Hallucinogens Josh Scott Mary-Evan Luther Taylor Echols Devin Argy Leah Ballentine

Origin Of Drug Starting in the mid-20th century, psychedelic drugs have been the object of extensive attention in the Western world. They have been and are being explored as potential therapeutic agents in treating, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-compulsive Disorder, alcoholism, opioid addiction, cluster headaches, and other ailments. Early military research focused on their use as incapacitating agents. Intelligence agencies tested these drugs in the hope that they would provide an effective means of interrogation, with little success. Yet the most popular, and at the same time most stigmatized, use of psychedelics in Western culture has been associated with the search for direct religious experience, enhanced creativity, personal development, and "mind expansion". The use of psychedelic drugs was a major element of the 1960s counterculture, where it became associated with various social movements and a general atmosphere of rebellion and strife between generations. Starting in the mid-20th century, psychedelic drugs have been the object of extensive attention in the Western world. They have been and are being explored as potential therapeutic agents in treating depression, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-compulsive Disorder, alcoholism, opioid addiction, cluster headaches, and other ailments. Early military research focused on their use as incapacitating agents. Intelligence agencies tested these drugs in the hope that they would provide an effective means of interrogation, with little success. Yet the most popular, and at the same time most stigmatized, use of psychedelics in Western culture has been associated with the search for direct religious experience, enhanced creativity, personal development, and "mind expansion". The use of psychedelic drugs was a major element of the 1960s counterculture, where it became associated with various social movements and a general atmosphere of rebellion and strife between generations.Post-traumatic Stress DisorderObsessive-compulsive Disorderalcoholismopioidaddictioncluster headaches interrogationreligious experiencecreativitycounterculture depressionPost-traumatic Stress DisorderObsessive-compulsive Disorderalcoholismopioidaddictioncluster headaches interrogationreligious experiencecreativitycounterculture

Psychological Effect

Level Of Addictiveness/Treatment

Method Of Use For The Drug/Attraction

Demographics Of The Drug ► Hallucinogen use, excluding MDMA, peaked in the United States late 1960s as part of the hippie movement. Hallucinogen use then gradually declined until the early 1990s, when it again picked up. Usage appears to have peaked around 1998, and may now be remaining steady or declining. Hallucinogens are drugs normally used by adolescents and young adults in social settings such as dance parties or raves. Even heavy users do not use these drugs more than two or three times a week. Casual or occasional use is common and many people outgrow their use. ► Unlike LSD use, MDMA use has increased enormously since the 1980s. Between 1995 and 1999 its use by 18- to 25-year-olds increased 47%. In a survey of 400 hospitals, MDMA-related emergency room visits increased 58% between 1999 and One-third of these visits involved people under the age of 25. In 2000, the last year for which statistics are available, the National Institute of Drug Abuse found that about 11% of twelfth-grade students had used LSD and about 7% reported using other hallucinogens. People who use hallucinogens are also likely to abuse alcohol and marijuana.

Relative Expense Of Drug LSD is produced in domestic labs concentrated in Northern California and shipped by mail or couriers through what law enforcement officials describe as a well-established network of distributors. Pulse Check and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sources report that LSD is sold primarily in paper or blotter form, with each sheet divided into squares of single dose units containing approximately micrograms of the substance. It may also be sold as "microdots" (small tablets) or in gelatin squares ("window panes"). A dose (approximately 55 micrograms) sells for $1-$10. New synthetic drugs have generated renewed interest in hallucinogen use. MDMA is one of the most popular of these newer drugs; other drugs that have surfaced in recent years include Nexus and ketamine. Ketamine use has been reported in New York for more than 2 years, and it is increasingly being used as a "club drug" in New Jersey, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Georgia. Ketamine is packaged in baggies or capsules and sells for approximately $10-$20 per dose.

Lifespan Of The Drug And Its Most Popular Period In History

Effect Of Drug On The Brain The drug user notices that they don’t get the same high as they used to or that it takes more of the drug to get the same high. There is a decrease in the brain’s natural ability to feel pleasure. Thus even regular activities that used to make the person happy, such as going dancing or watching a funny television show, don’t have the same effect. Abusing drugs over a long period of time not only affects the dopamine mail in the brain, but it changes brain circuits in more essential parts of the brain. When this system is unnaturally influenced because of drug use, a person’s ability to think clearly becomes impaired, even when the person is not using the drug.