Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is a serious and complex condition that deserves more attention in discussions about substance use. It involves persistent perceptual disturbances that continue long after the use of certain psychoactive substances, particularly hallucinogens like LSD and psilocybin. This disorder is not just rare—it significantly affects the lives of those who experience it, leading to distress, disrupted daily functioning, and a significant decline in quality of life.

What Is HPPD?

HPPD occurs when individuals re-experience perceptual symptoms they first encountered during drug use. These are not ordinary hallucinations but rather “pseudo-hallucinations,” which means the affected person is fully aware that these perceptions are not real. Symptoms commonly include visual disturbances like halos around lights, trailing images, or patterns that linger in one’s vision.

This condition often follows the use of classic psychedelics, but it’s not exclusive to them. Other substances, including MDMA, ketamine, and even cannabinoids, have also been linked to HPPD in some cases. Alarmingly, there have been instances of symptoms appearing after non-hallucinogenic substances, such as amphetamines or certain prescription medications. This broad connection to various substances raises significant concerns.

Who Does It Affect?

The prevalence of HPPD is difficult to pin down, but existing studies offer worrying insights. Research suggests that around 4.2% of psychedelic users may experience HPPD, with most affected individuals being young, typically in their early twenties. The disorder’s elusiveness is further compounded by its overlap with other medical and psychological conditions, making proper diagnosis a complex task.

It’s worth noting that symptoms can persist for an extended time, making the long-term effects on cognitive and psychological health a pressing issue. The persistence of visual disturbances can itself impact tasks requiring focus and visual processing, further interfering with everyday life.

The Neuropsychological Impact of HPPD

HPPD is not only a matter of distorted perception—it may also carry cognitive implications. Studies exploring its effects on brain function have revealed potential deficits, particularly in visual-spatial memory, executive functioning, and cognitive flexibility. For instance, difficulties were observed in tasks that required visual recall or problem-solving under changing rules and conditions.

While formal statistical analyses have yet to establish significant group differences, individual cases frequently highlight below-average performance in key cognitive areas. This suggests that the effects of HPPD could be more pronounced than larger group studies are currently capable of capturing with small sample sizes.

A Warning for Substance Use

One of the most concerning aspects of HPPD is its unpredictable nature. Not everyone who uses hallucinogens will experience HPPD, but for those who do, the consequences can be lasting and life-altering. Some individuals developed the condition after just one instance of using psychedelics. This unpredictability underlines the significant risks of deliberate substance use—risks that often go unspoken in settings that romanticise or downplay the dangers of psychoactive substances.

Even beyond the physical and mental toll on functionality, substance use of this kind comes with a range of unknowns. Substances used recreationally may vary in purity, dose, and quality, which only heightens the danger.

Moving Forward with Knowledge

Understanding HPPD gives us insight into how harmful hallucinogens and other psychoactive substances can be. When perceptual disturbances interfere with basic daily actions and cognitive functions, it becomes clear that the risks heavily outweigh the supposed “benefits” often touted about psychedelics. While some argue for their controlled use, the evidence strongly suggests that the unpredictable consequences extend far beyond what anyone anticipates.

This condition serves as a stark reminder that no psychoactive substance is truly “safe.” For those considering hallucinogens, it’s crucial to fully appreciate the possibility of severe, lasting consequences like HPPD. The more people know about these risks, the better chance we have to prevent unnecessary suffering. Living without drugs is the best way to stay healthy and keep a clear mind. (Source: Nature)

Abstract: This brief paper is a synoptic review of key implications of the pro-drug lobby’s decriminalisation reform endeavours. Specifically it looks at: what constitutes ‘normalisation’; what it affirms; and some of the debilitating consequences of the strategy of ‘normalisation’ of drug use. It also questions the legitimacy of this position in the light of the irrefutable evidence of the health and community harms of illicit drug use, causing damage to the health and wellbeing of both individuals and of society.

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‘Drug checking’, just like pill testing, is premised on the demonstrably incorrect inference that most drug-related deaths are tied to either unknown purity of drugs bought from criminals, or deadly contaminants or other toxic drugs mixed in with such purchased drugs. 

For decades now, the same parties now requesting substantial government funding for ‘drug checking’ have been pushing the same spurious misinformation.

Here are the direct words from ANCD Research Paper 1 – ‘Heroin Overdose’ coming from the Prime Minister’s own Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) in the year 2000.  This paper was produced in the midst of Australia’s highest rates of opioid overdose.

