I posted this under security, because my concern with this subject, primarily, is security.

Every so often, I see an excellent article, somewhere on the web or in a local newspaper about some musician, actor, or painter who had his life changed positively by psychedelics. All emphasis is on positive change, positive impact of the medicine, safety, responsibility... written in a context that would even be approved by, say, the ayahuasca forums community (tongue in cheek smile).

Personally, it makes me want to cheer and jump for joy when I see psychedelics pegged in a rightful light (not, "MAN EATS MUSHROOMS AND RIPS OFF PENIS," or whatever headlined a while ago).

What are your thoughts on this?

When does coming out of the closet become a risk to personal security?

When is it safe to talk about one's experiences with psychedelics?

What if you discuss your experience going down to a retreat and taking it legitimately?

What about when you've taken it illegally, but had totally legit positive effects?

What would draw personal scrutiny from nefarious agencies? How much talk is too much, when you DO extract for personal use at home?

I feel like coming out of the closet about taking psychedelics isn't something to be taken lightly--especially something like DMT. (Especially if you associate with, say, the DMT Nexus, wink wink.)

Then, there's also pseudo coming out. Talking frequently about psychedelics, responsible use, pharmacology, etc., but NEVER EVER disclosing any personal use--a la Rick Strassman.

Does anyone bat an eye when visionary artists talk about psychedelics? Alex Grey has a positive fan reception.

What's smart to say?

Who here is out of the closet/knows someone/has a cat that is out of the closet, and what is your code of honor?

Do you blog? What do you blog? (Obviously, youtube extraction walkthroughs are a no-no.)

My cat has been making psychedelic sculptures for a long time now. It's attracted a local media craze, and everyone wants to know my cat's secrets. My cat isn't stupid and doesn't want to self-incriminate. But blogging is central to bolstering his artistic career. He wonders if blogging about the occasional psychedelic activist, positive study on mushrooms, etc., would be wise, given his totally illegal endeavors, or if he should just keep his mouth shut and remain a mystery, despite the encouraged media whoredom.

Freakin' cats.

What are your thoughts on this? If the articles are presented with the characteristics you described, plus any other constructive ones, then that's awesome! More positive press.

When does coming out of the closet become a risk to personal security? Job security could be a risk factor. Friendships could be caught up in turmoil, but then you may figure out who you real friends are. Personal safety? I myself haven't found any risk of being beaten up, or anything that has to do with my well being.

When is it safe to talk about one's experiences with psychedelics? When you get to know someone well enough to find that they are open minded. I don't think there is a more important factor than that (maybe open mindedness and tolerance).

What if you discuss your experience going down to a retreat and taking it legitimately? Generally the same answer I gave to the questions before: you have to find out who your real open minded friends are, who accept you for who you are.

What about when you've taken it illegally, but had totally legit positive effects? See above.

What would draw personal scrutiny from nefarious agencies? How much talk is too much, when you DO extract for personal use at home? At this day and age, stop discussing things via calls/text. Keep everything to face-to-face conversations, with known friends who are open to these things.


If someone wanted to publicize their experiences, Grey & Strassman are great examples to follow. Reading and digesting their stuff will give you insight into what is smart to say and what isn't. Avoiding presenting oneself as the knower-of-all-things-drug-related (unless you are a scientist like Strassman), and veering from claiming that what you know is fact based only on personal experience/anecdote is a good idea. If you do do this, then it crosses into the realm of politics, and there is no coming back from that, nor do we want the meaning of psychedelics to be a political debate.

Everything I've said is simply personal opinion and perspective. Take all of what I've written with a grain of salt.

Psychedelics seem to be receiving plenty of positive buzz in the media these days. Research into this area is exploding and has been gleaning lots of positive results with great press coverage. The climate right now is fertile for coming out of the psychedelic closet.

There is no need to be too detailed about the where and when. What happens in your own home is your business. What happens in the amazon basin is also your own business, you can choose to share it or not. What I do recommend sharing is the positive benefits you have received from working with the medicines, if they have acted as catalysts or inspired your creative endeavors or brought you healing or insights. The more examples we have of responsible intelligent creative people who are open about the role of psychedelics in their lives the better imo.

I do honestly believe now is most definitely the time to speak up.

