Adding to the controversy surrounding party drugs, it appears that several substances that typically taken recreationally also have some important health benefits. In fact, these drugs may be more effective than more widely accepted pharmaceuticals in treating serious health conditions such as depression, cluster headaches, post-traumatic stress disorder, gastrointestinal issues, alcoholism, and more.
As more states in the US are legalizing marijuana for medical purposes, it seems that governments are giving greater consideration to these unorthodox methods of treatment. Medical researchers have been investing time and money looking into the potential health benefits of illicit drugs, with promising results.
Ecstasy
MDMA users report warm feelings, high levels of energy, and a general sense of openness. These properties also make the synthetic compound effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A 2011 study of the drug found that it has anticancer properties, specifically for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Researchers at the University of Birmingham found a structurally modified form of ecstasy was 100 times more potent at destroying cancer cells than MDMA.
Ketamine
In addition to its current use as a tranquilizer, ketamine seems to be promising in the fight against treatment-resistant depression. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Yale University are researching ketamine “mimics,” which have a similar effect on the brain without the dissociative and hallucinogenic side effects associated with ketamine use.
Cocaine
Leaves of the coca plant have been used in South America for thousands of years for their stimulant effect. Cocaine has already been used as a topical anesthetic during surgical procedures because of its fast-acting numbing effect. Since the drug is a vasoconstrictor, narrowing blood vessels, it has been used to treat minor skin lacerations when combined with other compounds.
Coca also has been found to have profound gastrointestinal effects in South American communities. Dr. Andrew Weil of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine spoke of his experiences researching the drug in these communities. “While cocaine acts as a gut stimulant, other coca alkaloids can have precisely the opposite action. They inhibit gut activity. During my time in Andean Indian communities, I collected many reports about whole coca’s paradoxical, normalizing effect on bowel function, and experienced it firsthand, as well.”
LSD
Although the hallucinogenic drug commonly known as acid has been used for decades, scientists have only recently started researching its implications on alcoholism. A 2012 study from Norway suggests that LSD prevented alcoholics from relapsing during treatment. Study author Teri Krebs explained the reasoning behind this conclusion. “Many patients said they had gained a new appreciation for their alcohol problem and new motivation to address it.”
Marijuana
The most widely used illegal drug in the US has a long list of medical benefits, leading several states and jurisdictions to legalize it. Marijuana’s health benefits include relieving intense pain, preventing PTSD, stimulating appetite for people with AIDS wasting syndrome, reducing nausea, decreasing eye pressure from glaucoma, treating opioid dependence, and improving the symptoms of Chron’s disease.
Magic Mushrooms
Small amounts of psilocybin, the primary hallucinogenic compound in mushrooms, have been found to reduce the negative symptoms associated with cluster headaches, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and depression.
A 2012 British study found that psilocybin users had enhanced recall. Another 2012 American study concluded that the drug slowed down the parts of the brain that are hyperactive in people suffering from depression.
