When the ball started rolling on marijuana, it didn't take long for it to gain massive momentum. Now it almost seems that with each day another step is taken in the right direction. With the inevitable spread of legalized marijuana comes the inevitable questioning of the worlds stance on other substances.

I believe that we are approaching the event horizon folks. Marijuana is the "gateway" through which the world must pass in order to begin to understand the meaning of cognitive liberty and finally start to fix the broken systems in place. The world is acclimating to marijuana at an astounding pace and many groups as well as countries are calling for an alternative to the drug war.

In 2016 the UN will hold a special meeting on drug policy due to a call from Latin America, they will be discussing the failed war on drugs in a new light and potentially be discussing alternative drug policy. I think that we may have a grand opportunity here. If marijuana gets wiped off the no-no list, which I'm almost positive it will, what is really stopping other substances with similar safety and medicinal profiles from being wiped from that same list, barring ignorance and fear?

This is where we come in. The Nexus is one of, if not the most authoritative outlet for lots of those "other substances" with great safety and medicinal profiles. The CEL is already in the making, maybe it is time to crank it up a notch and go public within the next two years. Times are changing quickly and this just might be the right moment to secure a softer spot on the list for many of our medicines. The public needs to be made aware of the safety and medicinal aspects of these substances, as much as they need to understand the human right to cognitive liberty.

I do agree that the seemingly rapid acceptance of Marijuana is a good sign - I personally didn't think that I would be alive to see it happen and I'm only in my 20's. The public opinion certainly is changing, but, as I'm sure many others here would agree with, DMT isn't necessarily something you want to unleash to the masses. I'm personally of the mindset that if everyone, as some sort of rite of passage or adulthood, had to take a small dose of psilocybin mushrooms (or something else) with an experienced guide, they would be better off. (If you've never read Island by Aldous Huxley, I'd recommend it - it talks about a fictional society that does administer a hallucinogenic drug as a coming of age ritual...kind of where I got the idea).

However, DMT is not for the faint of heart. I think that part of the reason DMT still remains relatively unknown is that it's just so out there. I personally think that if I didn't have a few screws loose in my head and I was more connected with reality, I would have no interest in using it. Just my opinion.

It should perhaps raise the question more and more in the public that if marijuana is listed as having no accepted medical value (whilst being prescribed medicinally all around the country), that the government's judgment on the lack of accepted medical value for other substances may be called more dubiously into question. I think a major hurtle is the need to dissociate the entheogens from crack, cocaine, heroin and the like even though the war on drugs is probably exacerbating the dangers associated with that class of drugs as well.

Difference between legalization and decriminalization:
Decriminalization: Still Illegal.
Monetary fines/tickets & mandatory drug courts with drug tests (otherwise jail); civil penalties, and a negative stigma.

Legalization: Legal.
No fines, no penalties, no arrests, no drug tests for following the rules for the newly legal substance, no civil penalties; stigma much reduced or eliminated.

The powers that be (some of whom realize the current Cannabis scheduling must change) are trying to force decriminalization, rather than legalization; therefore Cannabis use is not yet acceptable to those with influence to change the situation.


Good point. This post gives powerful insight to the viewpoints of the lawmakers & those who influence them. February 4, 2014 Marijuana Policy Hearing is an informative hearing from just a few days ago.

There is a powerful propaganda machine that wants to keep Cannabis seeming as dangerous as meth and heroin, even if we overcome this, I fear that they'll force Cannabis users into mandatory drug-courts (by threat of jail/fines).

- As for other substances: Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal substance in USA, and also probably the most popular, so in my thinking, we should start by spreading the FULL medicinal profile & safety profile on Cannabis as a primary focus. I do believe we should do the same with psychedelics, but we don't want to be easy to categorize/marginalize as "the drug-legalization lobby".

This is a good point; however, I feel that the majority of people, despite their questioning attitude towards the government and its scheduling of illegal drugs, still wouldn't want to risk legal trouble; it doesn't mean that they necessarily "trust" the government, or that they think psychedelics are bad for you/in the same category as narcotics or whatever other drugs you're talking about. But at the same time, they might care about not being in jail more than having a psilocybin/DMT experience - which makes sense from the point of view of someone who doesn't have a very deep, personal, emotional connection with these substances.

I don't see the connection between the "lack of medicinal value" notion and being afraid of going to jail. If it were officially recognized that they did have medicinal value, they would be rescheduled, and the penalties wouldn't be as harsh anyway.

As I see it the biggest obstacle here is just as Global mentioned; the need to remove peoples association of psychedelics with hard drugs of abuse.

The medical research is out there, scant as it may be, and is ongoing as we speak. There is no doubt in my mind that further research will reveal much more in the way of positives than harms associated with psychedelics. The part we should be worried about is the image that has been played out in the media for decades.

The Nexus has some amazing scientific work going on, but what I believe could be even more valuable to the cause, is the amount of users demonstrating safe, responsible use. If the public opinion is going to change, some of the biggest factors are safety, personal benefit, and medicinal use. Like I said, medical studies are taking place with positive results thus far, leave that to the professionals, we have a wealth of information on safe use and tons of anecdotal reports demonstrating that these things can be used responsibly to benefit people, whether it be spiritually or psychologically.

Harm reduction is going to be a major player if the powers that be decide to switch up policy, thats why we need to get the information out to the public while the timing is right. The majority is clueless when it comes to drugs, if those people are backing us with minimal information available to them, they aren't going to try very hard to keep psychedelics from being lumped in with harder drugs once more. We need to show the world that there is a huge community out here and the things they see on TV aren't typical at all within that community, or are completely misrepresented by the media to begin with. Show them that there are responsible ways to use these safe substances that have the ability to positively impact their lives.