Nathan Nayor/Staff Writer
Congress is deliberating on legalizing marijuana and the United Nations has recently rescheduled cannabinoid products. It should make sense to readdress how we treat other drugs long regarded as dangerous, especially psychedelics.
Reevaluating drugs and their medical purposes have happened in the past. Ketamine was once a schedule 1 drug as it is a popular hallucinogen and party drug, but is now used as an anesthetic, anti-seizure medication, and antidepressant. It is currently in schedule 3, since it is still often used recreationally. This is no different from the advances made with marijuana, which treats multiple mental and physical conditions now in several states, including Alzheimer’s, ALS, anorexia, Crohn’s, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, and PTSD.
The CBD portion of marijuana is legal to use and is seen in everyday products like shampoos and lotions. THC is the part of marijuana that makes people high but it is also used to treat conditions like depression, ADHD and anxiety. Many people who self-medicate with marijuana have reported it to be more effective than traditional medications. There is not much research investigating marijuana and ADHD, but those who have self-medicated with marijuana find themselves feeling balanced, a lighter contrast to the usually prescribed medications that make them nauseous, moody, anxious, and worse.
As someone who struggles with depression, anxiety, ADHD, as well as PTSD, I’m interested in using marijuana medically for these reasons. I’m often nauseous and dizzy, and very hungry or disgusted at food. Sometimes the medications cancel each other out and leave me too drained and depressed to get out of bed for a whole day. I do hope that, if I start to use marijuana in place of my medications, I will feel improvement and relief instead of replacing symptoms with side effects.
Marijuana is not the only drug being looked into for medical purposes. Microdosing, a practice where one intakes minuscule portions of psychedelic drugs, has been slowly rising in popularity. Researching these drugs has promised much in the way of facilitating recovery from addiction, as well as the treatment of some neurological disorders, including OCD, ADHD, personality disorders and anxiety.
Because the effects of psychedelics vary depending on people’s physiological background, they are not recommended for those with certain types of anxiety disorders, schizophrenia or psychosis. However, this is the case with many over-the-counter medications. Many drug commercials warn against horrendous side effects and advise users not to take them if they have underlying health conditions. It is simply a contraindication that needs to be addressed, like any other drug. Additionally, certain psychedelics like magic mushrooms and LSD have been found to be the safest among a survey of recreational drugs; which can be soothing for many who have struggled with the side effects of other medications. I can imagine how alleviating it must be for those in the few areas that permit microdosing, but I cannot imagine how much safer those two are compared to non-smoked marijuana.
The gradual legalization of drugs will not suffice for those who need them medically, and the active imprisonment of people who hold and ingest drugs instead of aiding them is doing terrible damage to the country. The preaching of abstinence is useless, especially against drugs, and will continue to damage unless education on drugs is done properly. Though the time for voting has passed for now, we must still hold our politicians accountable and protest when they refuse to take responsibility for their actions against the people. For example, the indigenous people that have had their rights stripped for centuries, including their access to psychedelics, once a significant part of their religious ceremonies.
Thus it is our duty to press our government to reconsider the scheduling and legalization of many Schedule 1 drugs. There is no sense in keeping marijuana and other drugs in that scheduling when there are much more harmful drugs of higher scheduling. The benefits are abundant, especially in medicine. If we are to progress, we must press our government to take the leap and allow us to do so.
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