Well it's a good thing that's not a prerequisite to getting someone's opinion.
I'm all for sensible drug policy, and you may be right that MDMA and opioids are completely different classifications of substances, but the fact that the doctor hasn't personally done both is no reason to dismiss his statements out of hand.
I don't have much information, but based on the article, I believe this doctor is biased by the fact that he has focused only on the very rare cases of individuals which develop an obsession with the drug and continue to use it even after it's primarily sought-after effects have stopped working. If you use MDMA every day for a prolonged time, then you are definitely going to get brain damage.
The reason this generally isn't a problem with MDMA is that, long before this happens, you will use up all your serotonin (temporary) and the drug essentially stops working, even with increased dosage. This usually means that people stop taking it before any major damage is done. Contrast this with opiates, where you can keep upping the dose and keep the high going indefinitely over a prolong time (until you overdose).
I dismiss the doctors statements not just because he hasn't done these drugs himself, all I need to do is look at the number of heroin addicts in rehab vs the number of chronic MDMA users.
I don't believe there are 'many' people who take MDMA daily for long periods of time, unless they only want negative side effects. They definitely aren't getting the same experience after the third day, regardless of how much they take. You only have so much serotonin. Perhaps these people are not actually taking what they think they are?
Here is an article about a decent study from the UK:
Anyways, I've seen many people claiming to have done this (or having friends who have done this) on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/45sgbe/daily_mdma_us... https://www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/1ldmka/so_really_how... https://www.reddit.com/r/MDMA/comments/2765jb/i_used_100mg_o... https://www.reddit.com/r/MDMA/comments/211jkj/ive_been_rolli...
Lots of these cases may be false, but there still seems to be at least a few real cases of this. Of course, that's no reason to make the substance illegal (and especially not a reason to stop studies attempting to use it). Better regulation as a controlled substance is probably the best solution (i.e. enforcing the 2-3 month rule by only allowing MDMA to be purchased at those intervals).
There are also cases of individuals who believe they need to eat glass on a daily basis.
Anyone can convince themselves of anything if they want to believe it badly enough. I would be willing to bet that most of these chronic users would not exist in the first place had they sufficient knowledge about the drug.
I've heard of many people abusing alcohol, with daily use for long periods of time (all of which have reported memory issues and other permanent problems).
Still legal though.
2. When speaking about potential for abuse, it's worth making a distinction between drugs which cause dependency and/or chemical craving, and drugs that don't. You can develop habits without dependence or craving, but that can apply to almost anything, and is much less of an indicator that the thing is harmful. MDMA certainly had Prentiss for habitual use, usually as part of a multiple-drug-abuse condition, but in and of itself does not have dependence or craving properties.
My point being, there's a line between caution and fear mongering. I think you COULD interpret this as being cautious rather than illustrating an irrational fear.
My issue with the doctor's statements is concerning only the potential for abuse/addiction (which is not even worth talking about when compared to opioids). The potential for harm is definitely worth being cautious over.
(Citation Needed)
Note the relative positions of Ecstasy, Cannabis, and Heroin:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse
PDF for the actual paper containing the chart:
https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/Vespiary/talk/fi...
- Doses should generally be spaced at least 2 (many recommend 3) months apart.
- The minimum effective dose should be taken. Even a light overdose can create an uncomfortable, traumatizing, or even physically dangerous situation.
- Hydration and access to cool environments is important. Overhydration can also be a risk, so it's good to have access to electrolyte-laden drinks (Gatorade etc.). Overhydration, dehydration, and brain overheating are the leading causes of MDMA-related death.
- Supplements should be taken to reduce the inherent neurotoxicity even if you do all of the above things right. Some good examples on http://www.rollsafe.org.
It's true that dependence-wise, cannabis is probably worse, though. It's pretty hard to build a dependence on MDMA, as you'll likely only feel the uncomfortable stimulant effects (and other negative symptoms; this can lead to long-term or permanent neuroreceptor damage and dysfunction) if you take it on a weekly or daily basis.
I'm sure there have been many indirect deaths from cannabis as well. Lung cancer, car crashes, falling down an elevator shaft, etc.
