some people claim that it helps addicts deal with withdrawal - but, imo, most people need support from others to build a life.
But I can see how a psychedelic could be used for therapy in the same way that some use hypnosis - most of the natural psychedelics that I've read about (I have no personal experience with them) seem to be a sort of "detox" - that's what one doctor claims who was trying to get a patent to be able to remove the hallucinogenic aspect to use for drug treatment by isolating the "detox" element. This is a very western approach.
These natural substances all evolved their uses in spiritual settings in what are now marginalized groups. Who's to say their religious practices are any less valid than someone who fasts and prays and has hallucinations in a desert?
One doctor that I know of has been doing studies with ibogaine for a while now and there are also informal networks - underground sorts of things, addicts helping addicts. Alternet had a pretty interesting article about this a while back.
I don't know if it's that the low cost would be the issue. I don't think enough clinical trials have been done in settings that would allow people to quantify results over time, etc. etc.
but if it's not a substance that kills you, and it has helped some people - I guess I don't understand why something like that would be illegal. I think it goes back to the scare stories of psychedelic drugs and the fear of them in traditional western society.
which is why I think those things should not be be illegal. If someone wants to see if something helps with an oftentimes intractable situation - I guess I think adults should be able to make cost/benefit analyses - we do this all the time with pharmaceutical substances, and with all sorts of issues in life.
As far as LSD,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9131181/LSD-could-treat-alcoholism-because-trips-make-you-reassess-addiction.html
In the 1960s and 70s several clinics ran trials to determine whether lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, could help alcoholics overcome their dependence with varying degrees of success.
The supervisors of one trial noted: "It was rather common for patients to claim significant insights into their problems, to feel that they had been given a new lease on life, and to make a strong resolution to discontinue their drinking."
The new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that LSD had a positive effect on alcohol misuse in each of the trials, with 59 per cent of patients who took the drug having improved at follow-up, compared with 38 per cent who took a placebo. (This was with 536 participants.)
A single dose of LSD produces benefits which last between six and 12 months, and repeated doses along with modern treatments could ensure longer term results, the researchers said.
Here's a little more about those studies -
LSD To Treat Alcoholism? New Look At Old Data Says It Works
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/242684.php
The authors say they don't know how LSD works to treat alcohol addiction. They explain that we know the drug is non-toxic and non-addictive, and that it has a "striking effect on the imagination, perception and memories".
And we know that it interacts with a particular serotonin receptor in the brain. Perhaps it stimulates the "formation of new connections and patterns", thereby creating an "awareness of new perspectives and opportunities for action," they speculate.
In all of the studies, the patients were encouraged to reflect on their alcoholism. In some of the trials, patients had the opportunity to talk with a therapist; in others, they received brief reassurance, if they wanted it.
In all of the studies, the results showed that the patients who received the full LSD dose fared the best.
Since alcoholics have a huge recidivism rate - this non-toxic substance that showed such positive results seems like something that should be available for those adults who might benefit from it.
Anyway - I think that would be a good use of funds for studies by our govt, for instance.
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