• How Dangerous Really Are Drugs?
    Awake!—1980 | July 22

    • HALLUCINOGENS

      EXAMPLES DET; DMT;

      LBJ; LSD;

      MDA; STP;

      Hashish

      Marijuana

      MEDICAL CLASSIFICATIONS Central nervous system stimulant and/​or

      AND USES depressant.

      No medical use.

      SHORT-TERM EFFECTS Reduced appetite; increased energy and

      postponement of fatigue; increased heart

      rate and blood pressure; dilation of

      pupils.

      A “high” feeling.

      Distortions of perception in colors,

      shapes, sizes and distances.

      Impairs memory, logical thinking and

      ability to perform complex tasks.

      LONG-TERM EFFECTS Psychological dependence possible.

      Apathy, loss of drive and interest in

      continuing activity.

      Prolonged anxiety and depression.

      Illusions.

      Marijuana smoke, due to high-tar content,

      carries risk of lung cancer, chronic

      bronchitis.

      MAJOR DANGERS Bizarre mental effects.

      Irreversible personality changes.

      Suicidal or homicidal inclinations.

      “Flashbacks” may occur even after drug

      discontinued.

  • How Dangerous Really Are Drugs?
    Awake!—1980 | July 22

    • In the book Mind Drugs, there is related the account of one young girl who, after taking LSD, jumped to her death on a rocky beach because the ocean below appeared to her as a silky scarf. Then there were the youths who wanted to ‘become one’ with the traffic on a busy thoroughfare. And there was the student who had to be restrained from leaping from an apartment window because he wanted to use his new ability to fly. Long is the list that tells of those who committed suicide or perpetrated terrible crimes after using PCP or LSD.

      Imagine its power: an eyedropperful of LSD would be enough to produce a drug experience for 10,000 people. “By weight it is about three million times as potent as crude marijuana,” says the book Mind Drugs.