Why is education important during the psychedelic renaissance?

Psychedelics have recently been a point of interest as a tool to treat mental illnesses such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety, as well as a tool to enhance general life through the recreational micro-dosing movement. Such events were also noticed during the 60s by attempting the use of MDMA, LSD, Psilocybin, and Mescaline as therapeutic drugs.

Due to the increase in mental illness and resistance to modern medicine observed today patients decided to try alternative medicines, recurring to botanical and synthetic alternatives leading to the revival of the psychedelic scene, thus, this movement was named by media the psychedelic renaissance.

Alongside the scientific evolution in the psychedelic realm, media and ways to share information are also evolving with millions of people adhering to social media daily, sharing their information and personal beliefs, often propagating erroneous information regarding various subjects based on their personal beliefs and experiences, psychedelics included.

For this reason, having a fully developed scientific literacy sense is important, being able to distinguish between scientific data and personal experience to achieve better results in conclusions. Despite psychoactive compounds being often conducted as a subjective experience and a variable between users, there is various information that remains untouchable since the psychedelic boom, information such as the importance of dosage, the value of set and setting, and the importance of consuming the substances consciously and carefully.

The variety of information found on the internet, forums, complicated scientific journals, and social media can easily become overwhelming for someone who is being introduced to psychedelics, especially with the increase of accounts, websites, and companies spreading wide information about substances that had been considered inherently bad by the propagandist media of the 80s and 90s.

However, there are a few accounts that are actively fighting against the sharing of erroneous information, in between them is the Instagram account @science_and_anonymous (also referred to as Anthony Furrule in further mentions).

The page is run by Anthony Furrule a research chemist and student whose interest in the fields of chemistry and pharmacology has extended past his academic role. Anthony always found chemistry interesting at a young age, he believed there was something mystical about how atoms interacted with each other. Later on in his academic life, psychopharmacology was introduced birthing a new interest, to understand how molecules can change consciousness.

“As with most scientists studying psychedelic drugs, although many will not admit it, these drugs have had a profound alteration in how I see the world around me for the better, and of course, how I perform research. Although in science the self is almost always separate from one’s work, as using personal pronouns such as “I” is greatly disrespectful in papers, psychedelics do add a bit of intertwined connection to your work of which only some biochemists can appreciate in some cases.”

He adds that the vast unique pharmacological features psychedelics provide are paramount and are a quintessential puzzle piece to understanding the brain/mind connection, so deeply desired in psychopharmacology.

When questioned about the importance of scientific literacy and understanding trustful fonts Anthony believes truth is always the highest form of the human condition. Without it, the abstinence of our mind is left astray to simply fallacy and manic attempt to understand.

“The truth is the only way that growth is obtained, and as a scientist, the strife to seek the whole, absolute, truth is a necessity.”

Anthony believes those who provide false information with malice are harmful people who seek to remove from any position of power.

“If in the concept of drugs, I personally believe only truth should be administered. No personal reflection of bias should be noted or observable. It is a vile poison to progress.”

“Misleading information is everywhere. One must only go on their phone and scroll through any numerous number of social media platforms to see how easily incorrect information can be spread, and even from “popular educators”, most of their material is funded through third parties pushing for desirable outcomes. Of course, this also applies to simply publishing based on “seeking public interest” or clicks and likes.”

Promoting something shocking will always gain more attention (sadly) than the truth. Those who do provide valuable, educational, content most often make it catchy way, and more palatable to an uneducated audience, losing its precious key notes says Anthony Furrule.

Do you believe there will be any issues regarding an upcoming mass of people furnishing information?

Even in the scientific community there will always be bias, and opinion. It is human nature to seek what one personally wishes to see the world as. In science, the whole purpose of the scientific method is to excrete the human condition from research and result. If there is a result, it should be held to neutrality. There are no bad or good results, just data. I have personally seen data swayed in favor of researchers or their patrons.

“It is a serious concern, which deeply worries me. The truth is something which in the 21st century must be taken with scrutiny, and re-evaluated, peer reviewed, and estimated for bias before confirmation of its truth. This is the way of a scientist, and should be of the educated citizen.”

With the arrival of many enterprises to the world of mental health and psychedelics, the availability of various compounds ranging from Cannabis products, such as CBD pens, and THC cartridges to simple supplements can be advertised incorrectly for marketing purposes and benefit in sales, sometimes leading to dependence or bringing danger to the user.

Anthony believes there is a key balance by which substance use falls. The promotion of a drug to such a degree it’s seen as practically resilient to all harms (such as cannabis has) is blatantly irreversible, and must be stopped.

“On the other hand, only showing negatives is astronomically harmful. Propaganda will never lead to safety, just as stating there is no harm in a drug mystically makes it harmless.”

 Every drug, supplement, mineral, and product carries some degree as risk. It has been shown through data phytocannabinoids are very safe, however, they have also caused death when combined with other drugs. Balance is key says Anthony.

“The promotion of such products, especially of incentivize by monetary benefit, is despicable. Especially if it leads to harmful effects, or is known to cause them.”

Do you have any difficulties running the page?

I have had tremendous difficulty running an educational page centered on drug science/chemistry/psychopharmacology. Mass banning by Facebook, auto unfollowing, hiding of my material. It has been painstaking, and money expending.

The Facebook platform is a horrible place to be if you’re an educator. With that, Google (which owns YouTube) is mildly better. Information may be more difficult to find there, but it is far, far, less restricted. YouTube at least allows for education to be broadcasted.