Peyote study finds No Mental/Behavioral Problems from Long Term Use (moved from ATSNN)

Recently a study on the effects of Peyote was done by Harvard Medical School and funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse. Peyote is a cactus with Hallucinogenic properties used by some Native Americans for Religious purposes. Extensive tests have shown No Mental or Psychological Damage resulting from Long Term Use.



So here we finally have reputable and official scientific results showing what many people have claimed for decades is true. What is considered to be a schedual 1 Drug, (the highest level), turns out to be less harmful than alcohol even after long term use, sometimes as many as hundreds to thousands of times in a lifetime. Not only did it find No Brain Damage or Decreased Test Scores, but peyote users scored significantly better than non-users on the "general positive affect" and "psychological well-being" tests.

One important thing to note is that peyote/mescaline is chemically different from other hallucinogens, and that findings from this study cannot be construed to apply to hallucinogens such as '___' or mushrooms.

Related News Links:
msnbc.msn.com
www.forbes.com

[edit on 4-11-2005 by mOjOm]

In fact, peyote users scored significantly better than non-users on the "general positive affect" and "psychological well-being" measures of the Rand Mental Health Inventory (RMHI), a standard instrument used to diagnose psychological problems and determine overall mental health.

Many natural, but illegal drugs would have abundantly positive effect on the wellbeing of humanity and the planet itself if they were used by humans.

Genesis 1:29-30
Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food.

So let me get this straight. God is telling us to eat every green plant. Ayahuasca, Ibogaine, Marijuana, Peyote and the Coca plant are all green. Please, someone, help me with the logic here:

God’s perfect creation, Earth, has many plants on, and in the bible he states we are to use these plants, or at least the green ones. Humans use these plants, and do so for 1000’s of years. During this time, the planet stays in good shape and nature is much nearer harmony than the present day.

In recent history, say the last 100 years, many drugs have been made illegal by our Governments. Our western governments, many of whom claim to be Christian or Catholic, go against gods will, deciding that his creation is not perfect and outlaw these ‘drugs’ and spread ‘knowledge’ to the people that such plants are bad.

Our governments are doing two decipherable things here:
1. Making a creation of God’s taboo.
2. Spreading incorrect information to the masses.

Dictionary.com defines ‘sin’ in terms of Theology as:

a. Deliberate disobedience to the known will of God.
b. A condition of estrangement from God resulting from such disobedience.

If my reasoning is correct; God wants us to use the plants from his perfect creation, and our Governments don’t want us to, and are therefore going against gods will. So we can infer that governments are in sin.

It is assumed by most that God intends good for all humanity, and spread his message of truth to the world via the Bible. And we have gathered that our Governments are sinning, spreading fake information to ‘educate’ us. Before drugs were outlawed our planet was is good shape. In the last 100 years it has been raped, polluted and disgraced. Is it therefore reasonable to conclude that our Governments are actually the devil at work, so to speak?

Many drugs, Peyote, Mushrooms and Hoasca (which is currently being battled in the Supereme Court ) allow their users to feel a closer connection to god and the universe and learn more about themselves. It's as if our governments don’t want us to engage in spiritual pursuits. Its religious they want us to be. One can control religion, but it is impossible to control spirituality.

The drug companies know that if these natural substances were legalized, they would lose a lot of money. Many in the government, (Rumsfeld for example) have strong economic ties to the major drug corporations, and they will support whatever laws are necessary to insure their profits. When this government comes crashing down, perhaps the new government will make more rational decisions. I think that we will see a lot of changes in the near future, at least that is my hope.

I think this is great news for the NAC. They have known that peyote was not dangerous, and now they have been vindicated due to this study.

"It's heartwarming," said Victor J. Clyde, a judge with the Arizona state courts and vice president of the Native American Church of North America. "Our elders told us that this beauty is good for us, and will never do us harm. The government never really took their word, and even prohibited peyote for a while."
"It does reassure," added Clyde. "The statement made by the elders, the government was not going to listen to them, but this carries weight."

It's also interesting to note that the use of peyote, used in the proper way, may even provide some answers to the problem of alcoholism.

Peyote is also supposed to be effective as a treatment for alcoholism when used "in the NAC context," the study said.