On page xiii, under the heading ‘Purity’ the NDARC researchers assert,

“If overdose were a simple function of purity one would expect the blood morphine concentrations of fatal overdose victims to be significantly higher than living intoxicated heroin users. As described above, it has been found that many individuals who die of an opioid overdose have blood morphine concentrations at autopsy which are below the commonly accepted toxic dose.  Studies that have investigated the relationship between the purity of street heroin seizures and fatality from overdose report a weak correlation, or no correlation, between heroin purity and fatality from overdose.”

Then on page xiv, under ‘Contaminants’ it reports,

“In general, studies outside the eastern United States do not report the detection of impurities in seized heroin. Adulterants found in Australian heroin samples are largely pharmacologically inactive dilutants (used to add bulk) or caffeine (believed to increase the bioavailability of heroin when smoked).”

We were speciously told for decades that it was the criminal sourcing of these drugs that led to so many deaths, even as equal numbers of opiate users were dying from pharmacologically pure Oxycodone and the like.  But ‘drug checking’ is spinning the same narrative.

Drug Free Australia does not deny that criminal-manufactured pills with high potency opioids masquerading as lower potency opioids will cause some unexpected fatalities, but much more evidence is needed to show that these are anything but the tiny minority of fatalities.

Balanced against this are the massive number of opiate deaths caused by the harm reductionist messaging which teaches the ‘safe use of illicit drugs’, of which drug checking is seminally a part.  This messaging quadrupled opiate deaths between 1984 (below 250 for 15-44 year olds) and 1,116 for 15-54 year olds in 1999.  The prevention and rehabilitation priorities of Tough on Drugs made opiate deaths plummet by 67% (or a massive 750 opiate deaths per year), where they stayed for 7 years until a new Federal Government scrapped them.  In the decade following, with the ‘safe use of drugs’ message again prioritised, opiate deaths skyrocketed 260% with other contributing polydrug-use illicit drug deaths increasing 210-590%.  Harm Reduction’s ‘safe use of drugs’ ideology has very demonstrably added many, many thousands of opiate deaths to Australian mortality tolls and heavily weights any set of balances against a few lives saved by ‘drug checking’.  Drug Free Australia has no problem with law enforcement continuing to publicise contaminants or adulterants in seized drugs, maintaining the message that drug use is not acceptable, rather than allowing drug-normalisating NGOs to take that role.  

In case you missed our documents supporting the above paragraph last time we sent them, here they are once again for your information and edification.

Gary Christian

PRESIDENT

Drug Free Australia

0422 163 141

They Were Wrong

NSW Drug Summit 4 DFA handouts

Harm Reduction 2024 A4 short

SUMMARY: Australian youth harm minimisation drug policies increased substance use and harm and were inferior to American abstinence polices. When Australia adopted abstinence polices, substance use and harm reduced

Professor John Toumbourou, Deakin University.

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Recent developments in psychedelic research have brought to light significant concerns regarding the integrity and safety of studies focused on these substances. Once hailed as a potential breakthrough in mental health treatment, psychedelics are now facing scrutiny due to issues surrounding research practices and the portrayal of their efficacy.

Scientific Integrity Under Scrutiny

The allure of psychedelics as a promising treatment for mental health conditions like depression and PTSD has sparked widespread interest and investment. However, recent reports suggest that the enthusiasm for these substances may have overshadowed the rigour required in scientific research. Studies often suffer from small sample sizes and lack of proper blinding, which undermines the reliability of their findings. Additionally, the influence of researchers’ personal beliefs has been noted, potentially skewing results and leading to the underreporting of adverse side effects. As noted by The New York Times, “The F.D.A.’s rejection signals greater uncertainty for the future of psychedelic medicine. And it will take more than just additional clinical trials for advocates to get back on track — it might require changing the culture of the research community from within”.

Ethical Concerns and Public Perception

The portrayal of psychedelics as a safe and effective treatment option has been challenged by recent incidents highlighting the risks associated with their use. Cases of inadequate reporting of negative outcomes, such as increased suicidality in some trial participants, underscore the need for cautious interpretation of the available data. The romanticised view of psychedelics, sometimes driven by prominent figures in the field, risks misleading the public and overshadowing the potential dangers these drugs can pose….

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