WHAT RISKS OCCUR WITH HALLUCINOGENS?
A person under the influence of a hallucinogen loses control over normal thought processes. This may bring about behavior that can be harmful or fatal to the user or others. Risks include suicide, injury, or accidental death. Users may experience a “bad trip.” These last for up to a few hours. A bad trip may include depression, panic, or psychotic episodes. Longer-term harmful reactions include anxiety, depression, or “breaks with reality.” These may last from a few days to months. The drugs may create these mental problems, or trigger an existing problem. Tolerance [the need to take more of a drug to obtain the same effect] occurs with most hallucinogens. Physical dependence is not known to occur. Psychological dependence on LSD has been reported.
