In the 1960's, hippies and love filled the country.  Psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin (commonly known as Magic Mushrooms), and MDMA (molly or ecstasy) were rampant during this time.  Between the years 1953 and 1973, 116 studies on psychedelics were completed and funded by the government.  Because of the excessive recreational use of these drugs during this time, Congress officially classified these drugs as a Schedule I drug  -- the same category as extremely addictive drugs such as heroin, which has been known to kill many users (Morris).  Schedule I drugs are those without medicinal value and can cause severe psychological or physical addiction (Drug Scheduling).  Unfortunately, before the hearing in 1966, doctors were making progress and finding that psychedelics may contain medicinal values but the experiments were almost immediately shut down due to the now illegal nature of these drugs.  Since the drugs were put in such a strict category, all government funding was taken away from the clinical trials and companies were forced to cease the trials (Morris).  The United States government needs to reclassify psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, Ayahuasca, and MDMA into a Schedule II drug.  Schedule two drugs are the category that contains drugs that have been accepted for medical use, yet are still considered dangerous if abused frequently.  Once the drugs are reclassified into a less strict category, more funding can go to research to allow psychedelics to follow in the footsteps of medicinal marijuana and produce tax revenue for schools, scholarships, and drug abuse programs.

Rescheduling LSD, psilocybin, Ayahuasca, and MDMA would change the future of medicine by allowing patients to have more alternative options for treatment if the typical pharmaceuticals do not work.  Although this process is rare, the Drug Enforcement Administration recently released plans to reschedule marijuana into a Schedule II drug.  Schedule II drugs are those that still have a high potential for abuse yet have a regulated medicinal use (Drug Scheduling).  If these drugs are rescheduled, not only will the government be more likely to fund multiple clinical trials, but the country can also tax the drugs heavily.  Marijuana has brought in over $70 million in taxes in a single fiscal year in Colorado.  That money went to school construction, scholarships, and drug abuse prevention (Jackson).  If these drugs follow in the footsteps of marijuana, the country could make millions of dollars just on taxes and more money could be used for drug abuse programs and education.  Psychedelics need to still be regulated heavily as it is possible to abuse them; however, with proper approval and assistance from psychotherapists, they can be helpful for patients on the road to recovery from mental illnesses. 

Lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, is a commonly known hallucinogen that places users in a dreamlike state called "a trip".  During the approximate twelve-hour trip, users experience a mood lift, a feeling of being connected to the Universe, and a therapeutic psychological reflection upon oneself.  Colors start to become more vivid and the user can physically feel and see music.  Unfortunately, this drug can be unpredictable since it is man-made. It is typically sold on blotter paper and doses are unevenly dripped onto the paper causing one dose to be more extreme than another (Erowid).  Luckily, it would take hundreds of doses to overdose on LSD unlike cocaine and heroin which are common and relatively easy to overdose on.  Some users feel paranoid, see frightening visuals, or even feel as if they are dying; this is called a "bad trip."  Most long term effects that users have experienced are beneficial to their mental health.  People have recovered from illnesses such as depression and addiction after just one dose of psychedelics.  Users have claimed that their trip has changed their life for the better and that they have found the meaning of life; however, some users have also been hospitalized for anxiety due to a LSD flashback (Erowid).  More often than not, clinical trials from the 1960's and 1970's and people self-medicating today have had a positive experience which results in a happier, healthier person.  A study recently done by Imperial College London found that participants taking relatively low doses of LSD "felt more optimistic, open minded, and intellectually curious" (Miller).  Researchers have recently proved that this powerful psychedelic can be used to treat depression.  People with depression tend to dwell in the past since their brain has a greater connection to the default-mode network (Perry).  LSD decreases the default-mode network activity which allows the patient to live in the moment. After a psychological analysis, the patients receiving the LSD treatment had mentioned fewer references to the past compared to the patients given the placebo (Perry).  When the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging on the test subjects, they found that brain regions turn off the parts of the brain that are responsible for constraining consciousness allowing the patients to have a free flow of thought. It also alters sensory and perception as well as memory retrieval which could be useful in treating mental illnesses by being able to confront the problem instead of suppressing it (Olson).  Confronting the problem instead of suppressing it allows the patient to accept the problem and move on -- a problem that sufferers of anxiety and depression have trouble with.  This could help many sufferers of anxiety and depression in a way that their prescription medicine could not. Their prescription medicines simply mask their pain and sometimes make the patient feel numb towards other emotions. 

