I have long held this view, and I still do. I believe people who want to take these things should do so, but only if they really want to, and also when they are old enough. I took some of these substances at far too young an age, and they can have adverse effect on ones psychology if you don't know how to deal correctly with the experience.

The experience is life altering, but those who are even a little bit apprehensive should stay well clear, these are boundary dissolving substances that will shatter your conception of life and being. Some people can't handle that, but only realize it when they feel the effects come on and then have a very bad trip from which they may not recover very quickly, not that any of the bullshit propaganda on this is true. However, they are entirely safe for anyone who wants them, some people don't know how to interact with the experience and may find it unpleasant, a lot depends on the person, their state of mind, their openness to the change in their perception, and their pre-ordained notions of what it will be like. Their effects on the mind are completely subjective, they respond to the person’s mood, temperament, condition, some people go into it expecting nothing to happen, and sure enough, not a great deal will happen for them (depending on what and how much they take, and how they take). Like smoking 100x salvia, that stuff is a fucking sledge hammer to the mind, it doesn't matter how much you think nothing will happen, ever wonder what it was like when Neo took the red pill?

These substances are part of our culture and always have been, most human societies have used them for millennia.

I think one of the reasons why most of these substances are illegal is because people can't handle them, just look at the Californian revolution in the sixties, modern society prefers to sweep these things under the carpet and pretend they don’t exist, like how society prefers to label certain people crazy if they cannot comprehend them. A schizophrenic in most pre-modern cultures was a revered person who was trained to become a shaman, taking psychedelics was considered a birth right, and an absolute spiritual necessity, a sacrament, and it’s easy to understand why. They knew how to handle these substances however, as their societies had evolved the understanding and the means to use them, they also knew their incredible power. Science has not dared venture very far in this area for reasons that should be obvious. Rick Strassmans "DMT the spirit molecule" is about the most important thing done I could point to.

The amount these things are rejected depends on the insecurity of a given society. Artists have always worried the establishment, people who can catch glimpses of eternity are normally the ones to tell the people what is wrong with their lives, or show them an alternative route, of course that's going to worry those who are trying to maintain control, or maintain a false image of themselves and the way the world really is.

From an objective standpoint. These substances should be treated just as any other, meaning they should be legalized but also restrained in certain situations. Obviously you don't want people driving around tripping balls, but you don't want them drunk or high either... I can personally attest that in my lifetime of witnessing people who use substances, one can conclude that it isn't the substance that draws the negative effect but more of the person... Someone who regularly lies to themselves and hides their problems will flip out if they take Psilocybin Cubensis, it basically takes a magnifying glass to your unconscious "hidden" mind. All your previous thoughts and mood entirely play in to the persons experience. It's all about set and setting. Anyways, back to the objective standpoint. They are natural "God-given" plants from the earth and should never be restrained from residential use. You can't protect a person from themselves. The war on drugs is a complete hypocritical fail. Death to prohibition and the Federal Reserve... "It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it.” - George Washington