Charlotte Walsh - "Psychedelic Drugs and Human Rights: Sacramental Freedoms and Cognitive Liberty"

Psychedelic drug policy is analyzed through the lens of human rights, arguing that current legal frameworks often fail to distinguish between legitimate sacramental use and harmful substances. Legal precedents, such as the case of Taylor in the UK, demonstrate how judicial interpretation can restrict access to substances by focusing on the prohibition of their sale. The conflict arises when authorities prioritize global drug conventions over established rights to freedom of thought and religion as outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights. Cognitive liberty, or absolute sovereign control over one's own consciousness, represents a crucial path forward in legal reform. Rather than solely arguing for sacramental exemptions, advocates should champion this broader principle to counter the censoring of subjective experienced states and undermine the prohibitionist paradigm.