I am interested in legally reclassifying psychedelics into a lower category because the pharmaceutical industry interests me, however, the drugs produced can be more dangerous that some of the drugs found on the street.  Legislators primarily focus on medicinal marijuana so not many people are aware of the medicinal values of other drugs such as LSD.  Since marijuana has been found to help a multitude of illnesses and ailments, I was curious about the medicinal uses of psychedelics.  As a person who understands mental health issues, I feel as though legally reclassifying the drugs into a category similar to marijuana would be beneficial to sufferers of mental illnesses.  Once the drugs are reclassified into a lower category, doctors and scientists would receive more funding and approval for tests involving psychedelics to further prove the medicinal abilities.  I know personally that prescription drugs that help mental illnesses such as Xanax are just as, if not more, dangerous than psychedelics.  After watching an informative show called Drugs Inc., I learned about many uses of psychedelics such as treating addiction and helping Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which opened my eyes to alternative treatments. 

The central claim of "Do LSD and Magic Mushrooms Have a Place in Medicine?" is that drugs like LSD and psilocybin are less dangerous than the other Schedule One drugs such as cocaine.  Since they are in a category viewed as dangerous and addictive, doctors and scientists struggle to receive funding for experiments using the drugs for medicinal purposes.  People value medical care so this article brings up an alternative to traditional procedures.  The author, Alexandra Sifferlin, writes public health articles for Time Magazine which is a reliable source of information.  She also quotes a psychiatrist which has experience with using psychedelics as therapy for mental illnesses.  This article only touches on the positive sides of using them so it is somewhat biased.  Since the expert is promoting the usage of LSD, the audience may form their opinion around the opinion of the expert. 

The central claim of "Research on Psychedelics Moves into the Mainstream" is that psychedelics have been reclassified into a higher category due to the recreation usage of them in the 1960's.  Because of this, research on the subject has slowed. Today, there are some studies that are in the early stages of clinical trials and are proving LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA to be helpful combating not only mental illnesses, but physical aliments such as cluster headaches and other pains.  This article conflicts with many people's values because they are against psychedelic drugs.  Most people are against the use of drugs in the Schedule One category.  The author, Kelly Morris, has multiple journals and articles on the topic of the war on drugs.  Her pieces offer quotes from specialists which make her credible.

The central claim of "A Psychotherapeutic View on the Therapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use in the Treatment of Addiction" is that by drinking a tea made from hallucinogenic vines and leaves found in the Amazon can cure addiction.  The tea, called Ayahuasca, is being used in rituals to allow patients to acquire a deeper knowledge of themselves as well as helping their addiction to other drugs.  Typically, the healing sessions take place with users indigenous to the area or psychotherapists.  This may conflict with values because many people would not agree to essentially take another drug to help with drug addiction.  The author, Anja Loizaga-Velder, has a MA degree in psychology, has collaborated with indigenous healers who use psychedelic plants ritually for over 20 years, and has written her doctoral dissertation on the use of ayahuasca in addiction treatment.  She is extremely credible and writes the article in a way that is not biased. 

This research question is arguable because psychedelics have a negative stigma attached to them.  Not many people look at LSD as a safe, medicinal drug, simply because they are not educated on the topic.  There have been studies to show that psychedelics can be used medicinally without permanent side effects.  Since most people probably lean towards keeping psychedelics at a higher classification, this research paper can argue the benefits and inform the audience.  The sources agree that psychedelics can be used to treat mental illnesses, however, they do not all agree that they are completely safe.  I feel that even with the different perspectives of the sources, I still believe that these drugs need to be reclassified in order to receive more funding for research as medicinal values are evident.  I need to revise my research question and focus more on the legislative part of drugs rather than simply the benefits of using them. 
