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<\/a>By Bethany \u201cBST2\u201d Armstrong<\/strong><\/p>\nState 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\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n
On June 18, 1971 President Richard M. Nixon gave a press conference about \u201cPublic Enemy Number 1\u201d and coined the term \u201cWar on Drugs\u201d. The motivation behind this expensive \u201cwar\u201d 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\u2019s President Ronald Reagan expanded Nixon\u2019s policies and First Lady Nancy Reagan launched the \u201cJust Say No\u201d program.<\/p>\n
The DARE program \u2013 of which I am a proud graduate \u2013 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 \u201cdrugs are bad\u201d is another lie?<\/p>\n
Poor mental health and drug use\/abuse are frequently interconnected. There\u2019s a reason we use the term \u201cself-medicating.\u201d 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\u2019ve all been leaning on our drug-of-choice, whether it be daytime tv or THC.<\/p>\n
The Bad News is budget cuts for mental health overlapped with \u201cthe war on drugs\u201d. People were imprisoned for having a single joint on them.<\/p>\n
The Good News is as a nation we\u2019re moving toward a treatment rather than punishment mentality. People are being more and more open about their mental health. Therapy isn\u2019t taboo. We\u2019re decriminalizing things that have the potential to be healthy.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t just hear this from my one hippie friend; Johns Hopkins has a team devoted to studying psychedelics and their benefits.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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