Psychological and cognitive effects of long-term peyote use among Native Americans.
Biological psychiatry October 15, 2005 John H Halpern, Andrea R Sherwood, James I Hudson et al. 186 citations
Regular use of peyote, a hallucinogen-containing cactus, in a religious setting among Navajo Native Americans does not appear to cause long-term psychological or cognitive deficits. In a study comparing three groups—61 Native American Church members who regularly ingested peyote, 36 individuals with past alcohol dependence who had been sober for at least two months, and 79 individuals with minimal substance use—the peyote group showed no significant differences on a mental health inventory or ten neuropsychological tests compared to the minimal-use group. In contrast, the former alcoholic group showed significant deficits on all mental health scales and two neuropsychological measures. Total lifetime peyote use was not linked to worse performance. These findings may not apply to illicit hallucinogen users.