Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Both drugs have mechanisms of action we don’t fully yet [sic] understand, and both may cause serious side effects. This is an extremely narrow and arbitrary ruleset you are applying... If not merely because of the word "fully". That's a given in science. > How is suggesting psychedelics more dangerous than suggesting the use of antidepressants? Because psychedelics are not approved, you don't know the source/purity…
Well, at least with plant medicines we have thousands of years of safe human use. Mushrooms appear to be one of the safest mind altering substances known to man, and if used responsibly, can be healing. Of course, they do show you what's inside, and for many people, they is going to terrify them. That is sort of the point though, to stare down the parts you've long ignored.
Wow, that's the most obvious argumentum ad antiquitatem I read this year.
"For thousands of years Christians have believed in Jesus Christ. Christianity must be true, to have persisted so long even in the face of persecution."
Sounds familiar? Straight out of the book. [1]
What's more, just because its natural or plants doesn't mean it is safe. Example: botulinum toxin the most toxic toxin known to mankind which you might know better under the name botox, entirely natural produced by bacteria.
What matters is that it is standardised, of known origin (traceable/provable), well studied in clinical trials, and the mechanisms well understood.
SSRIs fit all those characteristics, only the latter one not.
We certainly did not have thousands of years of standardised, safe human use. Heck, we didn't even have thousands of years of safe human use to begin with.
We didn't have known origin (a good movie about this is Into The Wild [2], btw). Especially not with amateurs. Doctors were more proficient, but not for thousands of years with every substance.
And studies, back then not. You had doctors and witches.
We've come a very long way.
> Mushrooms appear to be one of the safest mind altering substances known to man, and if used responsibly, can be healing.
> Of course, they do show you what's inside, and for many people, they is going to terrify them. That is sort of the point though, to stare down the parts you've long ignored.
I have used psilocybin, A. muscaria, Ayahuasca, MDMA (or God knows WTF it was) among a myriad of other drugs (the first 3 bought online when it was legal in my country). Terrifying it was -for the most part- not. I had fun and insightful experiences, but now that I am older I realise I was reckless [because I am sensitive to drugs and have autism]. I know you too will, at some point in your life realise how reckless you were when you used recreational drugs. And then you will perhaps realise how reckless it was to recommend that to random strangers. And perhaps you will feel utter regret. Au revoir, all the best to you.
[1] https://infidels.org/library/modern/mathew/logic.html#antiqu...