Good Drugs Combating Bad Drugs

The Potential of Psychedelics to Fry the Addiction Epidemic

Introduction

Science recognizes that addiction contains a largely biological component. It seems possible then, that the most promising way to attack the epidemic of drug addiction would be a solution capable of addressing the neurobiology of the addict. A true chemical solution to dependency must not create a new problem in its stead, as the currently-used methadone can do. Findings from before the wide-scale prohibition of psychedelic therapy, along with evidence now emerging surrounding recent studies of lesser known psychedelics, suggest a potential solution. It is this solution I wish to examine in my research. Specifically, in this study, I wish to address the question of whether or not the drug-induced psychedelic experience can serve to decrease drug dependency.

Early attention was called to this possibility from the journal Psychedelic Review in a study called "The Treatment of Alcoholism With Psychedelics (Psychedelic Review 1963)." A more thorough 1973 study by Dr. Charles Savage and Dr. O. Lee McCabe studied the effects of LSD therapy on heroin addicts, and found results for abstinence from heroin significantly in favor of the treatment group. 1994 saw an introductory study led by Simon G. Sheppard, BSc, verifying the anecdotal claims that the psychedelic Ibogaine has great anti-addictive potential. A 2001 study published in The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment established evidence for successful treatment of heroin addiction through administration of psychedelic doses of Ketamine. And more studies are up for approval or are in early stages, showing that there is a level of enthusiasm for a chemical solution to addiction worth further verification. It is these trends in research that I wish to examine. I hypothesize that the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms of a responsible psychedelic experience can interrupt and lessen drug addiction.

Non-experimental/Correlational Study