This is going to be true of any sufficiently powerful psychoactive substance.
You probably won't die due to MDMA, but if you're not careful you can certainly cause brain issues. And that makes it more physically dangerous than cannabis.
Like you say, if you are careful and informed, you can avoid lots of the dangers of MDMA with responsible use. It's difficult to smoke pot and not do some damage to your lungs, no matter how careful you are. Vaporizers not withstanding, but vaping was probably not considered in the graph.
Better access to drug testing for consumers could help here.
This is one of the big arguments for legalization / decriminalization. It won't be an issue with the MDMA these trial patients are receiving for example.
both are considered medium for abuse potential. cannabis is so non-toxic it doesn't even chart for physical harm. mdma is medium toxic, especially with sustained use.
Khat is a funny one - didn't we already go through the racial disparities in prosecuting "crack" and "cocaine" differently? It's too bad the African Khat-using community didn't muster as much political muscle as the kratom community is.
If you've ever been in love and been with with that person and it feels like a moment could stretch on to eternity and everything is perfect... thats what opiates feel like.
With MDMA everything seems unique, there is a pronounced clarity of mind including insight, and vision. Tactile senses are heightened - it is a full, wholistic high. Perspective often shifts from minutae to space/time. Heightened senses (tactility) and feelings of empathy, understanding, oneness are universal. You may want to dance, sit down, look at the carpet, hug a friend.
The difference may seem subtle to a drug-naïve individual but they are two totally different head spaces
Edited
Perhaps start by reading wikipedia pages.
in addition to that, you're talking about a white powder drug where the effective dose is in the milligrams range. confirming purity and appropriateness of dose is stuff that requires a lot of experience. this is not beginner stuff.
As others have mentioned I'd recommend starting with cannabis, which in my opinion very much qualifies as a psychedelic.
it's incredibly non-toxic, cheap, easy to get, actually legal in some places, easy to confirm that what you bought is what you think it is, and will produce a pleasant and mild high that has some attributes in common with psychedelics (though it isn't a true psychedelic in the classical sense).
MDMA is just objectively more toxic than cannabis. this isn't really subject to your opinion.
if what you're referring to is the fact that cannabis is frequently smoked, that's not a fair comparison. oral cannnabis products exist too.
No matter how you spin this one, you have to be careful with whatever road you choose to go down.
are you really going to start talking about "easily overdosed" when the drugs you're comparing it to are lsd (active in the microgram range) and mdma (active in the milligram range)?
seriously, you feel like you can get away with claiming that cannabis is more dangerous than a drug that most people encounter as mystery pills at a party? get real.
in legal states you can buy properly labeled edibles at a shop. if it's homemade stuff, you really have to be a lot more careful. either make it yourself or really trust your supplier. personally I would never take edibles bought from a dealer unlabeled. that's a real risk of an uncomfortable experience.
I think smoking (or vaping if you're sensitive to the smoke) is by far the safest and most effective way to take cannabis though.
LSD and MDMA there are really no safety tips that can possibly help. you either trust your source or you don't. if you trust your source and follow the dosage guidelines it's fine. both of those drugs are very safe at appropriate doses.
You CANNOT overdose on cannabis. As in it will not kill you.
The only way you could say that is if you have some weird definition where by having a "bad trip" counts as an overdose.
For the record I've never had a bad experience with any of them. I'd say cannabis and MDMA are my favorite substances, though I mix them with tobacco and alcohol so I suspect there's a synergistic effect where my reward center is being lit up like a Christmas tree. FWIW I don't go out to raves or clubs - I'm old and an introvert - I just hang out with friends in our own homes or outdoors near our homes so the risks are lower.
I often took a 1/4 hit when I was in college; aka cut a normal hit into 4 pieces. I found this to be a really nice, 'mellow' (well for LSD anyway...) trip; You won't hallucinate much (probably none at all), and so you'll still be able to function and get around, go on a hike, that sort of thing. You'll still have an incredible experience full of self discover and personal insight, but of course each persons milage may vary.
