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The Psychedelic Drug DMT Can Simulate a Near-Death Experience, Study Suggests (vice.com)
dmoberhaus writes: In the first study of its kind, [published this week in the journal Frontiers in Psychology,] researchers dosed 13 people with the potent psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT) to investigate its similarity to near-death experiences. As the researchers found, DMT does in fact induce experiences that are qualitatively similar to NDEs, [but the intensity of these NDEs largely depend on context]. Motherboard spoke with an independent researcher who pioneered DMT research in the 90s to discuss the possible implications of this research. While tricky to define due to their subjective nature, "NDEs tend to share many common elements, such as feelings of inner peace, the experience of traveling through a tunnel, out of body experiences, and encounters with sentient beings," reports Motherboard. A psychiatrist not involved with the study "suggested that the overlap between DMT and NDEs could possibly be explained on a biological level since DMT is naturally produced in small quantities by the human body and has been shown to minimize neuronal damage due to hypoxia (insufficient oxygen) in test tubes," reports Motherboard. "Thus, [the psychiatrist said] 'one could construct a coherent scenario where endogenous DMT rises in response to cardiac arrest/hypoxia in order to protect the brain as long as possible.'"
One of the many side effects of our awful War on Drugs in the US is that this kind of research is essentially banned here, on account of DMT being a Schedule 1 drug. LSD falls into that category as well, along with the well known case of marijuana. Drugs like DMT and LSD offer incredible insight into some of the most mysterious processes in our brain, like the nature of consciousness and perception of reality. It's sickening how much we've let drug agents and drug warrior politicians (both sides, WoD is entirely bipartisan) stand against scientific progress, especially with drugs entirely lacking addictiveness and overdose potential like DMT/LSD/pot. Imagine our state of knowledge had these not been just about impossible to research in humans in the US for the last 50 years, with no change on the horizon.
I had been hoping we'd see the failure in my lifetime, and marijuana reform provided some optimism, until the opioid crisis squelched it with more of 'The War on Drugs has failed!' 'So what should we do about opiates?' 'More police! More laws! More regulation! Longer sentences! Crack down on supply! Fuck how many people have to suffer in agony or kill themselves when they can't get pain relief!' like if we just try prohibition a little harder it will magically start working, because this time it's Really Bad. Oh well, at least we have other countries that can do this great research.