The repurposing of recreational drugs as medical treatments

Drugs that are used for purposes other than medical treatment have been a part of the sociocultural landscape since antiquity and the crossing over of drugs between recreational use, ritual and cultural use, and medical treatment can also be demonstrated with examples throughout history.Many ancient and traditional belief systems perform rituals that include psychoactive drugs as an integral part of treatment.In modern times pharmacotherapy has become increasingly organised and regulated, and recreational drugs criminalised and excluded from the clinical setting.A dichotomy has developed between recreational drugs and medical pharmacotherapies that is challenged by emerging evidence and clinical use.