Are hallucinogens dangerous?
They can be. Here’s why: Dealers often substitute another drug, sometimes a stronger drug, for the one you think you are getting (e.g. LSD or PCP for mescaline, psilocybin, or MDA). You don’t know what you’re taking or how it will affect you. Sometimes, for no obvious reason, hallucinogen users take a “bad trip.” They suddenly feel paranoid (seeing “enemies” everywhere) and intensely anxious about losing control. These feelings can lead to bizarre and even violent behaviour, especially with PCP and sometimes with LSD. Because these drugs are powerful and unpredictable, using them in a situation in which you don’t feel safe and at ease is asking for trouble. Days, weeks, or months after you stop taking these drugs you can suddenly have a “flashback,” a vivid rerun of a previous drug trip, usually a bad one. Flashbacks usually last only a few seconds or minutes but seem much longer. They can happen over and over again, unpredictably. If you inject hallucinogens you run such risks as teta
