Firsthand insights are giving researchers a window into the small, growing slice of our population dabbling with illicit hallucinogens like LSD and magic mushrooms. Herald Illustration / Richard Dale
Firsthand insights are giving researchers a window into the small, growing slice of our population dabbling with illicit hallucinogens like LSD and magic mushrooms. Herald Illustration / Richard Dale
Surveys show use of illicit psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms and LSD in New Zealand is slowly rising
A team of young researchers has been interviewing recreational users to understand their perspectives
It comes as a number of new university-led clinical trials are investigating micro-dosing psychedelics for therapeutic purposes
Jasper told researchers he’d had his first encounter with psychedelics as people often do, through a mate.
“He said that he does this, and I was like, ‘oh okay, I’ll just give it a try’,” Jasper said.
Joe said his preferred way to take a trip is with a groupof trusted friends, on a nice day.
“I don’t want people that I don’t really know or people that might stress me out, or just like judge me or something,” he said.
Despite being subject to the highest level of regulation - possession can carry a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment or a $1000 fine – surveys suggest the number of Kiwis using these drugs has been creeping up.
The government-run New Zealand Health Survey found hallucinogenic drug use rose from 0.7% of the population to 2.6% in 2021/22 - that’s just over 100,000 people.
The Massey University-run anonymous drug trends survey showed a similar jump over the past six years, and soon-to-be-released data gathered over recent months also indicates availability is increasing.
Professor Chris Wilkins, of Massey’s SHORE & Whariki Research Centre, suspected this is partly due to online channels like social media and the darknet making them more widely accessible.
Now, new studies are suggesting users of these “classical” psychedelics feel misunderstood and maligned by society.
The psychology of psychedelics
“We’ve always had people involved in the rave, party and counterculture scenes using psychedelics, and there’s plenty of retirees who are spending at least some of their time tripping,” said Jai Whelan, one of a group of researchers and students at Otago University’s Department of Psychology, who’ve been exploring the issue.
“As more and more people find out about them and seek their therapeutic or recreational potential, I think we’re likely to see them pop up more and more.”
Otago University researcher Jai Whelan.
Last year, Australia became the first country to classify psychedelics as medicines at a national level - a somewhat controversial change that allows psychiatrists to prescribe psilocybin to treat PTSD and treatment-resistant depression to assist therapy sessions.
Outside these tightly-controlled settings, meanwhile, Whelan and his colleagues have been canvassing the views of that hidden demographic that use psychedelics recreationally.
When Masters student Ethan Mills surveyed nearly 1000 people online, and carried out interviews with another 36 users, he found most were driven to try the drugs out of curiosity and adventure-seeking.
They then talked of using them for personal growth, psychological self-exploration or spiritual experiences.
The findings, described in Mills’ recently published thesis, showed just a tiny fraction said their use had taken a negative toll on their psychological health.
They described their best trips - often marked by “joy, peace and connection” - and also their worst, which came with fear, confusion and sadness.
Otago University's Ethan Mills.
Mills said these bad encounters – one talked of moments where “dread is just filling the air” - sometimes stemmed from people looking for escapism, or not properly preparing.
They told him of taking measures like sober “trip-sitters” to watch over friends and having “trip-killer” drugs like benzodiazepine on hand.
“Take it too high a doses,” said one, “can completely f**k your whole mental state really, really badly”.
Broadly, Mills said, the insights aligned with what researchers had learned from such studies overseas, but there were some fascinating takeaways relevant to Kiwi society.
In some cases, psychedelics appeared to help males overcome what he called “southern man culture”.
“Psychedelics seemed to provide an outlet for some men to break through this cultural barrier, allowing them to be more open and vulnerable with their friends.”
‘You’re not like a villain’
Mills said he’d had an anti-drug stance until he started delving into the rising body of research on psychedelics, and books like United States journalist Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind, which spawned a popular 2022 Netflix series.
“I discovered how these substances can be therapeutic for a wide range of issues, including depression, anxiety, and addiction.”
In another new study, led by fellow student Sarah McGruddy, the researchers canvassed another group of users to find many felt judged by society, health workers and even their own social circles.
One said: “Just cause you do acid... you’re not like a villain, you’re not a bad person”.
The study participants felt some of that stigma was linked back to the global war on drugs - and hallucinogens like LSD being grouped with other Class A drugs like notorious methamphetamine.