Many people are conflicted about the use of LSD because it is man-made with chemicals. Because it is man-made, there is a higher chance of getting a "bad batch".  A similar, naturally occurring chemical is called psilocybin -- the vegan LSD. It is the active chemical in Magic Mushrooms.  Unlike LSD, the amount of psilocybin in the mushrooms is relatively consistent so the user will not have one batch stronger than the other.  Eating these mushrooms results in a trip similar to that of LSD; the trip, however, lasts for around five hours whereas LSD lasts for twelve hours. During this time, the user becomes giggly, creative, and may even have a life changing spiritual experience.  The majority of users tend to feel nauseous after ingesting the mushroom due to the indigestible nature of the fungus. As with other drugs, anxiety is a common side effect as well. Being in a good mindset before taking the mushrooms is imperative so the user will not experience a bad trip (Erowid).  Mushrooms can help users' mental illnesses if they are taken in the right setting along with supervision from medical specialists. 

Researchers have found out that psilocybin works by making the brain hyper-connected and allows different regions to have increased communication.  The neurological changes that occur during the trip can last up to a year.  Essentially the chemical, psilocybin, increases the uptake of serotonin which a mood stabilizer that goes hand in hand with depression.  This allows the user to have a sense of euphoria and extreme happiness. When the patients' brains were monitored, doctors noticed a reorganizing of connections and linking of different parts of the brain. For example, patients could see a number and associate a color with that number (Winter).  To find out how chemical can be used to treat depression and other mental illnesses, there needs to be government funding for clinical trials.  It would be impossible for researchers and private organizations to fundraise enough money on their own to complete more research. In the early 2000s, terminally-ill cancer patients were given psilocybin in a comfortable hospital room resembling a living room.  After one dose of the mushrooms, almost all of the patients had less anxiety and depression about the end of their lives. The patients were able to more easily accept death.  One patient said that it helped her overcome her loneliness because she realized that all of the other patients in the trial were in it together.  Not only can Magic Mushrooms help anxiety and depression in terminally-ill patients, but it can also help addiction.  A study containing fifteen smokers who all smoked at least a pack a day for thirty years were given three doses of psilocybin. After six months, 80% of the group had stopped smoking completely.  As of today, around 500 people have been used in experiments with psilocybin and none of them have reported lasting negative side effects (Miller).  One man suffering from severe cluster headaches, resorted to taking the mushrooms to help with the pain.  He had tried almost every prescription known to man to help with the pain but nothing worked.  After a few years of suffering, he turned to the internet to discover home remedies.  Someone had suggested taking Magic Mushrooms.  The patient tried them and after just one dose, he remained cluster headache free for three months.  Instead of taking a prescription pill everyday for little to no change in pain, he only takes one dose of mushrooms every three months and is pain free (Drugs Inc).

