Can LSD and magic mushrooms help win wars? This naval officer says "yes"

The use of psychedelic drugs sanctioned as a method of medical or psychological treatment is gaining ground as part of today's hallucinogenic renaissance.

Recent scientific studies approved by the Food and Drug Administration have given positive cognitive results when administering "microdoses" of the drug, lysergic acid, diethylamide, or LSD, and psilocybin, the alkaloid of fungi hallucinogens.

But could this new wave of unorthodox treatment ever happen in the ranks of the army? According to an article by Navy Commander Emre Albayrak, published in the February issue of the Marine Corps Gazette, this would certainly be the case.

The "microdosing", which involves administering a tiny amount of the drug to prevent hallucinations or debilitating effects in the patient, is already being used by "scientists, Silicon Valley officials, biologists, biohackers and others' to achieve a psychological benefit, Albayrak writes.

The administration of such doses can potentially "significantly increase alertness, creativity and problem solving".

Members of today's services, especially those in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sectors, face the almost insurmountable task of analyzing a tidal wave of data. Rapidly growing analytics that, with current technological advances, will only continue to highlight cognitive deficiencies, the author writes.

Staff in these occupations have done their best to stem this tide by using approved pre-workout supplements, tobacco, caffeine or any other lawful substance designed to improve alertness or increase productivity.

However, an inability to process "superhuman" amounts of information in a community in which "one per cent gains offer significant benefits" on the battlefield requires a better solution, suggests Albayrak.

Enter the LSD and magic mushrooms.

"Like most hallucinogens, LSD mimics the effects of serotonin (a mood regulator)," says the author, and activates increased mental acuity in areas of the brain. learning and memory.

In addition, the drug usually called "acid" can reduce blood flow to the part of the brain that triggers wandering periods of the mind.

And although the use of performance-enhancing drugs, such as Ritalin or Adderall, to combat this dreaded attention gap is well-documented, both drugs "are amphetamines and have various side effects ", including kidney failure, rhabdomyolysis and risk of addiction, Albayrak.

In the meantime, thanks to microdoses of psychedelic drugs, military personnel can potentially "connect seemingly unrelated information and create revolutionary new solutions."

Beyond scientific evidence from institutions such as Johns Hopkins, NYU or Yale, the author claims that the additional evidence of the benefits of LSD lies in the number of successful brains that used the drug for its cognitive benefits.

This group includes "Nobel laureate scientists who acknowledge having used small doses of LSD to stimulate thought," said Albayrak, as well as the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who described it as "acid dropopping "A deep experience, one of the most important things in my life. The LSD shows you that there is another side to the coin. "

According to the author, the military should join the growing list of psychedelic beneficiaries to become "stronger, faster and smarter than our opponents".

Nobody wants equal conditions in combat, after all.

"Doping Control Officers at the World Anti-Doping Agency do not take samples after missions to ban the Marines from" competition ", Albayrak writes. "Our enemies are already seeking an advantage over us through the DCs."

The chances of the military approving the use of psychedelic performance enhancers are slim, but society's attitudes toward psychedelics in the direction indicated are worthy of discussion.

Last year again, another set of test results using a different psychedelic drug from the party continued to be promising as a treatment option for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. chronic.

The study, published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, revealed that MDMA, the main ingredient of ecstasy or molly, significantly reduced the symptoms of PTSD among participants in the study. # 39; study.

One month after the second treatment session, the researchers found that PTSD symptoms were effectively eliminated in 68% of the study participants.

The therapy, associated with MDMA, has the ability to "reduce fear and defense, improve communication and introspection, and increase empathy and compassion, improving thus the therapeutic process, "according to a press release issued by the multidisciplinary non-profit association of psychedelic studies based in California.

In response to continued success, the FDA has awarded "Disruption Therapy" status to the MDMA in 2017. Demonstrating significant efficacy and safety in a new series of tests should lead to full approval by the FDA by 2021.

In a survey of 1,400 readers of the Military Times, 87% said they were in favor of veterans having access to MDMA.

These developments have not been lost for active duty personnel.

"Although the idea is radical, it must be understood that it is not an attempt to side to allow Marines to ingest illicit substances, nor of the confuse with a half-safe attempt to recreate paranormal experiences until then failed, "writes the author.

"This is a serious incursion and discussion of the use of cognitive DCs to increase productivity, creativity, problem-solving ability and fluidity.

The full study can be read here.