This chapter discusses a cultural criminological framework for understanding unregulated psychedelic drug use outside of clinical and research contexts. It synthesises key theoretical perspectives, beginning with the subcultural theories of Becker and Young to illustrate how drug meanings are socially learned and constructed. It then examines the spiritual supermarket of late modernity, highlighting how psychedelic drug use intersects with New Age spirituality, commodification, and the appropriation of indigenous traditions. A critical perspective is taken on the spiritual materialism underpinning these practices, as well as the consumer-driven logic of contemporary spiritual healing. The chapter also explores the role of narrative in shaping psychedelic experiences and social meanings, drawing from narrative criminology to analyse how stories of drug use operate within subcultural and commodified contexts. These interconnected themes offer a comprehensive lens through which to interpret the social significance and evolving meanings of unregulated psychedelic drug use.

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Theories of Psychedelic Drug Use

  • Richard G. Alexander

摘要

This chapter discusses a cultural criminological framework for understanding unregulated psychedelic drug use outside of clinical and research contexts. It synthesises key theoretical perspectives, beginning with the subcultural theories of Becker and Young to illustrate how drug meanings are socially learned and constructed. It then examines the spiritual supermarket of late modernity, highlighting how psychedelic drug use intersects with New Age spirituality, commodification, and the appropriation of indigenous traditions. A critical perspective is taken on the spiritual materialism underpinning these practices, as well as the consumer-driven logic of contemporary spiritual healing. The chapter also explores the role of narrative in shaping psychedelic experiences and social meanings, drawing from narrative criminology to analyse how stories of drug use operate within subcultural and commodified contexts. These interconnected themes offer a comprehensive lens through which to interpret the social significance and evolving meanings of unregulated psychedelic drug use.