What is it that you think of when you imagine medicine? Is it a bitter syrup that soothes the symptoms of your cough? Is it the taxing, often toxic, substance one uses to shrink his or her tumor? Some would say medicine cures but not all illnesses can be cured and many of them still require medicine. I would argue that, in the most simplistic of terms, medicine is something which improves a medical or psychological condition and that it may fulfill its purpose by curing a disease, by slowing its progress, or by easing its symptoms. Let's draw out this line of reasoning out a little more and apply this definition to cannabis and psychedelics. Do they fit? Cannabis is well known for its medicinal uses but psychedelics have a great deal of potential for treating a number of conditions like depression, anxiety, and cluster headaches. In short, they both conform very well. This is not a particularly controversial stance, mind you. Quite a few people acknowledge this aspect of cannabis and psychedelics and many more would too, if they were properly educated about the substances. I think that this train of thought is worth riding a little further down its track, however. I believe that even recreational use of cannabis and psychedelic substances is medicinal at its core.
Many people are familiar with the recreational and medical benefits of cannabis but psychedelics deserve some attention in this regard as well. Cannabis can calm frayed nerves, cannabis can ease mental tension, and cannabis can relieve stress. Some people may call these recreational effects but they can also be medical because stress, tension, and frayed nerves play a role in the progression of many diseases and psychological conditions. Psychedelics work their "magic" in a different way. They are very intense and very weird. Those experiences are often recreational but that strangeness and that intensity can also lead to self-discovery which can give a person a new perspective on life and, ultimately, help with the minor depression or anxiety that we all occasionally face in our lives.
In the practice of medicine, it is well understood that daily stresses on the body can lead to serious harm. If, for example, you run often, you may injure your knee slowly over time. Doctors are aware of this fact and will tell you to take preventive measures like icing your knee or even using a brace when you run. Strangely, society seems to frown on treating mental stresses in this same way. A monotonous job, difficult family situations, general dissatisfaction, and countless other small stresses can take their toll on a persons mind. Taking this under consideration, we can now look at the recreational use of cannabis and many of the psychedelics as the runners brace that saves his or her knee. A pot brownie may be the aspirin that prevents the psychological heart attack. A glass of mushroom tea may be the bandage that prevents the deadly infection from taking hold in a minor mental cut. Medicines such as these are preventative but they fit my definition because they slow the progress of these minor conditions and keep them from, one day, becoming major problems.
The idea of a medical substance sells much easier than the idea of recreational "drugs". That is to say, the public is more willing to accept the legalization of a substance for medical purposes than they are for the pleasure of its users. This is the case in many of the medical marijuana states in the U.S. and it often creates a system that leaves recreational users out in the cold. I believe that by (correctly) framing all use of cannabis and psychedelics as medical use, we can, in the future, bypass half of the two-step process of legalization that is taking place in many locations throughout the United States. Of course, this will happen with cannabis first but, everyday, more people learn about the value of psychedelics as a tool of healing and self-discovery and that gives me hope. I believe that, with the right rhetoric, we may be able to create a realistic push for the legalization of some of the common psychedelics, in much the same way that we are currently pushing for the legalization of cannabis. Both things are powerful medicines and we all should have a right to use them if we feel that we need them. We could live in a world where people are free to use their recreational medicine without fear or judgment and that is something I hope you'd like to see as much as me.
Peace.
This was another installment in my continuing series of Philosophy of Use posts. If you liked this post, please feel free to visit my page for more similar content.
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