God in a pill?

Christian Century, August 8, 2006

GOD IN A PILL? A Johns Hopkins University School Medicine study tested psilocybin, the active agent in so-called sacred mushrooms, to determine whether it could induce "mystical experiences" in a group of 36 adults with religious backgrounds. More than 60 percent of the study subjects said psilocybin produced a "full mystical experience," and one-third said they enjoyed "the single most spiritually significant experience of their lifetimes." Some likened the occasion to the birth of their first child.

Possession of the substance (except for purposes of scientific research) is illegal in every state except Florida and New Mexico. The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nora Volkow, cautioned, "Although there is no evidence that psilocybin is addictive, its adverse effects are well known" (RNS, July 12).