Psychedelic drugs may reduce criminal behavior

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"Newly published research suggests that common psychedelic drugs--such as magic mushrooms, LSD and mescaline (a substance derived from the peyote cactus)--may reduce criminal offences.

The new study, co-authored by UBC Okanagan's Associate Professor of Psychology Zach Walsh, found that psychedelic drugs are associated with a decreased likelihood of antisocial criminal behaviour.

"These findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that use of classic psychedelics may have positive effects for reducing antisocial behaviour," said Walsh, a p. "They certainly highlight the need for further research into the potentially beneficial effects of these stigmatized substances for both individual and public health."

Lead author, University of Alabama Assoc. Prof. Peter Hendricks, used data obtained by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to explore the connection between the use of classic psychedelic substances and criminal behaviour among more than 480,000 American adult respondents from the past 13 years.

Key findings of the study are that respondents who have used psychedelic drugs had 27 per cent decreased odds of larceny or theft, and 22 per cent decreased odds of arrest for a violent crime in the past year. At the same time, lifetime use of other illicit substances was generally associated with increased odds of criminal behaviour.

Hendricks says that psilocybin and related compounds could revolutionize the mental health field."

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases ... 102317.php

Jeez, do they want to turn everyone in the entire world into a complete drug addict? Yeah, it might reduce criminal behavior because just opening a door will be a major achievement.

Psychedelics are not only not harmful, they are non-addictive, so nobody who uses just them would become an addict.

They fry your brain. Anyone I've known who did that stuff on a regular basis were total space cases.

I like my brain undamaged.

Yea and marijuana turns you gay too right?

Come on people, it's 2017 and you have a lot more resources to do research than your propaganda filled DARE officers. I feel sorry for the people who are still stupid enough to believe this crap and yet I also hate that they're not helping us move forward and on to bigger issues. If only they would try it just once it might open up their brains and they could think for themselves instead of "government and teachers say this, must be true, can't be wrong." Thankfully all the older, stubborn repubs are starting to die out or leave politics, so we can actually start making some beneficial changes. Personally I can't wait to celebrate like I've never celebrated before when weed is fully legal in my state.

Google "chemical restraints" and "psychoactive drugs in nursing homes and prisons".

This looks similar, although the focus is on recreational psychoactives rather than prescription ones.

My point isn't that drugs are bad, because they're not. They're just tools.

It's that anything that becomes more about profit than about social welfare will be misused in a society that is more about profit than about social welfare.