Ill-conceived hallucinogen experimentation may induce unstable affect and even precipitate psychotic breaks, especially in individuals with dormant or preexisting psychopathology. What follows is that the recreational use of hallucinogens has not been proven to be “safe.”
It is apparent that more and better controlled research (at least Phase II) is needed to clarify the adverse effects of hallucinogens. That kind of research would need enrollment of healthy human volunteers. While rigid administrative regulations in the United States are loosening up for the therapeutic use of hallucinogens in severely ill patients, the United States is lagging behind Switzerland and Germany where hallucinogen research is not restricted to sick people. Drug safety cannot be reliably evaluated only on individuals with compromised health.
In summary of our current knowledge, even when hallucinogens are ingested outside of controlled medical, ceremonial, or research settings, these agents have a relatively low potential to be harmful.
Nonetheless, ill-conceived hallucinogen experimentation may induce unstable affect and even precipitate psychotic breaks, especially in individuals with dormant or preexisting psychopathology. What follows is that the recreational use of hallucinogens has not been proven to
be “safe.”
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