A research team from UBC's Okanagan campus have found that inmates who consumed psychedelic drugs in the past don’t engage in violence against their other intimates and their partners as others.

A clinical psychology graduate student and study lead author Michelle Thiessen said, "Although use of certain drugs like alcohol, methamphetamine or cocaine is associated with increased aggression and partner violence, use of psychedelics appears to have the opposite effect; we found that among men who have used psychedelics one or more times, the odds of engaging in partner violence was reduced by roughly half. That's significant."

Psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin (magic mushrooms), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and mescaline, interact with the serotonin receptors in the brain. Changes occur in cognition, perception, emotion, and the sense of self.

The UBC professor cum the study supervisor Zach Walsh said, "Previous research from our lab that looked at men in the criminal justice system found that hallucinogen users were substantially less likely to perpetrate violence against their intimate partners; our new study is important because it suggests that these effects might also apply to the general population."

Thiessen further said, "These findings add to the literature on the positive use of psychedelics and suggest that future research should explore the potential for psychedelic therapies to help address the international public health priority of reducing domestic violence."