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Comment by dleslie | Hacker News Reader

LSD ought to be legal.

There are legal pro drugs classified as „research chemicals not for human consumption“, which get metabolized into LSD, i.e. 1CP-LSD (http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/12478/)

Unfortunately there’s even less research on those than on the original.

I suspect that LSD and other psychedelics will be the next area in the drug legalization war, now that weed is basically down to rearguard actions.

It’s already easy enough to acquire relative to the low frequency with which people want to use it. As an entirely non-habit-forming drug, you’re unlikely to find a population of people motivated to get easy access to it.

Weed is relatively low habit forming, significantly less than a lot of other legal drugs, especially nicotine.

I’m not sure if the difference between weed and psychedelics in the habit area is enough to affect the formation of a reform movement.

It’s a controversial statement to describe weed as addictive or habit-forming, but in any case, many people use it daily. The same isn’t true of LSD.

Anecdotally, I saw a lot of friends get cranky when their weed supply was briefly interrupted by covid-19. The public reaction was strong enough that dispensaries got to reopen almost immediately.

Agreed, weed isn’t addictive like alcohol or opiates/stims, but there are plenty of daily users (including myself). LSD is my favorite drug but I could never use it daily, at least recreational doses.

I pretty much always have some lsd around, but the urge to use it frequently is not there. I usually go months without tripping, not days.

God no.

I'm curious about your reasons for objecting.

The problem is that it's too easy to dose someone without their consent or any way to prove who did it.

It's not like that's not already possible. Any person who would want to do that could already easily get their hands on it.

I can't entirely agree, and that's basically the only problem I have with legalization.

I'm not talking about genuinely nefarious reasons, where yes, people would have no problem going to a dealer, but about simple idiots who get a bit too drunk/high/stupid and decide it would be a good prank to dunk a bit of LSD in their friend's coffee before a big meeting or something.

I've been on the receiving end of a person who's absolutely wasted deciding I had some catching up to do and mixing all my drinks double (always mix your own drinks people!) and I'd rather not imagine what the same thing happening with LSD would feel like. I've already seen something similar with weed, where the new guy got the way stronger stuff, and few people saw why that might be kind of fucked up because "it's basically legal now, it's fine!".

I've heard proposals for "adult playgrounds" for psychedelic drugs that solve this and other issues. For a fee, you get a licensed trip sitter in a chill, controlled environment, and the sitter is the person who doses you. It wouldn't directly be available in a retail shop like how weed is.

This also makes it safer if people start having bad trips, to help them calm down and prevent them from endangering themselves. Another spin on this is therapeutic/spiritual services, like LSD-assisted rehab clinics or churches that use it as a sacrament. It could all be done with the same license and certification.

Yeah, that definitely sounds like the way to go. Even if we eventually end up legalizing it completely, that would be a very good and safe first step.

This is probably cliche at this point, but that's been my experience at regional burning man events (never been to the big one, but regionals are a lot more accessible).

While their reputation as hedonistic orgies of sex and drug use is overblown, burns are certainly friendly to psychedelic use. Aside from the fact that you're around lots of stuff to explore, there are also spaces that are set aside from any loud music or overwhelming stimulus.

Also, while I can't speak for any other events, the burns I've been to always have an area called "Sanctuary" that's run by volunteers and provides a quiet, relaxing place for people experiencing anything from anxiety/exhaustion to those having a trip that might be a bit too intense. They have people who are trained/experienced in calming people down, cold water, snacks, etc. so you've got a safe spot to relax if you find yourself in an uncomfortable headspace. I'd imagine they probably stock some emergency benzos as well but I have no idea if they actually do. Just seems like the go-to treatment for trip-related anxiety or panic attacks.

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