week in 2005, killing 2,000 people and displacing more than 250,000 others. While New Orleans suffered the worst attack because of the city’s massive flooding, the southern part of our country, from Louisiana to Florida, was affected.

The hurricane naturally caused much devastation, injury, and death, but even after surviving the initial blow, residents have found the recovery process to be brutal, and mental illness and substance abuse have been some of the results.

Mental Illness among Victims

Anxiety is a huge concern among Katrina survivors, as well as depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The hurricane was traumatic, the flooding was overwhelming, and the loss of homes, schools, and churches was disturbing. Then there was the death of loved ones that many endured. Trauma like this can be expected to cause mental disorders such as anxiety, PTSD, and depression. Feelings of helplessness can really affect the mind, and many people initially felt the toll caused by the devastation.

But long term effects are also plaguing residents. Many lost jobs and have not been able to find new employment. Deserted neighborhoods can still be found, some people still don’t have real homes, and frustrations with insurance and finances are often a daily struggle.

Substance Abuse a Result of Mental Illness

Alcoholism and drug abuse are more common when depression or PTSD are present. Someone who has experienced a shocking event or who daily struggles with feelings of depression often finds substance abuse to be the way they can make it through the day. The mind-numbing drugs or alcohol help them forget their worries, and they become the crutch people begin to rely on. But the effects of drugs and alcohol will eventually catch up to a person and then they are left with substance abuse or addiction on top of all their other troubles.

Help for Hurricane Victims

The way to deal with stress and worry is not to take up drinking or experimenting with drugs. These will only make it worse. What will help these residents is solid advice and counseling from a professional. The residents of Louisiana also need to have some assurance that they will be able to get back on their feet again. Louisiana’s “Road Home” program was made to provide financial aid to hurricane victims, and the Louisiana Spirit Recovery program was a temporary project to help with stress management among residents. We shouldn’t forget about the hurricane victims, or assume they are ok because it has been 5 years. Those with ongoing struggles still need the support and programs to continue to help them rebuild their lives, and to maintain a healthy state of mind.

Sources

Katrina Five Years After: Hurricane Left a Legacy of Health Concerns

Hurricane Katrina Exacts Another Toll: Enduring Depression

A Look Back to 2005: President Bush and Katrina

Everyone seems to have their own theory about how to improve our country’s border security. Maybe the ones to ask are the residents living in border towns that live and experience the effects of illegal entrants and drug smugglers everyday.

Most of us in areas far removed from the Mexican border know our country has had a hard time regulating who gets across the border and who is kept out. Illegal entrants, illegal drugs, and drug dealers are constantly finding their way into the U.S. But beyond these basic facts, we may actually know little of the everyday lives of those fighting to secure the borders, and of those living near the border zone.

Transporting Drugs across the Border

For example, in places like Nogales or Rio Rico, stories are common of encounters with people and drugs that were smuggled across the border. Residents all know about “throw away” cars, which are purchased by drug smugglers, who leave the title in the previous owner’s name. The cars are used to smuggle drugs across, but go undetected for some time because they are in the former owner’s name.

Locals also know about the shuttle service that still flies under the radar and regularly transports people and drugs farther into the country, and how horses are used to carry drugs across. Border residents know about stash houses, which are rented with the purpose of storing hordes of drugs until they can be moved throughout the country. Many people also see the desperate situation some of the illegal entrants find themselves in. Dropped in the desert, the illegal immigrants travel to these towns looking for food or shelter.

Border Patrol is the arm of law enforcement set up to manage areas like the ones in Arizona. They have come under fire recently for being too harsh and for racial profiling. Others see Border Patrol’s dealings as ineffective. Some people just want our country to provide basic aid to those illegal immigrants that find themselves in trouble, but to crack down on the drug smugglers.

Partnering with Residents in the Border Zone

If our country is serious about keeping drug smugglers and their supplies out, more needs to be done on our southern border. Especially now, with the dangers of the drug cartels looming closer and becoming more violent, we should take a close look and learn from locals who live in the high traffic areas. The drug trafficking has to stop, and law enforcement should use all of its resources to carry this out. In the future, it will be important to build positive relationships with the residents of border towns. Instead of the continual clash between Border Patrol and residents in the border zone, a partnership could be very beneficial to everyone.

Sources

Horses play a vital role in American border security

Life on the border — the residents of Nogales, Rio Rico and Tubac

Drug smugglers’ horses entered in rehab

Performance enhancing drugs are not just for humans anymore, apparently. Two horses at a local fair in Connecticut tested positive for anabolic steroids this summer. These steroids, which are used to increase muscle mass and condition the body, were detected during random tests on the fair’s horses. The drug tests are being done in more and more locations throughout the country, as fair officials want to ensure horses are not mistreated, and also that the competitions are honest. In the case of the two Connecticut horses, owners and horses have been banned from future contests for one year.

Kentucky Officials Make New Policy

Other horse events are cracking down even more with drug testing and penalties. Officials of Kentucky racing have recently set up new regulations for this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs. The new rules would allow any horse that is going to compete, including those from out-of-state, to be tested for a variety of drugs. Among the drugs they will be testing for are blood-doping agents, nerve-blocking venoms, and growth hormones. Many of these drugs are the same ones used by human athletes, and can be hard to detect. Regulators have been pushing for the pre-competition testing because they feel it will catch more offenders than the old regulations. Some of these drugs, which increase the strength and speed of horses, can only be detected within a day or two of administration, while the results can last for weeks or months.

Punishments for Offenders

If performance enhancing drugs are such a part of sports today that it is now spilling over to animal competitions, do we really have much control over the situation? The variety of drugs and the new derivatives that are being created are a big part of the problem. Money and energy are constantly being pumped into coming up with new tests to detect new drugs, and still, the offenders are one or two steps ahead of officials. Is there a better way to deter people from doping for sports or competitions? Would stricter punishments be more effective? An athlete that is caught with drugs in their system is banned from their sport for a few games, and usually pays a fine. Either the punishments aren’t tough enough, or people don’t think they will get caught, because they keep doing the drugs. Fines are usually slaps on the hand for pro-athletes and their multi-million dollar salaries.  What if doing drugs would essentially end a player’s career? Would they still take the risk?

Kentucky racing officials have proposed a 10 year ban and $50,000 fine to owners whose horse fails the drug test. Opponents believe the length of time for the ban is way too long, and would essentially mean the horse and owner team would be out of competitions for good. But maybe doping owners will be deterred by the strict punishment, and maybe this is all it will take to clean up horse racing. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could find an easy solution to end doping by human athletes?

Sources

Draft horses test positive for anabolic steroid

Drug tests bar North Stonington horses from fairs

Out-of-competition drug testing proposed for Ky. racing