Some in C.O. use psychedelic drug microdoses as treatment
In recent years, party drugs such as “acid” (LSD) and mushrooms have been given a clean makeover — in a very small way.
While the drugs are still illegal, some people – it’s hard to know just how many – are using tiny amounts to treat a variety of mental health issues.
It’s called microdosing.
Microdosing is the act of taking extremely small amounts of LSD or psilocybin. The doses are small enough so the effects are extremely subtle, but it can reportedly have a noticeable influence on a person’s life.
Hayley is a 26-year-old Bend resident who has been microdosing for five years. She asked that we not use her last name or show her face.
“I was having a really hard time with anxiety and depression. I always have. It’s always been an issue for me,” Hayley said Tuesday.
Using microdoses of LSD or psilocybin mushrooms as a treatment for depression and anxiety is becoming more common.
Peter Sparks, a senior instructor of psychology at OSU-Cascades, said he would like to see legal research into such uses of the drugs.
“What’s really interesting is that heightened sense of meaningfulness and that feeling of awe and feeling of spirituality that can come with LSD,” Sparks said.
Hayley said, “I don’t think there’s one quick fix. I think it’s always a process. And I think that part of the reason microdosing is beneficial is because it gives you the tools to work through it in a positive way.”
“For me, it stripped away the ego and blinders that you have on and gave me the tools to see the root of a lot of my problems,” she said.
But psychedelic drugs are illegal, even in tiny amounts or for research purposes.
“We’re about truth and understanding,” Sparks said, “and a drug maybe should be made illegal. But why make it illegal to do research on it?”
Without research, he said, it’s tough to know exactly how well microdosing works.
“Psilocybin-type hallucinogens are really difficult to overdose on,” Sparks said. “Llow toxicity, low evidence of addictivevness, powerful effects, anecdotal stories of potential medical benefits, a few stories of actually the LSD showing some benefits. Maybe 20 years from now, maybe LSD and psilocybin will become legal.”
For some scientists, legalization would mean government regulation and increased safety for people such as Hayley, who use microdosing as a tool.
“It was almost immediately — it was overnight,” she said. “The next day, I was more present. I felt an overall sense of happiness and serenity. As cheesy as it sounds, it just grounds you a little bit.”
LSD and and psilocybin are illegal drugs, and much more research is needed to fully understand their effects.
Currently, there’s a campaign in Oregon to legalize psilocybin mushrooms. If passed into law, certain doctors could administer the drug to patients over a number of sessions.
