I have always been interested in helping other people. When I was in high school, I found out about a career path that would allow me to help people every day: psychology. After spending 2 years pursuing a clinically-focused undergraduate degree, I joined a couple of research labs that inspired me to dive deeper into the ever-changing field of experimental psychology. While conducting research for the Terror Management Theory lab, I took it upon myself to learn more about what might cause someone to be afraid or accept death. In my research, I found that psychedelics profoundly affected the human mind, usually for the better. After reading testimonials, I saw how these people’s minds changed over just one administration of psychedelics. They become more open to new experiences, feel a deeper connection with the Earth and those around them, have a greater appreciation for life and are less afraid of dying. I was indeed in awe of how powerful and beneficial these substances could be for everyone. The only issue: they are illegal in almost every state.
Aside from Oregon, almost every other state has declared that all psychoactive substances are too dangerous and should be illegal. When I was younger, I would have agreed with that statement, but as I have learned more about these substances’ potential benefits, I was perplexed about how they could be viewed as dangerous. Alcohol and cigarettes, two addictive and legal substances, produce more physical and psychological harm than most psychoactive substances do. The fact that the government decided that two naturally occurring psychoactive substances, cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms, should be illegal continues to baffle me to this day. I to investigate the government’s decision to make these substances illegal since I just wanted to better understand. Maybe they had a good reason. Well, what I found wasn’t exactly back by logic.
Behind the madness was a man named Harry J. Anslinger, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who heard that mainly minority communities, such as blacks and Mexicans, were smoking marijuana. To justify his ban on marijuana, he claimed that it made these individuals behave violently and go insane, even though research had proved the opposite. To quote the man himself, “reefer makes darkies think they are as good as white men” and that if white women were to smoke marijuana, they would be more likely to sleep with black men. His ban was replaced with the Controlled Substances Act, which was similarly problematic, but I digress.
The overall point I am trying to make here is that psychoactive drugs are capable of saving lives. They aid in the recovery from mental illness, and they promote a sense of peace in life and acceptance of death. These substances promote living in the present moment, not thinking about tomorrow, next week, or next year. I think these substances should be available to everyone who wishes to fully live in the present moment.
Brianna Coffindaffer
TMT Lab Member since 2019