Rough Draft

Jackson Nigg

Elliot Coyle

English 130

4/16/20

Outdated

In the ever-expanding world we live in, humans are becoming increasingly curious of what the world could potentially hold. Technology is constantly expanding and becoming more complex fulfilling this curiosity for some, others are more interested in the potential discoveries we hold within our own minds. In recent years there has been an increase in usage and discussion of psychedelics. Cities in the US such as Oakland, California and Denver, Colorado have decriminalized psilocybin containing mushrooms, while countries such as the Netherlands where mushrooms are legal to be distributed by stores and produced legally. Although it is generally accepted that governments make their decisions based on concrete evidence, and are revised based on newfound evidence or changes in culture, governments are failing to do this with enforcement of these substances. The strict laws imposed on these psychoactive drugs in countries such as the US are based on outdated and inaccurate evidence. Not only is evidence not credible, but the majority of negative stigma against these drugs are a result of governments misusing these drugs. Revision of the laws put in place banning these substances is necessary, as governments overlook the possible Psychoactive substances the view on psychoactive drugs by many is negative, with newfound evidence it has been made clear that some of these substances are not as harmful or dangerous as they were interpreted in the past. Information surfaced from the US government that a 14 year study took place where the Central Intelligence Agency attempted to control people’s minds using psychedelics and other psychoactive drugs. More specifically lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD along with 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA. The Central Intelligence Agency was motivated to conduct such an observed and dangerous study when a false tip was received that the Chinese had developed mind control themselves. This experiment, alongside many others contributed to the government only viewing these substances from a dangerous and manipulative point of view, without conducting research on the potential beneficial properties of them. 

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 contains 8 characteristics that substances can have in order to be banned (United States Government). These include its potential for abuse,its history and pattern of abuse, alone with the scope, duration, and significance of abuse. Along with this there is a mechanism for substance to be moved between schedules but has been rarely used. If necessary this can be initiated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Health and Human Services. Furthermore in some cases parties can petition to get the drug reviewed. This supports my thesis that the government has banned drugs with little to no evidence due to the fact no drugs have been moved through schedules even with new evidence. 

Andrew O’Reilly’s article published by Fox News summarizes the decision made by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to decriminalize “magic mushrooms” inorder to make it more possible to have professional studies conducted with them. This relates to the idea that  the Scheduling of these drugs needs to be challenged due to the lack of evidence justifying their legal status. It is interpreted by the government that if they were to fund research they would be promoting the legalization of Schedule 1 drugs. When in reality they are denying the opportunity to learn about the potentially large benefits of these drugs. O’Reilly’s article supports my stance that there is a severe lack of justification surrounding the banning of these drugs, and the evidence that was used in banning these drugs is outdated. Parallelling this Carlos Plazola,the chair of the group Decriminalize Nature Oakland, presented the fact that “These plants are being recommended pretty extensively undercover,underground,by doctors and therapists.”(Carlos Plazola) Backing the idea that trained professionals are aware of the possible benefits. 

In this news article a 25 year long, $25 million dollar program was uncovered in which the C.I.A. attempted to control the human mind. Dr. Carl Pfeiffer was a pharmacologist that conducted experiments for the C.I.A. on prisoners in a federal penitentiary in Atlanta along with the Bordentown Reformatory in New Jersey (Dr. Carl Pfeiffer). In a telephone interview he released a statement that from 1955 to 1964 he was paid $25,000 dollars a year to conduct these tests. These experiments were spurred when Russians and Chinese were reported to have developed mind control devices. This was later proved to be untrue. This source supports my argument that the government had mostly used these banned substances for malicious purposes. It could be argued that this gave these substances a negative connotation in the government’s eyes. 

In the novel “Can’t Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age” describes the period of time where drug culture was beginning to spike up at an enormous rate (Martin Togoff). During this period of time President John Kennedy pro the new frontier and NASA made it to the moon. Meanwhile the drug culture in the US skyrocketed. It became more normalized to use these psychoactive drugs and users began to do these drugs as a sort of inner experiment. This book neglects the constant war on drugs and its effects overtime. This will assist me in my essay as it provides a new perspective to the war on drugs that isn’t motivated by bad stigma.

Finding justification behind rulings by governments throughout the world that psychoactive drugs should be completely banned is hard to find. While the United States has arguably the most harsh punishments for psychoactive drugs on a national level, other countries have severe repercussions too. In the past evidence surfaced that the US government was using substances to attempt mind control only presented the extremely dangerous and harmful effects of these drugs, leading to laws being put in place. The majority of these acts put into place followed a massive cultural obsession with psychoactive drugs in the 1970s. Without evidence that is accurate and current these laws are arguably void. Not only is this true in the United States but also internationally in countries such as Canada for example. Despite this there is change being set forth on an international level to study these drugs in a professional environment inorder to learn about the safety and beneficial aspects of psychoactive drugs, creating a future of  potential life changing medicine.