CAMPAIGN TOOLKIT:
PSYCHEDELIC POLICY REFORM
CAMPAIGN TOOLKIT: PSYCHEDELIC POLICY REFORM
Legalize psychedelics on your campus
The prohibition of psychedelics has failed our society. Not only has prohibition failed to eliminate or reduce the rate of use, it also prevents scientific studies on these substances, increases the potential harm for young people who are using these substances, and stigmatizes people who use drugs.
SSDP believes that people who use drugs should have access to honest education, treatment, and should be approached with compassion. Model Policy
This article on Alternet, Why (and How) We Should Legalize Psychedelics, provides a framework for psychedelic legalization very broadly. Some principles of legalization include:
Entheogens, or psychedelics, are part of a wider class of psychoactive drugs commonly known as hallucinogens, a class that also includes dissociatives and deliriants. Many of these plants and substances have been used in traditional rituals across various cultures and religions throughout time. Entheogens include MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, peyote, and more.
This toolkit is intended to serve as a preliminary guide for policy reform for the wide range of substances that are considered entheogens. Given the wide range of effects that each of these substances can have, the regulatory models for each of these substances will look very different. Below, we have used MDMA as an example to serve as a starting point.
MDMA is one of the most popular recreational psychoactives, most commonly sold as "ecstasy" (usually tablets) or "molly" (usually crystals). It is known for its empathogenic, euphoric, and stimulant effects, and has also been used in psychotherapy. You can visit ssdp.org/justsayknow for more detailed information on the drug’s effects and harm reduction strategies.
MDMA is currently being studied as a substance that can be used to assist with psychotherapy to help heal the psychological and emotional damage caused by sexual assault, war, violent crime, and other traumas, as it is known for increasing feelings of trust and compassion towards others. Preliminary studies conducted by MAPS have shown that MDMA, in conjunction with psychotherapy can help people overcome PTSD, and possibly other disorders as well.
How does it work?
In MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, MDMA is only administered a few times, unlike most medications for mental illnesses which are often taken daily for years, and sometimes forever. MDMA is not the same as "ecstasy" or "molly." Substances sold on the street under these names may contain MDMA, but frequently also contain unknown and/or dangerous adulterants. In laboratory studies, pure MDMA has been proven sufficiently safe for human consumption when taken a limited number of times in moderate doses.
When will it be legalized?
MAPS is undertaking a roughly $20 million plan to make MDMA into a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription medicine by 2021, and is currently the only organization in the world funding clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. For-profit pharmaceutical companies are not interested in developing MDMA into a medicine because the patent for MDMA has expired. The idea of using MDMA to assist psychotherapy of any kind for any specific clinical indication has long been in the public domain.
See more here:
Legalizing MDMA would reduce harm.
Because MDMA is risky and expensive to make, much of what is being sold as MDMA are cheap, unregulated, synthetic substances. People are often taking substances that may be adulterated or may not be MDMA at all. Legalizing MDMA would help take steps towards ensuring a safer and higher quality experience.
A number of people have died from ingesting what they thought was MDMA, but which actually contained high concentrations of the dangerous drug PMMA. In 2013, the Electric Zoo music festival in NYC was canceled after four party-goers got sick and two died from tainted, unregulated MDMA.
In addition, because of the criminalization of MDMA, many venues refuse to provide basic harm reduction amenities and services, like water, in order to avoid appearing as though they are condoning drug use. A 19 year old University of Virginia sophomore Mary 'Shelley' Goldsmith died in August 2013 from heatstroke at one of the largest dance clubs in Washington, leading her mother, Diane Goldsmith, to launch the Amend the Rave Act Campaign, which calls on venues to provide essential harm reduction amenities. Finally, ending the war on MDMA can help reduce the stigma of being a person who uses drugs caused by the War on Drugs. The war on drugs stigmatizes the very people it is trying to “help” by labeling them as criminals. This internalization of guilt and shame may lead youth to use drugs problematically as a method of coping or escaping. In order to reduce harm, we must provide people with honest information and create safe spaces for dialogue.
Legalizing MDMA can help us better understand the substance and the human mind.
Legalizing MDMA will help us learn more about the substance, and help remove some of the ethical issues that scientists often run into when conducting experiments on illegal substances. The more we learn about MDMA, the more we’ll learn about happiness, the mind, and empathy.
This policy can be implemented at the campus, local, or state level and should include a public opinion and education campaign.
Devote one chapter meeting to educate chapter members and the community on psychedelics and what they can do to change policy. Here are some steps to a successful meeting:
Write a Letter To the Editor (LTE) about the importance of legalizing psychedelics. Since both the public and policymakers get information about public policy issues from the news, you should work with the press to get positive coverage of your chapter’s efforts to raise awareness about psychedelics. One of the easiest ways to get press is to write a Letter To the Editor (LTE). The Media Awareness Project is a clearinghouse for LTEs about the Drug War, and has sections specifically for Ecstasy, Hallucinogens and Club Drugs. It is user-friendly, and offers tips on how to write a LTE.
Invite a Psychedelic Expert to your campus. Build support and awareness of the issue by inviting a speaker to your campus. Below are some steps to a successful event:
Lobby Student Government and Faculty Government to Support Psychedelic Research. While the potential for national psychedelic policy reform may be distant, there are still incremental actions you can take on campus to raise awareness of the issue and get closer to garnering support for full psychedelic legalization. Resolutions can be a powerful way to exemplify student support for these initiatives to community members, media, and legislators, and can be helpful for when SSDP members meet with stakeholders. To lobby your Student Government and Faculty Government:
Lobby / work with University Administration to include psychedelics in school drug/alcohol education programs. Sometimes the best way to promote change is to start from the inside out.
More Resources
MDMA
LSD
Psilocybin
Ibogaine
Ayahuasca
Cannabis
