By Gabriel García July 6, 2023
Psychedelics are substances that alter perception, mood and thought, and have been used since ancient times for ritual, therapeutic and recreational purposes. However, their use has been restricted and stigmatized by the prohibitionist policies imposed from the 1960s onwards, which also hindered their scientific research.
In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in psychedelics, both from academia and from the social and political spheres. There is growing evidence that these substances may have mental health benefits, especially for treating disorders such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or addiction.
In this context, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has recently published a report with a chapter entitled “Recent Developments Involving Psychedelics,” which is part of the World Drug Report 2023.
This is the first official UN report that addresses the subject of psychedelics in a comprehensive and up-to-date manner, analyzing their history, pharmacology, effects, risks, therapeutic uses and legal and regulatory implications, which is a breakthrough to allow recent scientific research on the subject to come to port in a pragmatic way in a future that seems ever closer.
The report includes the participation of Antón Gómez-Escolar, psychopharmacologist, scientific consultant and author of the “Guía Esencial del Renacimiento Psicodélico” (Argonowta), the first volume of the collection “Guías del Psiconauta”, which aims to become a reference in the dissemination of psychedelic substances in Spanish.
Gómez-Escolar has been one of the experts consulted by the UNODC to prepare the report, contributing his knowledge and experience on psychedelics and their therapeutic potential. This document comes after several experts, including Gómez-Escolar himself, participated in the first event on psychedelics at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March.
-The full report, which is over 100 pages long, is available in English at the following link: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/wdr-2023_booklet-2.html
-The chapter dedicated to psychedelics in the following link: https://www.unodc.org/res/WDR-2023/WDR23_B3_CH2_psychedelics.pdf
This report is a historic milestone for the recognition and normalization of psychedelics as valid tools to improve people’s health and well-being. It also opens an opportunity for debate and reflection on the most appropriate drug policies to regulate these substances, ensuring their safe and responsible access for medical, scientific and cultural purposes.
Psychedelic drugs can be a powerful tool for therapeutic purposes. You can discover more about these potential therapeutic effects in Essential Guide to the Psychedelic Renaissance by Antón Gómez-Escolar, we recommend Psychedelics and Mental Health, by Irene de Caso and Your Brain on Psychedelics, by Genís Oña, where you will learn the keys to the effects of psychedelics, capable of producing significant changes in the processes of perception, thought and consciousness. The book also includes a prologue written by one of the greatest eminences in this field, José Carlos Bouso, scientific director of ICEERS.
These books are now available on Amazon in physical and eBook format, as well as Apple Books. In addition, all titles are available in Spanish version on GuiasdelPsiconauta.com
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