Public Education
Public Education About Psychedelics is Urgently Needed
Public Education
Public Education About Psychedelics is Urgently Needed
Promising scientific research, media coverage, and decriminalization efforts have driven increased use of psychedelic substances in the past decade, almost tripling among young adults aged 19-30, and quadrupling among those aged 35–50. The majority of that use is characterized as recreational, outside of a clinical context. Self-medication is also on the rise.
There is a poor understanding around the vast array of experiences known as “bad trips" and the popular framing of “good trips” has fed a poor understanding of the negative experiences associated with psychedelic trips, leaving those who suffer from them without much institutional support or education.
Risks of psychedelic use are under-researched and poorly communicated in the media.
There is an urgent need for a more balanced, realistic, and nuanced understanding of psychedelics among the public. CPSE is launching a groundbreaking pilot public education campaign to initiate this essential conversation, aiming to educate, inform and engage.People need unbiased, balanced and evidence-based information to make well-informed choices about whether psychedelics are right for them, or right for them right now. This will lead to safer use practices that optimize benefits and mitigate risks. It’s also a matter of informed consent. Public access to information about risk management can help inform the public’s idea of what responsible use looks like.