Another natural hallucinogen with medicinal values is called Ayahuasca.  It is essentially a tea that combines a vine called Banisteriopsis caapi with leaves from a bush called Psychotria viridis.  The vine contains harmaline which is a psychoactive, naturally occurring Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor. This allows for the DMT to be orally active (Erowid). These chemicals were the first antidepressants to be developed which could perhaps aid in the healing process (Depression). The leaves in this mixture contain dimethyltryptamine, commonly known as DMT, which is a naturally occurring chemical in the human brain. Ayahuasca rituals are common in the Amazon; there are even retreats where patients go to take the hallucinogen under the care of an experienced native in a relaxing atmosphere (Drugs, Inc).  Mainly this tea is used to combat addiction or severe depression where everything else has failed.  Users often go through an "awakening" in which they go through changes in their body as well as their mind.  Ayahuasca can create an anti-craving effect on the patient as well as eliminate drug withdrawal symptoms.  After taking a dose of the tea, patients often violently throw up.  Purging is a common part of the ritual and oftentimes makes the user feel relief from years of fatty foods, alcohol, and other drugs.  This aids in the detoxification of the body as well as releasing stress. After vomiting, patients begin to experience the psychological effects.  The patients relive their traumatic experiences through a new perspective which often assists them in a way therapy could not.  They have more self awareness and realize that they need to change (Loizaga-Velder).  Since Ayahuasca is not as well known as LSD, scientists know even less about why and how it works.  Doctors need funding from the government in order to make this a possible option to treat severe addiction.  They hypothesize that the DMT assists the serotonin and increases brain activity that involves serotonin.  Those areas with increased serotonin activity, bring up repressed memories and process them differently than when the user first experienced it.  It affects the frontal lobe by disconnecting it allowing the user to accept information without much evaluation (Surprise).  

Finally, the drug that is the closest to being legally available for medicinal uses is called methylenedioxymethamphetamine, known as MDMA or Molly.  It is considered both a stimulant and a psychedelic.  Commonly used at raves or music festivals, this drug increases the user's serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.  For around three hours, this gives the user a euphoric feeling and a "heightened sense of emotional closeness and empathy" (MDMA).  The user has an increase in their tactile sensations, making physical connections with others pleasant.  Unfortunately, when taken recreationally in large amounts, this drug can be deadly.  After taking the drug, the body and brain increase in temperature and the user could have a seizure or even die of dehydration (Erowid). When used in moderation under professional supervision, MDMA can be an extremely powerful and healing drug.  A single micro-dose of MDMA will not harm the patient, instead it can become a powerful healing tool for those suffering from mental illnesses. An organization called Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, MAPS for short, tried using this mood boosting drug to help veterans diagnosed with PTSD.  After two months of using MDMA along with therapy, 83% of the patients no longer experienced anxiety related to PTSD. Most people taking medicine prescribed by doctors are on it for the rest of their lives; with MDMA, only a few micro-doses spread out over a few months are needed in order for the patient to see a permanent difference in their mood.  The Phase 2 clinical trials have just finished and they are now going onto the final phase before it can become FDA approved in 2021.  Once it is approved, MDMA will be available for psychotherapists to use along with traditional therapy sessions to treat PTSD.  Because it will only be available through a therapist, people without a mental illness will not be able to abuse it.  Since the government refuses to provide funding for clinical trials involving Schedule I drugs like MDMA, MAPS currently has to raise $20 million in order to cover the costs of the trials.  The nonprofit organization is relying on donations from people around the country (Loria). Once the drugs are rescheduled into a less strict category, organizations like this will not have to rely on individual donations.  The government will legally be able to provide funding for clinical trials. These trials will most likely prove once and for all that psychedelics can be beneficial in occasional micro-doses for patients suffering from mental illnesses. 

Most people believe that psychedelics are hard drugs that are extremely dangerous, highly addictive, and can cause mental health problems.  While this can be true if used recreationally and frequently, the drugs have many beneficial uses for the occasional user.  A slim portion of people understand the benefits to these drugs and would like to see more funding put towards research regarding the medicinal values.  There have been a multitude of people experimenting on their own with their medical issues and psychedelics and the majority of the users have experienced an increase in mood.  By arguing for the reclassification of psychedelics in order to simply help receive funding to conduct more clinical trials, more people will be able to live a better, healthier life.  Terminally-ill cancer patients will be able to enjoy the rest of their time on earth, war veterans will live peacefully again, and sufferers of cluster headaches can live a pain free life.  Psychedelics are far from being decriminalized for recreational use; however, taking them in a controlled setting for illnesses is not too far in the future.  Medicinal marijuana at one point seemed unrealistic and unhealthy but more and more people are beginning to understand and recognize its benefits.  Not much is known about the medicinal purposes of psychedelics due to the negative connotation it brings.  By bringing attention to alternative forms of medicine, sufferers of addiction, physical ailments, and mental illnesses can have options for treatments. 

