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What does Jewish law or tradition have to say about magic mushrooms? Or in general, about any hallucinogen.

Is it forbidden to consume psilocybin mushrooms or other hallucinogens? Is it advocated? Why?

It seems like the large psychedelic community of Israel approves. Do they have any authority or tradition to support them?

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See this: judaism.stackexchange.com/q/10609/1569 – b a Feb 22 at 0:56
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In the written torah text or in the tradition developed through the written torah, the oral law and the authoritative statements of the sages and rabbis? chabad.org/blogs/blog_cdo/aid/1171699/jewish/… related? judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/16341/… – Dan Feb 22 at 0:57
Hi Benny welcome to Mi Yodeya and thank you for bringing your question here. Hope to see you around. – not-vram Feb 22 at 2:32
Benny, I second the welcome. If you have any reason to think other drugs might be different from marijuana, please edit them into the question to distinguish it from the preexisting one. – msh210♦ Feb 22 at 4:05
If not what - prohibited or advocated? – Seth J Feb 22 at 18:13
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Even if there is a "psychedelic community" in Israel that approves of "magic mushrooms," that is not an indication that Judaism approves of it. In nearly every country there is a small group of people obsessed with psychedelic drugs, and they pretty much approve of them all. Since they are ideologues, they have no credibility. Don't listen to them.

These mushrooms were not known to people outside of Mexico/Central America until very recent times. So the Torah says nothing about it. But major gedolim such as R' Moshe Feinstein have said not to use marijuana (which is a mild hallucinogen so it's also a psychedelic). And there is no respected Orthodox rabbi I'm aware of who has approved of any illegal drug use.

Common sense, scientific evidence and common experience also should keep us from using this drug. As with any psychedelic drug, there are grave risks of severe, long-lasting psychological problems, such as permanent perceptual changes ("hallucinogen persisting perception disorder" or HPPD), panic attacks, and anxiety problems. There is also the danger that one will have experiences which one thinks are genuine spiritual experiences but in fact are misleading or dangerous. For this reason, some kabbalists (such as Rabbi Ariel bar Tzadok) do not take anyone as a student who has used psychedelic drugs.

The Torah requires us to guard our health. That includes our mental health, of course. So we should avoid all illegal drugs, and psychedelic drugs in particular, like the plague.

If you want an interesting or transcendental experience, Judaism provides traditional means for doing so: prayer, meditation, fasting, wine, dancing, music, etc. These are safe in moderation. There's no need to experiment with dangerous drugs.

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Aside from the fact that there is no pharmocological evidence to suggest that psilocybin (which are non-toxic) are "dangerous drugs", it's simply untrue to claim that psychotropic plants were never native to the Ancient Near East. We have evidence for a range of different hallucinogenic plants, used in medicine and ritual, from Mespotomia to Egypt - including certain fungi. While they appear to be absent from Tanakh, they may be alluded to in the "apocryphal" literature. Consider 4 Ezra 9:26ff, where Ezra eats flowers and then has a vision of the heavenly Jerusalem. – Shimon bM Feb 22 at 6:09
While it may not be, pharmacologically speaking, a poison, there is plenty of research confirming psilocybin's dangerousness. Numerous studies show serious psychiatric consequences from this substance, ranging from HPPD to full-blown psychosis. A recent British study found that about a quarter of psilocybin users got panic attacks from using it. van Amsterdam J, Opperhuizen A, van den Brink W. (2011). "Harm potential of magic mushroom use: a review". Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 59 (3): 423–9. – Kordovero Feb 22 at 17:23
There may be evidence that various cultures have used hallucinogenic plants, but the evidence for use among Jews is either non-existent or extremely speculative (as with the 4 Ezra reference.) – Kordovero Feb 22 at 17:24
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Benny, that is not correct. Jewish law requires us to follow the law of the land. You are also incorrect about safety. There is no such thing as consuming it correctly. People take "normal" doses under normal conditions all the time (even with the best of idealistic or "spiritual" intentions) and end up with serious negative side effects such as panic attacks or HPPD. This happens with every psychedelic (whether "natural" or synthetic). This is documented by numerous studies, and is common knowledge among sufferers of drug-induced disorders (see their message boards, etc.) – Kordovero Feb 22 at 18:45
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@Benny if you're questioning your faith over being able to do psychedelic drugs, I strongly recommend you take it up with your rabbi. If you prefer not to take it directly to your own rabbi, might I humbly suggest Rabbi Lazer Brody of Ashdod (rabbi_lazer@yahoo.com), who, being very involved in outreach in Israel, is no stranger to the large Israeli psychedelic community and can surely offer you fair and balanced guidance. – yoel Feb 24 at 6:35
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