Camille Barton - How moving beyond psychedelic exceptionalism will help to end the war on drugs

Psychedelic exceptionalism fosters the harmful idea that some psychoactive substances are inherently benign or therapeutic, while others are dangerous, thus implicitly justifying the continued criminalization and punishment of users of non-psychedelic substances. This ideological divide hinders efforts to achieve justice in drug policy and prevents the formation of broader coalitions for harm reduction. Evidence from countries like the UK demonstrates that drug enforcement remains heavily and disproportionately biased against Black and Asian populations, even as rates of self-reported use remain low. Moving beyond this divisive framing is crucial to advocating for the dignity of all individuals and effectively challenging the war on drugs.