Transcript for: Understanding Hallucinogens and Their Effects
[Voiceover] Okay, last
type of psychoactive drug we'll talk about here is hallucinogens. These drugs, as you might expect, cause users to experience hallucinations. Or sensations that aren't really there. Even though all hallucinogens
do cause altered perceptions and feelings, there are
many different types of hallucinogens that
can have a wide range of specific physiological effects. Some hallucinogens even have medical uses which we'll get to towards
the end of this video. First though, we'll talk about
a drug that straddles the line between stimulants
and hallucinogens, ecstasy. Ecstasy is a synthetic
drug that sort of lives in both the stimulant world
and the hallucinogen world. Like a stimulate, it
greatly increases dopamine and serotonin and leads
to a feeling of euphoria. It also stimulates the body's
central nervous system. Right after taking ecstasy, people experience high blood pressure, dehydration, overheating. Sometimes to the point of death. Ecstasy can actually
damage the neurons that produce serotonin. Serotonin has several functions, one of which is moderating your mood. If you don't produce
serotonin you may experience a permanently depressed mood. That can be a side effect of ecstasy. So that's the stimulant side, and on the hallucinogen side, ecstasy causes hallucinations
and heightened sensations. People often get an artificial feeling of social connectedness and intimacy as well as potentially seeing
things that aren't there. So just to recap, like a stimulant ecstasy increases your heart rate
and other bodily functions and like a hallucinogen it causes you to perceive things that aren't there. Another popular hallucinogen, really the prototypical
hallucinogen, is LSD. LSD like many hallucinogens
interferes with serotonin transmission which causes
people to experience sensations that didn't actually
come from the environment, in other words hallucinations. With LSD, most of the
hallucinations are visual as opposed to auditory. So you see things that
aren't there rather than hear things that aren't there. Marijuana is also considered
a mild hallucinogen though it shares properties with some other types of drugs as well. The main active chemical
in marijuana is THC. Which heightens sensitivity to colors, sounds, tastes and smells, that's the hallucinogenic part. Like alcohol though,
marijuana reduces inhibition, relaxes the central nervous system, and impairs motor coordination
and perceptual skills. So don't smoke marijuana and drive. Marijuana can also
disrupt memory formation, and interfere with short term recall. Unlike alcohol however, THC stays in the body for up to a week. Meaning that regular users
actually need less of the drug rather than more to achieve the same high. Sometimes marijuana is
also used to relieve pain and nausea in medical situations, but just like any
medication you have to weigh the potential side effects
against the potential benefits. Other medical uses of hallucinogens include treatment for PTSD. Some types of hallucinogens
seem to allow people to access painful memories from their past but in a way that's detached from any strong emotional reactions. So this can mean that they
can recall a traumatic memory and come to terms with it
in a way that's not possible under normal circumstances.