The BIG Question: The Legalisation of Drugs

by Jett Dyason and Georgia Bradbury

Should we legalise drugs? Some argue they have huge health benefits, others argue that it could damage our society. What do you think about the legalisation of drugs?

In this article, we explore the thoughts of scientists at the school and their view of this controversial topic. We also look into the science behind how it can help aid people with severe diseases and using these drugs as medicines.

In an attempt to get around the prevailing issue of PTSD in veterans and soldiers, scientists are researching treatments from a range of angles. Recently, a study funded by the multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in Santa Cruz, CA, investigated the potential exploration of MDMA, which is the main active ingredient in the common party drug known as “ecstacy”.

MDMA causes the release of neurotransmitters, chemical messengers to brain cells that change brain activity. They include “feel-good” hormones like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, as well as oxytocin, prolactin, cortisol, and vasopressin.

Because depression is a growing issue in our society, the main ingredient in the drug known as ‘magic mushrooms’, psilocybin, has been experimented on for the use of severe depression. Psilocybin has effects that are similar to those of LSD. People may experience feelings of relaxation and euphoria. The substance works by acting on pathways in the brain that involve the use of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This action results in changes in perception and altered consciousness. After taking psilocybin, people may experience effects such as distorted perceptions, including an altered sense of time or place, euphoria, hallucinations, and highly spiritual or introspective experiences.

Hallucinations are often a common experience after taking psilocybin. Research suggests that this is due to an increase in communication across different networks in the brain. Some researchers speculate that this may play a role in psilocybin's beneficial impact on depression. By changing brain connections and forming new ones, it may help people get out of depressive patterns

To explore this topic even further, we decided to interview Head of Science, Dr Chare, and our chemistry teacher, Mr Jones. During our interviews we heard opposite views on the topic which highlights how the issue of the legalisation of drugs is by no means clear cut.

Speaking first with Mr Jones, we asked him if he supported the use of drugs that, in his opinion, could help or treat people with conditions such as PTSD. He responded by saying:

“At university I spent some time studying and researching the toxicity of various narcotic drugs. I can appreciate that certain 'illegal' drugs may have therapeutic effect, however, unless the drug has been thoroughly researched and tested for an intended purpose, I would not support the use of illegal drugs as a prescribed medical treatment.”

Dr Chare shared her opinion saying: “Yes definitely. I can’t see why you wouldn’t. It has been proved in clinical trials that [these drugs] can be really helpful to medical conditions”. Following up on that question, we asked her what medical conditions she thinks would benefit most from the use of drugs, she responded with:

“From what I have seen, from clinical trials, PTSD is definitely something that can be overcome> There were some really nice things that have been done in America relating to that, and definitely depression as well. In fact, there is a new program on Netflix that shows the use of psilocybin which is the active ingredient in LSD. It can be very useful in trying to treat people that are being treated for resistant depression and a mean number of 20 years for severe depression, and they were able to alleviate symptoms in clinical trials, done by Imperial College London. So yes, 100%, definitely other conditions too.”

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