The perception of students on hallucinogens and their effects

Abstract

Hallucinogenic drugs are a term used for drugs that in general can temporarily alter a person’s mood, thoughts, and perception. This study aims to evaluate the perception of students on hallucinogens and their effects. Therefore, the students participating in this research will give their perception and opinions on the topic. The hallucinogenic drugs that will be discussed are LSD, DMT, MDMA or more commonly known as molly, Mescaline, Psilocybin (shrooms), THC, Ketamine and PCP. All these drugs are hallucinogenic drugs because of the effects that they leave on a person after ingestion. The effects vary from one drug to another, but ultimately with the same result which is altering the perception of the person taking these drugs. There are several other effects that are produced from the drugs, including short-term effects like visual distortion, and long-term effects like depression and anxiety. These effects are sometimes also life-threatening especially if the person experiences a ‘bad trip’, which happens when someone experiences a bad psychological effect when they take the drugs, that can result in the person harming themselves or others. Hallucinogenic use can also result in the person developing physical and/or psychological dependence for the drug. This means that with physical dependence, the person would not be able to have a normal functioning body without taking the drugs, while in the case of psychological dependence, an individual cannot function properly without the ingestion of the drugs. Furthermore, the research is conducted by distributing an online questionnaire aimed at students via the social media platform Facebook as this would easily reach the students. The institutions where the students would be originating from included the University of Malta the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School (GCHSS), G. F. Abela Junior College and the Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS). The questionnaire was anonymous and so the students participating had no way of being identified and were only asked questions that required their perception on the subject to avoid any ethical issues. In general, the findings suggested that there were a variety of opinions and perceptions, but each question had a number of students who were in agreement and had good knowledge on both the hallucinogenic drugs and their effects.