At first i thought this thread had to be a few years old...what with minxxy and steely posting and all...So seeing the date was a pleasant surprise. Good to see you two folks round' these parts

My thoughts basically resonate with dreamer's

I'd just be relatively discreet (no posting how you got anything illegal/what illegal things you grow/what you have right now/preferably leave out your location etc) and its incredibly unlikely you will run into trouble. Even if your less discreet than that, as countless people these days are, the chances are that you won't run into trouble. There is scores of people all over the place that are fairly widely known and admit to being very into psychedelics, yet you virtually never hear of them running into problems with the authorities unless perhaps they make a careless slip up (buying/selling).

I think being open about these things is important if we are to legitimize psychedelics in the minds of the world and make a shift away from the misinformed views that still hold strong in a lot of people. Its all fine and dandy that deemzmoalker1111 on some forum had a life changing experience with a psychedelic, but to truly help make a bigger positive impact on the collective mindset towards these things we need more real people coming forward and expressing the truth without fear to anyone who will hear them.

I don't know, these superstars can disclose that they've killed someone and they would still be loved. They're over a certain power threshhold. Are you? If not, i'd be very careful. Some psychedelic artists such as M.D. (one of my favourites) likes to give hints...one of her hobbies is "mycology" and on her page she quotes alan watts and generally writes stuff which hints at the spiritual dimension of her work.

It all depends on your level of fame. I would not be totally open in public, but disclose it to trusted friends. I once had a hunch that a girl i knew had been taken psychedelics and one fine day she was asked by her friends about it and she said "Yes, i would say that they have changed my life for the better". The look on the face of her friends ..half curious, half in disbelief ...trying to process what they just heard - it opened my heart.

Change does not have to happen on a level of mass media be it on the local level or not.
But i would definatly not hide it very well. Afterall, this is who you are. There is no need to be stupid or overenthusiastic about it.

Do you want to be "that druggie artist" ?

I'm beginning to be a lot more open with my psychedelic use with others. I feel that if someone who is in the position to bring the hammer down on me is that interested in busting a person like me, who uses psychedelics primarily as medicines, then so be it.

I feel I'm fairly responsible with my use and I use them for legitimate reasons (treating migraines and cluster headaches). They are a huge part of my life. This is who I am. I have gained a lot of relief and happiness from these substances and I will now talk openly with people who are willing to listen.

I've just started blogging in the last week. Blogs entirely dedicated to psychedelic use.

I felt it was important for me to 'come out of the closet' with my psychedelic use because I know discussing these things could have positive effects on other people as well as myself. Someone suffering from depression or some medical condition who could benefit from these plants in the same way that I do.

I'm still careful, I'm not goading law enforcement into arresting me or anything. I just felt that the fear of prison was no longer relevant. I want to obtain mastery over my fears, in whatever form. Facing them head on is still the best method I know of doing that.

Love, not fear. No matter the consequences.

Hi everyone

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses, I appreciate them.

I'm thinking it might be best to go forward and share pro-psychedelic information in a neutral way (e.g., post the latest awesome study on mushrooms and discuss), and test the waters that way.

The art is unmistakeably out of the closest... just not the artist.

If I didn't brew or extract at home, I wouldn't care. But I really can't live without Ayahuasca AND depression (I got cocky, took a year off, it ended badly), so securing my practice safely for the long-term is a major concern.

I'm not looking to start a war with anyone... but I do think sharing the positive effects can help more people in a positive way.

I thought making art had said it all, so why do I have to say it again... but saying it on a blog will apparently drive many people to the website to FIND the art, sooo... yeah.

I did roll my eyes at the part in The Spirit Molecule where some guy BEGGED Strassman to take mushrooms with him (to the point of being a creepy stalker), and Strassman was like, "NO DUDE I CANNOT HAZ THE MUSHROOMS." But I get it.

This is only my personal opinion, but I feel that the safest way for me to go about things is to keep things clandestine as long as I am actively extracting/researching. Now, I know you are not proposing that you call up your local newspaper and go into detail about what you do in your kitchen. But personally, I feel it is safest to keep discussions of utilizing psychedelics between myself, my parents, and my closest friends; as long as I have projects being pursued in my house. That being said, I fully support any media reflecting psychedelics in a positive light, and it never hurts when someone comes out of the closet and expresses the benefits they have experienced.

