Bad Drugs Are Looking Good
Setup
Ketamine has sometimes been called the “date rape drug” because its sedative properties have enabled sexual assaults — but a groundbreaking study suggests it can also reduce symptoms of depression. Psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin and LSD, can trigger a schizophrenic episode, but their potential to treat addiction, control post-traumatic stress disorder, and prepare terminally ill patients for death is intriguing. And while marijuana is a controlled substance under federal law, 33 states allow it to be sold for medical uses (and 11 say it’s okay for recreation). Researchers are taking a fresh look at the treatment value of drugs with a reputation for danger and making some surprising discoveries.
- 2019 Health
Is there such a thing as a bad drug?
Moderator John Torres, medical correspondent for NBC news, wants to know if the categorization of some drugs as “bad” drugs is warranted, and the panel responds unanimously:
Drugs are never inherently bad, explains Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. It’s our relationship to drugs and the properties we choose to associate them with that can become problematic. These relationships are not fixed, says Doblin; they can evolve over time as science and society progress.
The science behind marijuana as a treatment for PTSD
Marijuana is is undergoing a complete reinvention from the days of Reefer Madness, and it’s already showing compelling results as a medicine. Mallory Loflin, research scientist at the Department of Veteran Affairs, is pioneering research into how cannabinoids — the specific compounds found in marijuana — could profoundly change how we treat PTSD.
How it works
Rick Doblin follows up Loflin's explanation with a reminder of the difficulties faced by researchers like Loflin in studying “bad” drugs, marijuana included. Because of their dubious reputations, regulatory quagmires often impede the ability of researchers to effectively study these drugs even in controlled environments.
Drugs are a tool, not a panacea
While it’s true that drugs like ketamine and MDMA have produced incredible results when used to treat some mental illnesses, Dennis Charney, dean of the Icahn School of Medicine, and Mallory Loflin want us to remember that they’re almost always used in conjunction with therapy and other treatments:
Claims about drugs can easily outpace research
Somewhat ironically, some “bad” drugs are shedding their notorious reputations and gaining reputations that drastically overstate their safe and effective usage. The panel explains, using examples from their own research, how this can quickly become problematic:
Learn More
Additional Information
Explore More
World
Scholars are still uncovering information about Britain’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade and its era of slavery, piecing together how the wealth generated from t...
Relations between the United States and China have become increasingly tense over the past few years. Trade wars have escalated, and U.S. national security experts are bracing...
Three people whose lives have been irrevocably changed by the Israel-Palestine conflict share their stories of profound loss, grief and forgiveness.
Sizable electorates around the world are flocking to populist candidates who promise power, domination and a return to better times. The global experiment in liberalism seems...
Conflict and suffering can bring out the worst in people, but it can also bring out the best. This is one of the lessons New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has learned...
The war in Ukraine continues to reshape European security and global alliances, while the war in Gaza raises urgent questions about humanitarian aid and international interven...
The grim stream of news from the Middle East has been making it more and more difficult to hold onto hope for peace. When and how will the conflict in Gaza end? And could war...
As one of the foremost reporters of his generation, Nicholas Kristof has been witness to century-defining events and atrocities around the world. How has he managed to weaponi...
Africa is a rising giant. By 2050, one in four people on the planet will be African, and by 2060, Africa will have the largest labor force in the world. A former Nigerian pres...
With the war in Ukraine in its third year, Putin shows no sign of tempering his military ambitions. Though global pressure on Russian investment has so far failed to crush the...
Of the 1.2 billion youth aged 15 to 24 worldwide in 2019, close to half were out of school, out of work or underemployed, and this number will continue to grow. Listen as glob...
Right-wing populism is surging worldwide, in places as diverse as India, the Netherlands, Argentina, France and the United States. What are the cultural and social forces driv...
Hear from Mexican investigative journalist Anabel Hernández, who risks her life to investigate drug cartels and the people in power who protect them, and former assistant U.S....
The October 7 attack by Hamas and the devastating nine-month war in Gaza have shattered hopes for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and reduced the likelihood of expa...
The October 7 attack by Hamas and the devastating nine-month war in Gaza have shattered hopes for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and reduced the likelihood of expa...
As repressive regimes clamp down on the press, they are now targeting media owners. China shut Hong Kong’s Apple Daily and locked up owner Jimmy Lai. Guatemala’s El Periódico...
With antisemitism resurgent, Simon Schama, acclaimed author of “The Story of the Jews,” speaks about the magnitude of the problem, examining “the oldest hatred” from the time...
Across the chasm of anger that is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, some families who have lost loved ones have found common cause in their grief. Hear from those who eschew r...
America’s southern border is a flashpoint for contentious political and cultural disagreements, as well as the site of a growing humanitarian crisis that existing laws, polici...
