In America, 33 states have legalized cannabis for medical use, and 10 states have legalized it for recreational use. It's hard to believe this took so long, since alcohol and cigarettes are arguably much more harmful. (According to Politifact, no death from marijuana overdose has ever been recorded.) After years of fear-mongering propaganda, like the ridiculous 1936 film Reefer Madness, Americans shifted their opinion on sticky-icky, realizing it wasn't so dangerous, and actually had medical benefits. (Also, it inspired a lot of great music.)

But forget about weed - Oregon's Secretary of State just approved language for a possible ballot initiative that would legalize psychedelic mushrooms. According to CNN, if organizers can get 117,578 signatures, Oregonians could vote on the initiative in the 2020 general election. It would decriminalize psilocybins - aka magic mushrooms - and allow their licensed manufacturing and administration. Currently, possessing shrooms is considered a felony nationwide.

Psilocybins are a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. Recently scientists discovered that psilocybin may have health benefits, such as treating anxiety in people with cancer and providing a "miracle cure" for depression. In a paper published in the medical journal Scientific Reports, Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris described how shrooms can 'reset' the brain:

"We have shown for the first time clear changes in brain activity in depressed people treated with psilocybin after failing to respond to conventional treatments Several of our patients described feeling ‘reset’ after the treatment and often used computer analogies. For example, one said he felt like his brain had been ‘defragged’ like a computer hard drive, and another said he felt ‘rebooted'. Psilocybin may be giving these individuals the temporary ‘kick start’ they need to break out of their depressive states and these imaging results do tentatively support a ‘reset’ analogy."

Currently psilocybin is classified as a Schedule I drug, a category for substances "with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." More scientific studies may change that classification. Last October, researchers in the medial journal Neuropharmacology argued that the Food and Drug Administration should label psilocybin a Schedule IV drug, a category for substances "with a currently accepted medical use" and "low potential for abuse." (Like Xanax, Darvacet, Valium, etc.)

The writers note that reclassification of psilocybin would take at least five years, because it has to clear extensive tests. Also, they warn that use of magic mushrooms should be strictly controlled, because taking too heavy a dose can be a health risk, especially for those with psychotic disorders.

Well, it'll be interesting to see if legal shrooms become a thing in Oregon. Tom and Sheri Eckert, the leaders of the initiative in Oregon, stress the health benefits of psilocybins on their campaign's website,: "The intent of the 2020 Psilocybin Service Initiative of Oregon is to advance a breakthrough therapeutic model currently being perfected in research settings at top universities around the world... We envision a community-based framework, where licensed providers, along with licensed producers of psilocybin mushrooms, blaze trails in Oregon in accordance with evolving practice standards."

A 37-year-old Austrian man amputated his own penis with an axe after consuming a large dose of psychedelic mushrooms, according to a medical report.

The man, who was at his holiday home, had consumed a large quantity of psilocybin-containing mushrooms before performing the self-amputation with a blunt axe, per the New York Post.

According to reports, the man ingested four to five mushrooms before attempting the drastic procedure.

He used the blunt axe to quarter his penis into four parts, after which he panicked.

He placed the severed parts in a jar filled with soil and snow and tried to stop the bleeding by covering the wound with a cloth.

Bleeding heavily, the man sought help and eventually found a passer-by who guided him to a nearby village.

There, he was met by an ambulance, approximately five hours after the ordeal began.

Fortunately, doctors in Austria were able to successfully reattach the severed organ.

This disturbing incident, now detailed in the Mega Journal of Surgery, marks the first documented case of its kind, according to PsyPost.org.

Psilocybin, the active compound in "magic" mushrooms, is known for its ability to induce hallucinatory states by affecting serotonin receptors in the brain.

While it has been used historically by indigenous cultures in spiritual rituals, recent studies have highlighted its potential for treating psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The incident was also documented in the Open Journal of Urology, which noted that while psilocybin therapy has shown positive results for patients with major depressive disorder, high doses can lead to severe side effects.

The journal study stated: “Psilocybin therapy has been tested successfully in patients with major depressive disorder. However, aside from its therapeutic effects, in patients consuming high doses of psilocybin, experiences of fear and paranoia have been reported in up to 31 percent and 17 percent, respectively.”

However, in this case, the man did not find relief, instead suffering a severe psychotic episode after using the substance without supervision to manage his mental health.

The patient has no memory of the event, according to the medical report. Following the surgery, he was placed under psychiatric care as he continued to experience psychotic episodes for about a week.

