I've known about thirty people who have used Lsd routinely for years, and I have to agree with you. The only significant difference is that some of them talk like it drammatically changes them. The effect doesn't seem much different from the people I know who really like a hobby and exxagerate its effects. I of course know lsd is something serious and psychedelically powerful, and agree it should be studied.
I am pro drugs. I actually feel most drugs, except antiboiotics, should be available over the counter.
That said, the one drug I have seem people injest, and come back slightly different people is LSD. I have never taken the drug, but I had two close, intelligent friends in high school go off to U.C. Santa Cruz and literally come back different people. We were all so young, and still finding ourselfs, but the differences in their behavior was stark, and didn't go away like I thought it would. I still like both individuals, but we don't hang out anymore.
One friend asked me why we don't hang out any more, and I never told him the truth. The truth is I didn't mind he was different. I didn't hang with the guy because it took him 30 minutes to review a movie, or offer to work on my computer and screw it up; it was this--he didn't have a verbal filter anymore. He would say weird hurtful things, and I couldn't predict when he would say something beyond weird. I just couldn't overlook what he said anymore.
He's actually doing well in the computer industry, and has a family, so maybe it was just me?
(I'm am probally the last one who should comment on Psychadellics, I've never tried them. Even when I went through a reckless stage--Psychidellics scared me. Hell, even marihuana has brought on slight panic attacks. Maybe I'm not psychologically adjusted enough to fool with these drugs?)
You probably know many other people who have tried psychedelics. Around 20% of young and middle-aged men in the US have tried LSD or magic mushrooms, but people tend to not discuss this in public. (People who publically talk about their personal psychedelic use are, as a group, more likely to not care about social approval. This has fueled stereotypes about psychedelic users. But this is rapidly changing as more people 'come out' and the psychedelic users realize that we are everywhere.)
Maybe try talking about psychedelics with your friends and colleagues and you may get some new perspectives on the topic. (I would recommend to not immediately mention that your overall personal impression of psychedelic users is negative. That could scare people from opening up to you.)
>One friend asked me why we don't hang out any more, and I never told him the truth.
Maybe this is the problem? He probably didn't view the things he said as weird or hurtful. If you never told him you viewed them that way, how would he know?