One thing to be aware of is the potential legal impact on access to children one may have in the future. Social media stuff never goes away and can be used as evidence to convince a judge that you should not be allowed access to your children after a divorce etc.

I have been wanting to share the positive impact that Psychedelics have had on me with a wider audience than just my immediate circle or trusted friends, but I don't want to over-expose myself as that might be dangerous.

To counter this dilemma you could write books and/or accounts of your experiences with Psychedelics under a Nickname.
This way you get to spread the word of how Psychedelics can be used to heal & transcend psychological ills without the risks of exposing yourself to prosecution.

I'd love to hear some of the most paranoid people here chime in, just to play devil's advocate.

Excellent point about the social media.

I've been open with it in the past, but I'm starting to think maybe one should only talk about it with fellow adventurers. Other people just don't get it, never will, and pose a threat if they blab to the wrong people who in turn blab to more people.

In short, stfu. No-one needs to know jack, it's hardly ever worth it, can't convince people to switch governments. Unless you're at a festival or something...

I've stopped telling close friends as well. So while they know I may do some things, we haven't really talked about that stuff in ages. I don't trust anyone with anything. People around here like to talk.

She seems to be talking more so about coming out in public as an artist/writer/ etc. in general than just telling your friends/people you talk to about it in your life. And if that's the case it can be a great idea to just use a pseudonym

I'm leaning more toward public discussion of positive, scientifically-verified information concerning psychedelics (with zero personal admission) and letting the art fill in the blanks for those that "know."

Friends and family aren't a concern, I have no worries about gossip in that sphere (I would never tell anyone that would). Ever since I bridged that gap with my dad, now he tells me about his past forays into DXM and recent adventures with salvia 80x (umm, my dad is awesome).

It's bridging the gap between art and professional identity that has consumed me. What I'm doing necessitates a bloggish voyeurism to cement fans and followers. I could just blog about absolute crap that doesn't interest me, but it feels empty and pointless (and I likely wouldn't do it). My work is viscerally pro-psychedelic, and I've been contemplating (for months, really) how to tie a blog into it, how to answer interview questions... I guess at some point, if I want to get anywhere, I have to own up to all the things my art is saying.

I do use a pseudonym, but that sucker has to be linked to real names, addresses, bank accounts, tax info, or it isn't worth a dime. Can't cash checks with a pseudonym.

not if your pseudonym is "Cash"

I think that leap is a much shorter one for an artist or musician than it would be for someone like an airline pilot or nurse, or to use an extreme example, a cop. Discussing responsible use and positve outcomes would be irrelevant as far as licensing bodies are concerned. Use of any illegal drug constitutes abuse in their eyes (I'm overgeneralizing here of course) and I think one would run the risk of losing one's license and thus one's livelihood.

A risk I think most in that position would want to avoid.

I see...well if thats the case then i'd just go for it, but its up to you

I think these are important questions to ask. I have asked myself these questions and I don't believe there is a definitive answer to them. I believe the answer lies in the individual you are sharing your experience/information with. Each person will react slightly differently and may need more time or something else in order to make it a smooth transition between not knowing you use psychedelics to knowing you respect and use them.

I think with some people telling them off the bat can be helpful. It can make me feel like the other person understands me a little bit better. It gives them a reason for why I say and act the way I do sometimes. On the other hand, I think some people needs time before telling them. The topic is something of larger magnitude ( mainly probably because it's illegal some places).

With some people I will talk about it like I did it in Peru and legally. Other people, I will tell them that I personalize the experience and do it safely in my bedroom at night every once and a while ( obviously the truth for most of us).

Honestly, I think if you don't even know I do psychedelics then you don't even know who I am. Psychedelics are a large part of my life and if the person is unable to accept that then we can't possibly be involved with one another.

Either way, I thought this was a topic worth replying to. Hope you understand my point of view and thanks for posting this Minxx! Tell Jamie I said Hi!!

Neal Goldsmith is a fantastic example of doing this right, and with taste and class. It's definitely a personal thing to be on the social forefront of this type of movement.

Yeah, I know. Late to post on this topic.