What do you think? Do you think a person can use hallucinogens to get enlightened? Did humankind use them in the past with good results, for the benefit of their tribe, or community? Did some preform healings under the influence of them, Wasn't this ritualistic use a predate of any organized type of religion.
In fact the way I see it, for government to forbid its use is,, not only a gross infringement of one's civil liberties, but also shows its capitalistic, and feed the factories with productive tax paying workers mentality, which were no doubt the main reason for the government sponsored smear campaign done under the guise of public service announcements for the public's own good along with long prison sentences to reinforce the message. Well take a little peek at what the evidence points towards. Form your own opinion, without fear of some angry Deity reading your thoughts and telling you what to think.
Amanita_muscaria_3_vliegenzwammen_op_rij.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria
Although generally considered poisonous, deaths are extremely rare, and it has been consumed as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling in plentiful water. However, Amanita muscaria is now primarily famed for its hallucinogenic properties with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia and has a religious significance in these cultures. There has been much speculation on traditional use of this mushroom as an intoxicant in places other than Siberia; however, such traditions are far less well-documented. The American banker and amateur ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson proposed the fly agaric was in fact the Soma talked about in the ancient Rig Veda texts of India; although this theory has been refuted by anthropologists, it gained common credence when first published in 1968.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma
The common name in English is thought to have been derived from its European use as an insecticide, when sprinkled in milk. [ 1 ] The fly-killing agent is now known to be ibotenic acid. [ 2 ] An alternative derivation proposes that the term fly- refers not to insects as such but rather the delirium resulting from consumption of the fungus. This is based on the medieval belief that flies could enter a person's head and cause mental illness. [ 3 ]
Candidates that have been suggested include honey [ 9 ] , and fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) which was widely used as a brew of sorts among Siberian shamans for its hallucinogenic and entheogenic properties. Several texts like the Atharvaveda extol the medicinal properties of Soma and he is regarded as the king of medicinal herbs (and also of the Brahmana class).