Background

The term  "Hallucinogens" encompasses a broad family of psychoactive chemicals that includes Cannabis or Marijuana (due to the properties of THC), LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide),  peyote and mescaline, MDA (methylenedioxyamphetamine), MDMA (XTC, ecstasy), PCP (phencyclidine), STP (DOM), TMA (trimethoxyamphetamine), psilocybin (magic mushroom, shroom), fly agaric mushroom (amanita muscaria), atropine alkaloids, DMT (dimethyltryptamine), and ketamine.

These drugs are classified by their hallucinogenic or psychedelic properties.  They are available in a variety of forms such as natural plant derivatives or partial and/or total synthetics.  These forms may be processed into a variety of powders, pills, and solutions.  Methods of administration can include sniffing or snorting, injection into bloodstream, muscle, or under skin.  They can also be chewed, swallowed, applied to mucous membranes, or cooked into food or teas.

Effects

There is some controversy surrounding the effects of this category of drugs, much of it between those who use the drugs and those who research the drugs. In general, it can be said that, at low levels, there can be a broad range of effects depending upon both the user and the particular drug that the individual is using.   With higher doses an individual is more likely to experience hallucinations and the more extreme of the documented effects.  There is also some evidence that both the user's past experience with the drug and the setting in which the drug is taken can influence the effects.

There seems to be a concensus that these drugs do not produce physical dependence, but may produce a tolerance in which the effects are reduced if the user ingests the drug regularly in a short period of time.  There may also be a psychological dependence with some hallucinogens in which a user craves or compulsively uses the drug.

Of the hallucinogens, LSD specifically appears to cause some chance of spontaneous abortion if used by pregnant women.  Early speculation that LSD and other hallucinogens may cause genetic or chromosomal defects has not been confirmed.

Other effects can include alterations of mood which can be unpredictable and extreme, as well as alternation of thought processes and perceptions of time, space, and self. Hallucinogens can produce vivid distortions of senses, ranging from extreme excitement and joy to absolute terror.  This type of drug can produce a negative or "bad trip". Depending upon the drug, episodes last from minutes to days, with after-effects sometimes lingerering from hours to weeks.

Commonly reported after-effects can include depression, ranging from mild to severe, or psychotic states that may last for months.  The most common of the psychological after-effects experienced seems to be the "disassociative state" or a feeling that one is slipping outside of their body, or that their perception is distorted or fragmented.  There are also common reports of users experiencing a generalized anxiety after a hallucinogenic experience, often aggravated by panic attacks.

A common danger reported with hallucinogenic drugs is the danger of "flashbacks", or a spontaneous reoccurence of the hallucinogenic state without ingestion of a hallucinogen.  Many users claim that flashbacks do not exist.  Researchers claim they do exist, but that they do not completely understand them.  A common belief is that flashbacks may occur during periods of anxiety and severe stress.

Many hallucinogens are manufactured illegally and sold on the street creating unpredictable risks for buyers, as the substance they ingest may not be the substance they thought they were buying.  PCP, for example, has often shown up under several names during the past thirty years, enjoying a brief resurgence, but usually declines in popularity when people realize that it is PCP. 

This category of drug is not usually fatal in and of itself, but death can result from convulsions, toxic dosage levels, bizarre accidents, suicide, driving under the influence, fatal effects related to the manufacturing or misrepresentation of the drug, or lethal effects from combinations of drugs.

Other Resources

The Indiana Prevention Resource

NCADI