If only lsd was legal. One of the safest non-addictive drugs out there with therapeutic and recreational benefits.
It's not. I've taken my fair share of drugs in all kinds of different settings, so I'd consider myself at least experienced in the subject. Drugs don't solve the problems in your life, they're escapism. To quote (again) Hunter S Thompson:
> That was the fatal flaw in Tim Leary's trip. He crashed around America selling "consciousness expansion" without ever giving a thought to the grim meat-hook realities that were lying in wait for all the people who took him seriously... All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding for three bucks a hit.
Drugs aren't going to save the world. The hippies thought that they could save the world in the 60s with positive energy, wishful thinking, pot, and LSD. How well did that work out? You could give the whole world a dose of acid, and the very next day they'd be straight back to killing each other.
I'm all in favour of legalisation, sure, but it's not going to save the world.
Upon saying that, in the correct supportive environment, LSD can be an incredible tool for healing past trauma. It's a shame that Timothy Leary and his lot managed to basically kill all scientific research into its therapeutic benefits for decades.
I've had the misfortune of taking LSD when I was in the wrong headspace, in the wrong place (i.e. bad set and setting). It was not a very pleasant experience.
If your life is so desperate that you're taking opioids to try and dull the pain of existence (which is a something different situation to progressing from prescribed opioids to heroin addiction), then taking LSD really isn't the solution and isn't necessarily a safer alternative. Physically safer, sure, but LSD can fuck with your psyche in pretty nasty ways.
I'm not saying "poor people shouldn't take LSD", because I'm not a hypocritical elitist. But I don't think it's really an alternative to opioids, and don't think it would stop opioid abuse, you'd just be throwing more shit into the mix.
Weed is a far more appropriate drug. At the end of the day though, drugs are readily available wherever you are. People will take what they want to take. Obviously people are taking opioids (or methamphetamine in some areas) despite the ready availability of marijuana. If people wanted to take LSD, they'd be able to find it easy enough (or it would find them).
> If only lsd was legal.
> Life expectancy declines seen in U.S. and other high-income countries
You didn't qualify what you were saying, so don't be surprised when someone ascribes a meaning for you. The topic was about a western-societal problem, so effectively...the world for most readers and your comment implies something about it.
In any case, flooding the opioid markets with legal psychedelics would make an interesting social experiment.