10 Illegal Drugs with Surprising Medical Uses! (Cannabis, Shrooms, LSD, Coca etc)

We all know some drugs can hurt you, ruin your life or even kill you! But some common street drugs have surprising medical uses you wouldn't suspect. A lot of the medical uses do not outweigh the negatives of the drugs but in certain cases it may be the only thing that helps a person. We still do not condone the user of any legal or illegal psychoactive substances. This article has been written for harm reduction and educational reasons only.

Magic Mushrooms

Magic Mushrooms (formally known as psilocybin mushrooms) grow all over the world and come in a vast number of species. The most popular by far being Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe semilanceata. Recently, a study at the John Hopkins University have discovered that these naturally occurring mushrooms can be used extremely successfully treat anxiety and depression in those with life-threatening cancer. (Link 1) After just one dose of psilocybin mushrooms around 80% of participants reported an increase in well-being and life satisfaction. Many also argue that mushrooms should not be a Schedule 1 drug as they do not fit the criteria. To be classes as a schedule 1 drug the drug must have a high potential for abuse and no medical benefit. If this research is done on a wider scale and can be proved an undisputable fact the government may be forced change its class, maybe even legalise them out right. But this is unlikely as people have been asking for this change for many years without results from the government. There are things that can go wrong through! A 17-year-old boy shot himself in the head while on mushrooms to “wake up” from a bad trip. (Link 2)
LSD

LSD is the most popular psychedelic drug (Link 3) with an estimated 200,000 people trying it for the first time every year. It was first synthesised by Albert Hofmann on November 16, 1938 in Switzerland while he was attempting to find a new type of drug known as an analeptic (An analeptic is a type of drug which is used to restore a person's health or strength). This was unsuccessful but didn’t stop Albert from experimenting with LSD on himself. He took 250 micrograms his first time ingesting the substance which is a reasonably strong dose (A common dose is around 50μg - 150μg). It reached its high of popularity in the 1960s when it was widely used for its believed mind-expanding properties (Link 4). Many scientists saw LSD’s great potential in curing things like depression and anxiety and began research into its positive effects. But before they could complete their work it was criminalized and made illegal by the US government. Bringing all research on LSD to a steady halt. But in 2011 permission was granted to allow research on the drug. Scientists found that LSD was extremely successful when used to cure Cluster headaches. (Link 5) With some patients reporting significant relief for over a year after one use of LSD. But this research is highly controversial as scientists warn of flashbacks, this is when someone who has used LSD in the past can begin to trip again days, months or even years after their experience. For this reason people are reluctant to associate with LSD research as they are frightened it may harm there career.
Ketamine

The drug Ketamine is often used recreationally to allow the user to enter a dissociative state. It is also used in higher doses to produce what is known as a “K-hole” where the user feels completely detaches from there body and surroundings. In these doses ketamine can cause a wide variety of negative side effects including bladder problems, respiratory issues and Gastrointestinal distress. But in lower does, for some people it, is a wonder drug for depression. A study done in 2014 involving people with severe depression showed that almost a third of people had significant improvements to their well-being after their treatment with the drug (Link 6). Although this was high purity ketamine, unlike the type often sold by drug dealers on the street.
Coca

Coca is the plant from which cocaine is derived from. Although cocaine is a very harmful drug, coca is much less dangerous and only contains a measly 0.25% - 1% cocaine. It has been used for thousands of years for a variety of ailments. One of the most common and effective medical uses is for the treatment of altitude sickness. The Incas (Who lived around 1438-1532 AD in Peru) used coca to help treat altitude sickness, and so do many people today. One huge benefit of coca is that it is non-addictive unlike the active alkaloid in the plant cocaine! (Link 7)
Heroin

Heroin is one of the most addictive and harmful substances known to man. It works on the opioid receptors in the brain creating a strong euphoric feeling and a significant reduction in pain (Link 8) It’s pain killing properties are the reason it was and is still used in medicine today. In cases of extreme pain, it can be the only thing that works. (Link 9) Though, due to tight scheduling in some countries such as the UK heroin cannot be used for medical reasons. This forces doctors to use synthetic opioids which can be even more addictive and dangerous then heroin. But heroin is very far from just a medicine. It is incredibly addictive and it is possible for a user to become dependent after just one use.
Ibogaine

Ibogaine is an isolated active alkaloid from the bark of the root of central West African shrub Tabernanthe Iboga. It has been found that the use of the drug can provide a huge relieve from the withdrawals from opiates and temporarily stop cravings altogether. The chemical seems to go into the brain and manually reset it, destroying all tolerance and cravings for opiates (Link 10). It is often referred to as a ‘Wonder drug’ as it effects work extremely fast and effectively. More research on the drug is needed and with tight laws on ibogaine in the United States this research is not likely to be completed anytime soon.
Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is an ancient brew that has been used for hundreds of years to induce life changing spiritual experiences. Recently research has been done into the drug and it has been found that it is useful in treating problematic substance use by helping to promote personal or spiritual insights or self-knowledge (Link 11). This combats addiction by fixing the cause, not the symptoms. Unlike the majority of western medicines where drugs are used to treat the symptoms of the problems. Ayahuasca on the other hand fixes the root cause of the problems (Link 18). It is uncommon for there to be no withdrawal from the addictive drugs if a patient has used ayahuasca for their addiction, but it does sometimes happen.
Cannabis

Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug and has been used for medical and recreational uses for thousands of years. Recently a lot of research has been done one on the drug and some cancer killing properties have been found (Link 12) (Link 13) Although many speculate that it does not have the ability to cure cancer alone, when used alongside other traditional cancer treatments such as chemo and radiation it seems to perpetuate the healing effects. It also works well to mask the negative effects of chemo, people have a larger appetite and are able to eat while under the effects of cannabis. A loss of appetite is a common negative side effect to chemotherapy. Nausea is also significantly lessened for a lot of people who uses cannabis with chemo. In some states in the USA it is completely legal to use cannabis for medical and sometimes even recreational reasons. In fact, it is even legal for children. A young girl called Macaila uses cannabis oil for her cancer and a documentary has been made about it. (Link to documentary:
(Link 14)
Kratom

Although Kratom is not federally illegal in the USA. In many states it is including Alabama and Indiana. It’s also illegal in a lot of other countries like the UK. Kratom is an opioid agonist that has been used medically to stop withdrawals from drugs like heroin dead in their tracks (Link 15). It bonds to the same receptors as heroin but does not cause a high. It may have a relaxing or stimulating effect but if the user attempts to use kratom to achieve a high they will end up being violently sick. It is very good at curing opiate addictions but it can be addictive itself, for this reason it is advised that kratom should only be used infrequently if somebody is not using it for medical reasons.
MDMA

MDMA is a party drug which releases a huge amount of the body's serotonin to create an intense, euphoric feeling. (This is where it gets its slang name “Ecstasy”). The drug was first created by a chemist named Anton Köllisch. At the time, he was researching potential drugs to stop abdominal bleeding. One such drug he synthesised in 1912 was MDMA. Little did he know that around 100 years later this drug would show an 80% success rate for curing PTSD (Link 16). A study done my MAPS shows the 80% of patients who were cured by the drug maintained the results for around 3.8 years. And often no longer fit the criteria for PTSD. It is predicted that MDMA may be FDA approved for assisted psychotherapy as soon as 2021. (Link 17)