Hallucinogens are drugs that cause hallucinations and affect the central nervous system. They disrupt neurotransmitters in the brain and can damage it. Researchers divide them into delusions, dissociatives, and psychedelics. Some examples are ayahuasca, LSD, and peyote. Historically, some cultures used them for religious purposes, but today they are mostly used recreationally. Access to them is restricted by law in many countries.
Hallucinogens are drugs that affect the central nervous system, producing hallucinations that can be visual, sensory, auditory, olfactory or tactile. While many drugs can cause hallucinogenic effects, many people use the term specifically to refer to drugs that are taken deliberately with the intent of experiencing hallucinations. Thus, a drug such as LSD is a hallucinogen, while an antipsychotic drug such as trifluoperazine that can produce hallucinations is not known as a hallucinogen.
These psychoactive drugs work by disrupting neurotransmitters in the brain, sending the wrong and mixed messages. Depending on the drug and dosage, someone can experience a variety of hallucinations as their brain attempts to cope with the drug, which is often a toxin. In some cases, hallucinogens can actually damage the brain, with repeated use of drugs such as LSD being linked to long-term effects such as random distortions of the visual field.
Researchers tend to divide hallucinogens into three basic categories. Delusions are drugs that induce a state of delirium, characterized by confusion, blurred vision, stupor, compulsive movement, and dream state. Dissociative drugs disrupt communication between various parts of the brain, making people feel disconnected from themselves and the world around them. Psychedelics fundamentally alter perception, distorting the visual field and causing manifestations of things that aren’t really there. Some cultures believe that psychedelics reveal the hidden nature of the mind.
Some examples of psychedelics include: ayahuasca, psilocybin, peyote, mescaline, bufotenin and LSD. Salvia divinorum, fly agaric and iboga are some examples of well-known dissociatives, while belladonna, henbane and mandrake can induce a state of delirium.
Many naturally occurring hallucinogens have very long histories in cultures around the world. Historically, some shamans and other religious officiants consumed hallucinogens in an attempt to communicate with a higher power or explore their own minds. The use of such drugs was often tightly controlled, with a religious rather than a recreational nature. Today, hallucinogens are most commonly used for recreational purposes, although religious use of some hallucinogens such as peyote is protected by law.
In many countries, access to hallucinogens is severely restricted by law. Because these drugs are ineffective in treating medical conditions and can be potentially dangerous, some governments have banned their manufacture, sale, and possession. People who violate drug laws can find themselves subject to severe punishment. Because some cultures have a history of using psychoactive drugs in religious practice, special exceptions may be made for people of certain religions and ethnic groups.
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