Peyote (Mescaline) is Harmless!

[DrunkPotHead]

A study of the effects of peyote on American Indians found no evidence that the hallucinogenic cactus caused brain damage or psychological problems among people who used it frequently in religious ceremonies.

In fact, researchers from McLean Hospital in Boston found that members of the Native American Church performed better on some psychological tests than other Navajos who did not regularly use peyote.

A 1994 federal law allows roughly 300,000 members of the Native American Church to use peyote as a religious sacrament. The five-year study set out to find scientific proof for the Navajos' belief that the substance, which contains the hallucinogen mescaline, is not hazardous to their health even when used frequently.

The study was conducted among Navajos in the Southwest by McLean psychiatrist Dr. John Halpern. It compared test results for 60 church members who have used peyote at least 100 times against those for 79 Navajos who do not regularly use peyote and 36 tribe members with a history of alcohol abuse but minimal peyote use.

Those who had abused alcohol fared worse on the tests than the church members, according to the study.

Church members believe peyote offers them spiritual and physical healing, but the researchers could not say with any certainty that peyote's pharmacological effects were responsible for their test results.

"We find no evidence that a history of peyote use would compromise the psychological or cognitive abilities of these individuals," researchers wrote in their paper published in the Biological Psychiatry.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/s...9scibrief.html
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiat...ctions/tb/2070
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=509699
http://commonsense.wnymedia.net/inde...=155&Itemid=43
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ne...nG=Search+News

Shouldn't we legalize it?

[{KOW}Spazed]

As with all drugs that give you an altered state to that extreme of a degree, no. I don't care if it hurts you or not, its when you wonder out into the street and I hit you or you hurt somebody else.

Alcohol can be used without a big difference in how you perceive things, yes it can really mess you up if you use a lot of it, but I don't think you can get a buzz off of mescaline.

So if you agree to be locked in a room while you take it, sure let it be legal. Otherwise it should stay banned.

[DrunkPotHead]

As with all drugs that give you an altered state to that extreme of a degree, no. I don't care if it hurts you or not, its when you wonder out into the street and I hit you or you hurt somebody else.

Alcohol can be used without a big difference in how you perceive things, yes it can really mess you up if you use a lot of it, but I don't think you can get a buzz off of mescaline.

So if you agree to be locked in a room while you take it, sure let it be legal. Otherwise it should stay banned.

You can get a fine for walking around visibly intoxicated on alcohol, the same could go for anything else.

[HAMC8112]

I dont understand why a ban on drugs is neccesary, it doesnt seem to be helping. People that use drugs will use it wether it is banned or not.

Overhere in Europe, kids are put in jail coz they smoked a joint, whats the use in that? They are kept in isolation, to protect them from the bad guy's in jail. Guess who else is there in isolation to protect them from the bad guy's? right, pedophiles.

I know a guy that got a 2 year sentence for a couple grams of weed, what good is that suppose to do, especially when the offical shop to buy weed is 10 kilometer away (Holland).

70% of the jail population here in belgium are people that were caught with some weed in there pockets. What is that all good for? We have millions of people smoking it, they are not going to stop that coz of 6000 people being locked up.

The weed growing business is the biggest industry there is in Belgium and the Netherlands. Everybody and their grandfathers is doing it! So whats the point in sending a very small % to jail?

Every city in Holland has several growshop, you know, the shops where you buy everything needed to grow weed. And trust me, business is booming. So, i do not see the point in putting one drop of the ocean in jail for it.

[myleftfoot]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/s...9scibrief.html
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiat...ctions/tb/2070
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=509699
http://commonsense.wnymedia.net/inde...=155&Itemid=43
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ne...nG=Search+News

Shouldn't we legalize it?

I've never had it, hope to at some stage.

[Freet]

Welllll....if you look at the poll options one fact is indisputable.

Peyote makes you spell 'poing' wrong.

[Johnny]

So DrunkPotHead if you had kids (god forbid) and you found that they had started taking mescaline.

You would encourage them to keep using it because its harmless? (just like you say heroin is harmless)

How about 1 kid on mescaline and one on heroin?

Perfectly safe and should be legalized right?

[{KOW}Spazed]

You can get a fine for walking around visibly intoxicated on alcohol, the same could go for anything else.

My point was you can have a beer or two and not be drunk, you chew on a few buttons of peyote and not be high.

[Garbad_the_Weak]

Good to have you back DPH. We hadn't had a rant about legalizing drugs in some time. It was starting to get stale only hearing conservative nuts like smeg spout their crazy theories.

BTW, we don't ban peyote because we want to keep indians healthy.

Garbad

[Hatsepsut]

I dont understand why a ban on drugs is neccesary, it doesnt seem to be helping. People that use drugs will use it wether it is banned or not.

Behind you 100%.

My brother and his friends got beat up by the cops for carrying beer around in a bag. He is 20 and we live in a small town in the south of Sweden.