When I was younger, I loved to trip.  I’ve taken Acid, Mescaline, LSD, and a variety of other powerful hallucinogenic drugs.  I’ve had life changing experiences, have had 12-hour-long bad trips, and I’ve experienced a wide variety of effects.  The first time, my girlfriend and I took a hit of blotter acid on a beautiful summer day.  It was amazing and heavy, the strength of the drug affected my perception and mood, and I had a full day trip.  We spent the day walking around King’s Point, we watched “Liquid Sky,” and smoked a ton of pot.  My first time left me wanting more, and throughout my college years I tripped a lot!

To the unexperienced, tripping is like being very stoned, with amazing visuals and perceptual changes.  Everything looks brighter and different.  Your mind is fluid and never stops moving and thinking.  Objects change size right before your very eyes.  Your sense of touch is altered and things feel unique and smooth.  Your mind is bombarded by wild thoughts and ideas, and there is a feeling of oneness with everything.  It can be a life changing time, LSD has been used for decades by psychiatrists and actors like Cary Grant swore by its use.

Hallucinogens allows you access to a part of your consciousness that you keep hidden, and it can be a liberating encounter that sets you free from personal boundaries. It can also be scary freeing your anxieties, dealing with harsh feelings, it can be dramatic and terrifying.  Moments that you have hidden from your general psyche were done on purpose, and it can be intense and long lasting.  Bad trips are caused by negative emotions, and can do damage, so tripping with those who have done it before is essential.

Good Mushrooms, Peyote, and good Acid are all a totally different experience.  These are strong substances and should only be used with an experienced guide - they should never be taken alone!  These drugs allow you to access the deepest parts of your mind and make you totally fucked up!  A trip with these drugs easily lasts 12 hours and will leave you spent after the drug loses effect.  People refer to these experiences as “Religious” and “Earth Shattering” and those who have a negative reaction swear to never take hallucinogens again!

What you can get for a good trip is a feeling of peace and well-being.  You feel connected to your inner-self and feel a weight lifted. Everyone is different: some trip for the heavy stoned effect, some for the beneficial mental effects, some do it to be part of a unique group activity. Everyone has their reasons and now, Denver allows individuals to experiment with magic mushrooms. Let’s see if this change in local law will have a national effect like the legalization of cannabis.