Drugs like LSD may reduce domestic violence

Drugs that cause hallucinations such as LSD may have therapeutic potential for reducing intimate partner violence, a new research by experts in the US has claimed. The study looked at 302 men aged 17-40 in the criminal justice system.

Of the 56% of participants who reported using hallucinogens such as psilocybin or LSD, only 27% were arrested for later intimate partner violence, or IPV as opposed to 42% of the group who reported no hallucinogen use being arrested for IPV within seven years.

“Although we are attempting to better understand how or why these substances may be beneficial, one explanation is that they can transform people’s lives by providing profoundly meaningful spiritual experiences that highlight what matters most,“ said Peter S Hendricks from University of Alabama in the United States.

From the 1950s through the early 1970s, thousands of studies have reported on the medical use of hallucinogens, mostly LSD.