It’s hard to erase the stain of propaganda. Despite having significantly fewer side effects, annual fatalities, and dependency issues than alcohol, millions of people still view marijuana as a destructive drug thanks to William Randolph Hearst’s smear campaign against hemp. Even though America is slowly peeling away the decades of hysteria around marijuana and its consumption, it will take a while before society softens toward psychedelics, which were equally maligned in the 60s. There’s copious evidence and studies to show that psychedelics can be used therapeutically, but due to outdated notions, America has yet to take the potential psychedelic solution seriously.
As our society focuses more on mental health, one would assume that all avenues of therapy would be explored, but psychedelics are still riding the proverbial bench. In the video linked above, Big Think sits down with Dr. Matthew Johnson to discuss the “heroic dose” of psychedelics and how it could aid in treating mental health issues.