The case for legal magic mushrooms

Yet another poor argument, in my mind, for the legalization of hallucinogens.

I think the author hits on some of the important points, namely:

1. Hallucinogens are not addictive (for the record, MDMA is not typically classified as a hallucinogen but rather a hybrid amphetamine/hallucinogen) and do not promote compulsive re-dosing.
2. Hallucinogens are unlike other drugs in that taking more of a hallucinogen is not something to be taken lightly. The difference between 2 and 3 doses of LSD can be the difference between a good time and traveling "to the Mountain of Shame and staying for a thousand years".
3. It's not a bad idea to have "retreats" or some sort of environment for people who are inexperienced with the drug (or simply those who want this kind of experience) are able to take it in a safe environment where drugs are available to pull them out of the trip or people are available to offer trip sitting support.
4. The popular narrative around LSD and other hallucinogens (namely being stuck as an orange or a pitcher of orange juice) is absolutely absurd.

However there's a few important things I think the author missed out on:

1. The very criminalization of these drugs has blocked research for decades - there's a reason we're only just now finding out that MDMA or psilocybin combined with therapy does a great job for PTSD victims and that LSD can help recovering alcoholics and ketamine (not a hallucinogen, but also a schedule I drug) does a fantastic job at treating depression.
2. Most hallucinogens are fairly cheap when compared to other drugs and don't change the user's behavior to be more aggressive in the way that meth and crack and other drugs do - this means that people aren't likely to turn to crime such as theft and assault in order to acquire more drugs due to their addiction (once again worth noting that hallucinogens are not addictive).
3. A lot of people argue for these retreats or special areas to do drugs but spin them in a "mandatory" kind of way. While I agree they should be available, people have been taking hallucinogens for thousands of years without this kind of supervision. The more experienced you are the less you may want this kind of environment so it needs to be offered as a suggestion or an option, and not 'the place' where you do hallucinogens.
4. We need to provide better education for hallucinogens and other drugs. As stated in #4 above, the very idea that you could become permanently stuck as an orange or pitcher of orange juice is absurd and for anyone who then does a hallucinogen after hearing this story, they are simply going to dismiss everything they've learned about hallucinogens. This leads to many people thinking they are like other drugs and deciding they want to jump from 1 dose to 5, and this time in a public setting, and then they end up in the ER or having a shitty trip because they don't know how to take hallucinogens in a safe manner.