Hallucinogens: A general group of pharmacological agents that can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and delusionals. Hallucinogenic drugs have played a role in civilization for thousands of years. It all started with natural hallucinogens, such as peyote cactus and wild mushrooms. There are now synthetic drugs that have the same or even more intense effects. These include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), MDMA (ecstasy), and dextromethorphan (DMX, often found in cough syrup). In this essay, I will cover the history, production, and effects of hallucinogenic drugs. Peyote, a naturally produced plant, has been used as a hallucinogen since 200 AD. It was originally used in religious ceremonies of indigenous Mexicans, but quickly spread to North American tribes. In 1620, the use of peyote was banned by the Spanish Inquisition. Peyote received an even more negative view in the 1960s, when it began to be used by the "hippie counterculture." Its use was banned again as part of the Drug Abuse Control Amendment in 1965. It appears that drugs go through cycles of legality and become prohibited for use again. But how do hallucinogens actually affect the brain? This particular type of narcotic affects a person's perception of reality. People hear sounds, see visions, or feel things that are not actually happening. This stimulates the senses and causes distortion of perception. What causes these thought distortions? Hallucinogens such as LSD and psilocybin (found in mushrooms) cause their effects by disrupting the neurotransmitter serotonin. The serotonergic system is involved in perceptual, behavioral and regulatory systems. This explains the disturbances in mood, sexual behavior and sensory effects...... middle of paper ...... e toxic effects of older medications. Treatments for migraine and schizophrenia also rely on medications targeting serotonin neurotransmitters. Once discovered, LSD was of considerable research interest. However, this stopped after it was brought under the control of the US Controlled Substances Act in 1970. It was classified as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it posed a high risk of abuse and that it had no accepted medical use. There are currently no legal human studies on LSD, although there are a few on MDMA, DMT, and psilocybin. But the FDA recently approved a human study examining how LSD affects the brain's neurotransmitter systems. Harvard Medical School is also studying how hallucinogens affect cluster headaches. In my opinion, there must be a way to use an LSD derivative in psychological research or treatment and I believe that researchers will eventually find one...