Once stabilized, he moved to the hospital's urology department for further recovery.

Complications arose during the man’s recovery, including necrosis (tissue death), but the condition healed over time.

Within a few months of the surgery, he had regained both erectile and urinary functions.

Featured image credit: Dirk Van Geel / 500px/Getty

Ecstasy is still the drug of choice among many clubbers. Yet it's still very much illegal in most parts of the world. Despite this, it doesn't have as bad a reputation as other hard drugs, such as heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine. Maybe that's because MDMA often stimulates feelings of love and blissful contentment among its users, lowering aggression and curbing violent and deviant impulses. Or maybe it's because it's less addictive than these other drugs.

Despite its comparative merits, it's clear that a widespread social acceptance of ecstasy is a long way off, even taking into account the fact that the legalisation of marijuana is a hot-button topic right now.

But is all that about to change? Could MDMA have other, potentially lifesaving applications? Researchers at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies certainly seem to think so. In fact, they reckon that MDMA could be used to cure seriously debilitating mental illnesses, such as depression and PTSD, instead of helping clubbers to stay up grinding their teeth and grinding on the dance floor.

The pilot study involved 22 military veterans, three firefighters and a police officer, all of whom had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. These 26 individuals were each given MDMA in doses of either 30mg, 75mg or 125mg. The dosages were administered to patients during three eight-hour long psychotherapy sessions, in which the patient lay on a futon surrounded by candles and fresh flowers, with soothing music playing. Two therapists would sit at the patient’s side to monitor them, while the patients were encouraged to discuss their traumatic experiences if they felt comfortable enough. Researchers then learned that, on average, those people who had been given a higher dose of the narcotic experienced a greater decrease in PTSD symptom severity than those who had only been given 30mg.

One year after the conclusion of the study, 16 of the 26 participants had been cured of all PTSD symptoms, while two had renewed diagnosis. But there were still some drawbacks to the ecstasy regimen - and these were enough to make the scientists involved hesitate. Side effects of the use of ecstasy in the study included short periods of anxiety, headaches, tiredness, muscle tension and insomnia.

Among some participants, after the initial wave of euphoria, there was also a temporary increase in preoccupations with suicidal thoughts. One unfortunate participant, who had a history of suicide attempts, was admitted to hospital and placed on suicide watch before the study was completed. However, it should be noted that almost all currently available antidepressants (Citalopram, Fluoxetine and Sertraline to name just a handful) include side effects which vary from patient to patient. Often, pharmaceutical antidepressants can end up leading to an increase in suicidal feelings and behaviour.

Furthermore, the doses of MDMA were carefully administered by medical professionals; so someone suffering from mental health issues shouldn't try to self-medicate, not least since the MDMA was taken in conjunction with rigorous therapy sessions - meaning it acts as a catalyst to the benefits of counselling and therapy, rather than a cure in itself.

Commenting on her findings, study leader Dr Allison Feduccia stated: "Our study suggests that MDMA might help augment the psychotherapeutic experiences and may have a role to play in the future treatment of PTSD. However, we would certainly not recommend that individuals try these drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders without the support from trained psychotherapists." Dr Michael Bloomfield, clinical lecturer in general psychiatry at University College London, concurred, stating: "Survivors of trauma who are experiencing PTSD should not try this on themselves because of the risks associated with street ecstasy and the need for good quality psychiatric care including psychotherapy in recovering from PTSD."

But how did the participants feel about the study personally? The reaction from veterans and servicemen alike seems to have been overwhelmingly positive, and many of the participants reported feeling as though they had made a significant recovery. Former marine and Iraq war veteran Nigel McCourry had been haunted by a friendly fire incident which occurred during his deployment and had struggled with alcohol abuse, thoughts of suicide and violent rages afterwards. As a result of the study, McCourry claims "I was actually able to forgive myself."

He added: "When it kicked in, it was like an epiphany. I could see all these things from combat I was afraid to look at before, and I had a totally new perspective. I relived the parts of me I had lost. I realised I had viewed myself as a monster, and I was able to start to have some compassion for myself. It was a turning point, and for the next year I continued to get better ... There are also still some challenges I have to face from time to time related to the PTSD. But now I am able to work through them without getting stuck."

However, this isn't the first time narcotics have been shown to have a mental health benefit. In fact, there's evidence that magic mushrooms could help to treat clinical depression.