At some point once you have a feel for it you'll want to take a full hit and experience the full effect. But that takes more planning and you should definitely find a designated 'watcher' because you can make some really irrational decisions on this stuff, esp. if you are inexperienced. Always good to have a straight friend around to stop you from making phone calls to family (bad idea), going out for a hike in a blizzard (also attempted this one), you get the idea.
Mushrooms in my experience are much more unpredictable and given the option I personally always chose LSD.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of Research Chemicals that are sold as LSD. They can have wildly different effects and durations, and are much less 'known' compared to LSD.
My first trip was 10 or 11 hours and that was on ~200ug.
https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/2C-C https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/2C-E
In terms of consciousness expanding, DMT (in the form of Ayahuasca) is probably the most potent psychedelic. It can be emotionally intense though, so not the place to start.
The ones you listed, such as 2C-C and 2C-E are quite different different. 2C-C may be gentle but 2C-E can be extremely intense / reality shattering. I will never look at reality the same after a 20mg dose of 2C-E. Also, many of the phenethylamines are now illegal. Including the NBOME series which are extremely toxic.
I'd say stick with the tryptamines like 4-HO/AcO-DMT/DIPT/MIPT, DPT, ALD-52 as they tend to be more enlightening rather than entertaining, IMO.
There's a lot of really great material written on these substances. erowid.org is a good starting point, but don't stop there! Get some good books on the subject.
Be wary of what some random person tells you. Most people are really misinformed, and there are a lot of myths and urban legends floating around that are bandied about like facts.
Do your own research! Be very thorough. Know what you're getting yourself in to. Be very respectful of the substances, and take them very seriously.
That said, I wholeheartedly recommend starting with Marijuana. It's not a psychedelic in the traditional sense, but it's a good introduction to mind-altering drugs.
From there, either LSD or Mushrooms. These are more typical psychedelic experiences, with long durations. LSD can last 8-12 hours depending on the dose, mushrooms is 6-10, depending on dose and species. I personally prefer LSD, but you should be cautious and ensure you get legitimate stuff. Taking precautions and purchasing off the internet from a reputable vendor is the safest method in my opinion.
When it comes to LSD, I always recommend swallowing over just leaving it on your tongue, especially if purchased from an irreputable source. The common Research Chemicals sold as LSD are only activated sublingually (through the mouth/gums), whereas LSD is sublingual and oral. For a newbie 100ug I believe is considered a light dose, although you could go down to 50ug and still feel Something.
General trip advise would be to ensure you're in a positive mindset, and in a secure, safe, comfortable setting. Taking a walk through nature is nice, as well. Set and setting is important.
I would advise against trying any research chemicals (25X or 2C-X, where X=[A-Z]), just because they are newer and less known, but with the right research and precautions you could be okay.
Avoid mixing until you know what you're doing. A lot of people like to mix marijuana and lsd/shrooms, and I find it definitely intensifies the experience, while clouding it a little.
Overall, you should conduct a lot of research and read people's trip reports so you know what you're getting into. Tripsit.me is a wonderful resource, and includes an IRC channel for support and conversation while tripping. Erowid is a popular site for information as well.
Take one of the shorter-lived 2C-x drugs and watch Flash Gordon and Heavy Metal.
My preferred combination is AMT and 25C-NBOME (VERY DANGEROUS TO DOSE WRONGLY) with some ethylphenidate. The sight of a rising sun turns from being saccharine to something "beyond man and time". The 25C-NBOME is less for unique effects and more for the fact that you could literally have months worth of trips (1x a week) in a tiny bag.
If you want an escape plan, have a benzo like clonezepam (sp?). It'll tranquilize you out of a nightmare if some fucked up shit appears.
And remember, the interesting thing about psychedelics isn't the "oneness with everything" bull that idiots talk about. That's just a temporary addictive feeling. One of the interesting parts is the enhanced capability for visual modeling and making connections. The other interesting part is that it makes you feel like a golden man Prometheus thing. You conjure up mythologies and struggles from just observing the local area outside.
Also take 200-400 mg of magnesium.