Street Drugs Are the New Miracle Medicines of the Future

The days of Timothy Leary are long gone, but his legacy is proving him right in the use of powerful, once reviled, "street" or "party" drugs.

Photo by Esteban Lopez on Unsplash

Politicians used to blanch at the questions fired at them about toking or whether or not they inhaled. Remember that silly comment from Bill Clinton about not inhaling? Then, what did you do, Bill, hold the smoke in your mouth as you held your breath?

Today, a new and a less repressed medical establishment desperately seeks ways to tackle anxiety, depression, suicide, and other mental health challenges that send lives spiraling into despair. The call from this new hierarchy of medicine sounds oddly familiar to “Turn on, tune in, drop out,” which was Timothy Leary’s message decades ago.

Leary, a gifted Harvard researcher, began studying the use of psychedelics while working with Richard Alpert at the university. Together, they initiated the Harvard Psilocybin Project. It became somewhat of a curious question when Leary was asked how many “trips” he took on LSD. I don’t believe he provided a number.

Politicians used to blanch at the questions fired at them about toking or whether or not they inhaled. Remember that silly comment from Bill Clinton about not inhaling? Then, what did you do, Bill, hold the smoke in your mouth as you held your breath?

Today, a new and less repressed medical establishment is desperately seeking ways to tackle anxiety, depression, suicide, and other mental health challenges that send lives spiraling into the depths of despair. The call from this new hierarchy of medical experts sounds oddly familiar to "Turn on, tune in, drop out," which was Timothy Leary's message decades ago.

Leary, a gifted Harvard researcher, began studying the use of psychedelics while working with Richard Alpert at the university. Together, they initiated the Harvard Psilocybin Project. It became somewhat of a curious question when Leary was asked how many "trips" he took on LSD.

The days of considering marijuana to be an evil, morally corrupting substance, thanks to films like the 1936 film, Reefer Madness, are finally coming to an end thanks to new research initiatives. In fact, not only has medical marijuana found a place in contemporary medicine, recreational use of the drug is now becoming accepted all over the United States as retail stores our opening.

But the new investigations into alternative medications for not only stress-related difficulties, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, we now see that there may be previously- unseen benefits in terms of our brain's neuron-building activities.

The new findings in research may dramatically affect the practice of psychiatry and areas of homeopathic medicine. Previously, many medical professionals looked down their noses at homeopathic medicine and traditional medicines used in routine practice at home in many cultures. Slowly, there came a realization that some of these hundreds or thousands of years-old traditional medicines had a place in current medical treatments. Acupuncture is only one area that is now seen as an acceptable alternative, particularly in pain relief.

Research interests are now looking at psilocybin, the active ingredient of magic mushrooms, which may be more effective than present-day antidepressants. Efforts in PTSD have been leading the search since this disorder is so widespread and damaging to someone's life that the necessity for more effective treatment was evident. One of the leaders in that research is Johns Hopkins University which suggested this approach to this disorder and others.

Of course, this flies in the face of the previously-held belief that there was no medical use for psychedelic substances. A similar view that there is no medical benefit in heroin has placed it on a drug schedule (Schedule I includes heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote) indicating precisely that.

Yet, we knew from prior use in Europe decades ago that heroin is a very effective pain treatment, as in the case of chronic cancer pain. A specific formulation utilizing heroin, Brompton's Mixture, was widely used in hospice programs. Most people in the United States are unaware that fields for opium poppies that serve as heroin's base existed within our country's borders. A lengthy struggle in the courts resulted in states setting their own rules for growing the plant.

Persons from Europe and Asia who grew opium poppies in their kitchen gardens used the pods for stomach ailments and resilience. In China, the plant was used as an ingredient in soups.

Once the Brompton's cocktail removed heroin in the formulation in the United States, initially, cocaine was the substitute. Once again, medicine hit a brick wall; cocaine was not believed to be good medicine. One psychiatrist in the US earned his claim to fame by teaching seminars on cocaine addiction.

How do you treat chronic cancer pain with effective medications that you also believe are somehow evil or useless when they have proven highly advantageous? My mother was dying of metastatic cancer, and her doctor refused to provide Brompton's because "She'll get addicted!" She was dying, and the thought of addiction was absurd.

The contradiction related to "addictive" substance use in dying patients is intellectually silly and unacceptable. People are suffering excruciating pain, and individuals are holding onto 1930s beliefs about alternative medicine. Do you find this acceptable? Of course, we are also seeing another conundrum in medical prescribing; benzodiazepines.

The BZs, highly effective for anxiety and panic disorder, are viewed as addictive, and physicians are accused of overprescribing them—even though patients do not abuse them but benefit greatly. Physicians, fearing lawsuits or licensing difficulties, are reluctant to prescribe BZs and often abruptly discontinue patients to the patient's dilemma and potential health risks.

A move toward more enlightened practices regarding formerly denigrated medicinal, cultural treatments is occurring. No one is suggesting that the medical release of unacceptable immoral behavior will result from utilizing these alternative forms of treatment. Far from it. All of the research to date has pointed to benefits and a need for a conservative approach along with further research. In the case of marijuana, we know that it has two active ingredients; THC and CBD.

One of the ingredients, THC, promotes hallucinogenic perception. At the same time, the other, CBD, can mean relief from anxiety and stress without any perceptual changes, as would be found in the THC portion of the plant extract. And the two compounds can be easily separated and obtained in a form with only CBD.

On a physical level, some of these compounds, such as psilocybin, have been found to affect the neural connectivity in the brain, increasing the brain's ability to communicate more effectively. Discussing the effects of the psychedelic psilocybin on the brains of depressed patients, Professor Robin Carhart-Harris said, "In previous studies we had seen a similar effect in the brain when people were scanned whilst on a psychedelic, but here we're seeing it weeks after treatment for depression, which suggests a carryover of the acute drug action."

Therefore, the substance not only works as an antidepressant and increases brain connectivity but also has a more lasting effect than common antidepressant drugs. Comparing the psychedelic to a commonly prescribed drug, they found the antidepressant effect of that widely used medication was milder, and there was no change in the brain network organization.

In the UK and the US, clinics are now offering ketamine as a helpful medication for depression. However, they caution patients that this widely used drug, often referred to as the party drug Special K, should be taken in a professional setting. Licensing for ketamine was initially as an anesthetic but it is now offered in some locations on an off-label basis. One estimate by a researcher was that 10-15K patients had been treated with ketamine to date.

The bottom line is that psychedelics are being widely researched, used in various clinical settings, and may prove helpful where current medications have failed to help patients. Wise patients understand that not all clinics are created equal, and caution is advised before entering any treatment.