In her article, Kat Rosenfield regrettably fails to outline the significant harms posed by psychedelic drugs. For many, using psychedelics is a nightmarish experience, not a pleasurable one. According to a 2023 study, 41 percent of psychedelic users reported having challenging experiences. This isn’t surprising: Negative side effects from psychedelics are well-documented. Psilocybin is known to cause psychosis, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, and lack of coordination. MDMA use can lead to confusion, anxiety, depression, paranoia, nausea, faintness, chills, sweating, blurred vision, and even death. Past users can also develop Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, a condition that triggers a non-intoxicated person to reexperience the intoxicating effects of psychedelics.
Glorifying these dangerous drugs inevitably results in their normalization and increased overall use. This is an outcome we should strive to avoid.
Psychedelics have been sold to the public on the promise that users can “microdose” them in small enough quantities to limit intoxication and negative effects while maximizing the supposed benefits. Predictably, this approach is being overtaken by a push to increase the amount taken. Rosenfield describes one of the women as taking “a generous dose” of psychedelics that leads to her spending “the next several hours tripping balls.”
This dynamic is particularly concerning given increased psychedelic use is not aligned with evidence-based treatment and clinical advice. In August 2024, the FDA rejected the bid of a psychedelic drug for the treatment of PTSD because it failed to meet the criteria of safe and effective medication. In a July 2022 statement, the American Psychiatric Association said, “There is currently inadequate scientific evidence for endorsing the use of psychedelics to treat any psychiatric disorder.” Even Michael Pollan, the psychedelics advocate Rosenfield cites in her article, acknowledges the dearth of knowledge about these drugs. When asked what psychedelics do to the human mind, Pollan responded, “The honest answer: Nobody quite understands.”
The normalization of psychedelic drugs should concern us all. Not only do these substances pose harm to nonusers (last year, an off-duty pilot tried to crash an Alaska Airlines flight while high on magic mushrooms), but the psychedelic craze is reminiscent of other addiction-for-profit industries. Our country is still reeling from the public health disaster resulting from Big Tobacco’s flashy marketing, celebrity endorsements, deceptive health claims, and ignorance of scientific evidence. Tobacco companies even marketed to women, specifically, by promoting the false message that cigarettes are empowering. We should learn from our past and endorse a platform of psychedelic use prevention, not run headfirst into another public health disaster.