theatlantic | In a massive study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, scientists at the Norwegian University for Science and Technology at Trondheim concluded that there is no link
between use of LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic
mushrooms) and mental health problems. The study selected 135,000
participants at random—including 19,000 who had used psychedelic
drugs—and found no evidence linking such drugs to the onset of mental
disorders.
"Over 30 million U.S. adults have tried psychedelics and there
just is not much evidence of health problems," author and clinical
psychologist Pål-Ørjan Johansen said.
Johanesen was careful to acknowledge that users of psychedelic drugs
are not immune to bad trips, and are as susceptible as anyone else to
mental health issues. But his findings negate a common perception that
drugs like LSD put users directly in danger—a justification used in
criminalization.
Most psychedelic drugs—including LSD and psilocybin—have been illegal in
the United States since 1970, the year President Richard Nixon signed
the Controlled Substances Act. The legislation classified LSD and
mushrooms under Schedule 1, prohibiting not only their consumption and
sale but also their use in medicine. Research into the therapeutic
benefits of psychedelic drugs largely froze after decades of frenetic
scientific investigation.
