In our "modern" society, we're taught to fear psychedelic use. We're taught to not only fear the consequences of what will happen if the government catches us using these substances, we're taught that we will actually go insane from using them. Well a just-released scientific study has found the opposite to the true, and that use of classical psychedelics (things like LSD and psilocybin mushrooms) actually decreases psychological distress and suicide rates.
We evaluated the relationships of classic psychedelic use with psychological distress and suicidality among over 190,000 USA adult respondents... Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a significantly reduced odds of past month psychological distress, past year suicidal thinking, past year suicidal planning, and past year suicide attempt, whereas lifetime illicit use of other drugs was largely associated with an increased likelihood of these outcomes. These findings indicate that classic psychedelics may hold promise in the prevention of suicide, supporting the view that classic psychedelics’ most highly restricted legal status should be reconsidered to facilitate scientific study, and suggesting that more extensive clinical research with classic psychedelics is warranted. (source)
While I don't believe psychedelics are a short-cut to Enlightenment on their own, they can be very helpful in beginning to crack the shell that encloses most people's consciousness. They can also bring up one's inner demons, and while that can be a frightening experience, there's also an enormous potential for healing there as well. Many indigenous cultures take entheogens as part of their coming-of-age ceremonies, you're not even considered a true adult until you go through a psychedelic experience.
