Altered Consciousness

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By Bethany “BST2” Armstrong

State and Federal funding for mental health facilities and programs was cut during the 1960s and cut again during the 1980s. Mental health became a taboo topic. No one wanted to talk about why Daddy drank or why Uncle Jeff couldn’t be alone with kids or why Great Aunt Sally had scars on her wrists. The skeletons in the family closet were locked to outsiders and only cracked in spoken whispers within the family.

On June 18, 1971 President Richard M. Nixon gave a press conference about “Public Enemy Number 1” and coined the term “War on Drugs”. The motivation behind this expensive “war” was deemed to be a rise in recreational drug use – though sources after the fact have stated it was a political move that was racially motivated. In the 1980’s President Ronald Reagan expanded Nixon’s policies and First Lady Nancy Reagan launched the “Just Say No” program.

The DARE program – of which I am a proud graduate – started in 1983 with the intent of teaching children the inherent dangers of drug use. If you ask the government, DARE has been an enormous success, but research shows the opposite is true. People who participated in the DARE program as children are more like to experiment with recreational drugs. We jaded youth had been lied to about so many things by adults, maybe “drugs are bad” is another lie?

Poor mental health and drug use/abuse are frequently interconnected. There’s a reason we use the term “self-medicating.” People need a break from their pain. In a society where we are shamed for being sad, anxious, suicidal, unproductive, or neuro-typical while unable to access medicines, therapy, or other supports that might help; sometimes the only option is to self-medicate. In this hellish year, we’ve all been leaning on our drug-of-choice, whether it be daytime tv or THC.

The Bad News is budget cuts for mental health overlapped with “the war on drugs”. People were imprisoned for having a single joint on them.

The Good News is as a nation we’re moving toward a treatment rather than punishment mentality. People are being more and more open about their mental health. Therapy isn’t taboo. We’re decriminalizing things that have the potential to be healthy.

Oregon passed Ballot Measure 109 this year, which legalized therapeutic use of psilocybin. Psilocybin has been shown to improve the mental health of people severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I didn’t just hear this from my one hippie friend; Johns Hopkins has a team devoted to studying psychedelics and their benefits.

There are now 15 states where marijuana is legalized is some form. Marijuana has been found to improve appetite and decrease nausea in chemotherapy patients. It also has mental health benefits when used.

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