“We wanted to go directly to the source and talk to users of psychedelic drugs about how they use these substances, their perspectives on their use, and what they thought about [drug policies],” McGruddy said.
“Some participants recalled being quite surprised when they did their own personal education on these substances and found the research to be misaligned with public attitude and policy.”
Otago University researcher Sarah McGruddy.
Importantly, the interviews showed a sense of frustration over a lack of accessible resources about risks - especially compared to alcohol and cannabis.
Mills found similar concerns among those he spoke with, particularly when it came to users’ anxiety about rarely-reported side effects like psychosis or longer-lasting Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD).
The researchers said greater awareness and education about psychedelics among health workers could help, as could taking a more health-centered, rather than prohibitive, approach.
“Ideally, more research being conducted, and more information available means people can educate themselves, and be more informed going into conversations about psychedelics,” McGruddy said.
“Hopefully this will work in shaping future policies and societal decisions, such as education programmes administered by those with lived experience.”
Dr Jacek Kolodziej, the New Zealand Drug Foundation’s policy director, similarly argued the status quo wasn’t stopping people using them, and could be causing more harm.
“It prevents people from getting information that would help them stay safer; it prevents people from seeking help if they need it because they fear getting in trouble; and it means that people end up unexpectedly taking more dangerous substances.”
The foundation urged recreational users to get their drugs checked before taking them.
“For naturally occurring substances, like psilocybin-containing mushrooms, it’s critical that people can identify the species they find in nature and are planning to consume,” Kolodziej said.
US journalist Michael Pollan's book How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics, spawned a 2022 Netflix series.
“While psilocybe mushrooms are not poisonous, there are some highly toxic non-psychedelic lookalikes growing in Aotearoa that can lead to very serious poisonings.”
And of the LSD checked by drug clinics last year, about 10% was found to be another substance – often synthetic psychedelic drugs called NBOMes that are more likely to cause overdose or distress.
Still, Kolodziej cited recent studies ranking psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin-containing mushrooms at the lower end of harm - less than the likes of methamphetamine, tobacco, and cannabis.
“We’d like to see New Zealand shift towards a more sensible approach of regulating lower harm substances like many psychedelics for recreational use.”
A case for reform?
It’s a shift Whelan and his colleagues also back - but there’s scant sign of that happening any time soon, with successive health ministers showing little appetite for wholesale reform.
While 2019 amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act have recently given police discretion to take a “health-based” approach to enforcement - leading to marked drop-off in drug prosecutions since - a Ministry of Health spokesperson said there were no current plans to overhaul the near 50-year-old law.
For its part, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists maintains the illicit use of psychedelics poses “significant risk” to the community - even when intended to be therapeutic.
“Unlike pharmaceutical-grade psychedelics, illicitly-accessed MDMA and psilocybin are of unknown composition,” the body states.
“Improperly screened patients may suffer adverse physical and/or mental health effects with limited or no support from medical practitioners.”
Wilkins similarly urged caution around recreational use, but still felt there was a case for well-designed pilot programmes of psychedelics in therapy situations, along with clinical trials.
Massey University's Professor Chris Wilkins.
He added there’d been a history of “overly exuberant” perceptions of the health benefits of drugs, a failure to acknowledge harmful side effects, and the pharmaceutical industry seeking to influence regulatory controls.
“It’s important to be cautious and conduct high quality clinical trials to generate evidence to ensure efficacy to inform prescribing decisions.”
Whelan acknowledged not all experts were convinced there was sufficient evidence for medicalisation, noting the US Food and Drug Administration’s recent rejection of MDMA-assisted therapy.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t make some positive changes,” he said.
“Once you delve into the history of drug policy, you see that criminalisation of drug use has always been used as a tool of oppression against various groups, and although most countries have followed the global prohibition leaders, prohibition-based policy has generally failed across the board, both in terms of cost to society and human wellbeing.
“We are long overdue trying something different.”
DRUG SAFETY
Where to get help:
• 0800 METH HELP (0800 6384 4357)
• Alcohol Drug Helpline (Phone 0800 787 797 or text 8681)
• They also have a Māori line on 0800 787 798 and a Pasifika line on 0800 787 799
• How to stay safer if you’re using drugs: The Level
Jamie Morton is a specialist in science and environmental reporting. He joined the Herald in 2011 and writes about everything from conservation and climate change to natural hazards and new technology.
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