Freedom of Recreation: A Critique of the Prohibition, Decriminalization, and Legal Regulation of Psychedelics for Recreational Use
Contemporary Drug Problems August 28, 2025 Jason K. Day, Michael Th. Grooff 1 citation
The 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances prohibits recreational use of psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, DMT, and mescaline, based on claims that they pose a serious public health threat due to high addiction and abuse liability and have only limited medical and scientific value. This article argues that these premises are false: psychedelics are not highly addictive or abusive, and their uses extend beyond medicine and science, making prohibition unjustified. Decriminalization and legal regulation also rest on flawed premises. The authors propose communalization, where all adults may freely use psychedelics recreationally, supported by community-based harm reduction and benefit enhancement services.