A Need for Legal Reclassification: Therapeutic and Medical Benefits Using Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Abstract

Depression, addiction, and other mental health disorders present a serious challenge socially, personally, and economically, creating an urgent need for novel treatments. In the present research, the therapeutic potential of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is examined in the context of alcohol and smoking addictions, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. This includes an examination of the psychedelic substance as a way to explore mental states and reorient emotion-based cognitions. Using the psychedelic experience as medicine, LSD can be used to treat a specific psychiatric illness, targeting the source of the issue and allowing patients to gain insight into their own disorders and behaviour, all with relative safety. It is concluded that LSD should be legally reclassified in such a way that allows further exploration of its utility as a treatment for clinical disorders, as well as its potential to provide insight into the psychology of these conditions.