Evolving Ethics in Psychedelic Drug Taking
- 1 April 1988
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Drug Issues
- Vol. 18 (2) , 201-214
- https://doi.org/10.1177/002204268801800207
Abstract
Psychedelics are unique from other drugs in that the experiences they make available often demand an ethic of living. Ethics of a spiritual, therapeutic, or exploratory quality develop spontaneously because of the transcendental nature of the experience. Contemporary psychedelic drug taking went through a cycle which peaked in 1972 and declined about 1979. A slow resurgence of interest is indicated by receding irrational hysteria and the emergence of new information. Psychedelic drug takers often adopt ethics similar to those in societies where such drugs are already an accepted part of culture, ethics which constructively integrate the experience with ongoing life.Keywords
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