Dynamics of Psychedelic Drug Abuse

Abstract

THE PUBLIC has become aware of the increasing use of the major psychedelic substances (lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], peyote, psilocybin, morning glory seeds) by certain individuals outside the contexts of supervised therapy and research.^1,2 Several excellent clinical studies have firmly documented the hazards of this Practice.^4,5 At a time when the scientific community has been gathering information necessary for regulating the traffic of these substances, the phenomenon itself has to some degree been put aside. Nevertheless, the use of Psychedelic substances by these individuals and groups poses a number of interesting theoretical questions. We emphasize at the outset our assumption that the unsupervised use of psychedelic substances and their effects are complex phenomena with a wide variety of personal and social determinants. Although a certain number of these individuals come to psychiatric attention as a direct result of their use of