Regular use of peyote, a hallucinogen-containing cactus, in a religious setting among Navajo Native Americans does not appear to cause long-term psychological or cognitive deficits. In a study comparing three groups—61 Native American Church members who regularly ingested peyote, 36 individuals with past alcohol dependence who had been sober for at least two months, and 79 individuals with minimal substance use—the peyote group showed no significant differences on a mental health inventory or ten neuropsychological tests compared to the minimal-use group. In contrast, the former alcoholic group showed significant deficits on all mental health scales and two neuropsychological measures. Total lifetime peyote use was not linked to worse performance. These findings may not apply to illicit hallucinogen users.
Among 169 gay and bisexual men at New York City dance clubs, about one-third reported using MDMA at least monthly. MDMA use was strongly and significantly linked to recent unprotected anal intercourse, and this link held even after accounting for age, ethnicity, and other drug use including alcohol. The authors suggest MDMA abuse and its association with high-risk sexual behaviors represent important but unexplored public health problems for some gay and bisexual men.
A guided psychedelic experience with psilocybin may treat refractory depression by inducing a mystical experience, rather than through a simple biological drug effect. The text suggests that the therapeutic benefit could stem from the profound, transformative nature of the experience, as conceptualized by William James.