By Study Links Policy To Wellness
A new community survey suggests that local decriminalization of psychedelics improves safety and wellbeing. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Sciences. It is titled Perceptions of Psychedelic Decriminalization: Findings from a Community Survey of People Who Use Psychedelics.
The research was authored by Daniel J. Kruger, Julie Barron, and Larry Norris. It captures a snapshot of the third psychedelic era.
This period features a revival of institutional research and grassroots decriminalization efforts.
Julie Barron, a co-author, provided an exclusive statement to Psychedelic State(s) of America. She said, “This research is one step toward better understanding what decriminalization looks like for the people and communities directly experiencing it and whether the policies we are advocating for are actually helping create the positive community outcomes.”
Survey Data Shows Positive Outcomes
The researchers surveyed 163 individuals living in areas with decriminalization policies. These locations included cities in California, Colorado, and Michigan. The survey concluded that policy changes yielded largely positive outcomes for the community.
In decriminalized zones, most (84.0%) of 163 survey participants reported feeling improvements in one of the following areas because of decriminalization: legal risks, social acceptance, substance availability, substance safety, diversity of available products and overall substance quality, the authors wrote in the study. In stark contrast to warnings from opponents of drug policy reform, the survey found that only 5.5 percent of participants reported worsened conditions in any of those categories.
Furthermore, not a single participant reported that legal risks had worsened following decriminalization. The study authors stated that this suggests a beneficial impact of psychedelic decriminalization on the people who use them. These findings directly counter historical fears that such policies might destabilize communities.
Therapeutic Access And Daily Life
Nearly 75 percent of respondents reported decriminalization-related improvements regarding psychedelic therapy. They cited better social acceptance, availability, and diversity of services. Larry Norris, a co-author and Co-Founder of Decriminalize Nature, noted that public health headlines often focus on risks.
He said, “Most public health headlines focus on the risks of psychedelics, but these findings show how decriminalization can benefit a community as well,” in a statement regarding the study. Norris added that some clinical practitioners write off decriminalization as the wild west or not viable as if it’s a competition. This attitude attempts to disempower community based healing and forces a cost-prohibitive gatekeeper mentality.
Seventy-two point four percent of participants reported improvements in overarching life conditions. About half of the respondents reported improvements in stress, anxiety, worry, and connection to their community. More than a third reported improvements in depressive symptoms, family relationships, and other interpersonal relationships.
Only 2.5 percent of participants reported declines in any category of life conditions. More than 27 percent of participants reported that they had either stopped taking or reduced their use of traditional pharmaceutical medications due to psychedelic decriminalization. The researchers identified social acceptance as one of the most pronounced and consistent areas of change.
