SAEDNEWS: Five university students, both male and female, gathered in a house for a night together but fell victim to the hallucinations caused by psychedelic mushrooms.
According to SaedNews, quoting Fars News Agency, "We had big dreams, but in just a few minutes, our entire lives were destroyed!" These are the words of Fahimeh, a 20-year-old woman who witnessed the violent altercation that led to the deaths of her friends. The five young students had been living together for some time, working on the design and development of a computer game. However, after consuming psychedelic mushrooms, they experienced severe hallucinations. What started as a night of fun quickly spiraled into chaos, ending with two of them dead and one injured.
This is just one of several tragic incidents in recent months linked to the use of hallucinogenic drugs. Earlier, in February of this year, a 26-year-old man, after consuming similar substances, attacked his family and fatally stabbed his father.
According to the Deputy Secretary-General of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, drug and hallucinogen use is now a major factor in social issues, contributing to 55% of divorces, 30% of child abuse cases, and 25% of murders.
In recent years, the rise of hedonistic lifestyles and shifting definitions of entertainment have led more young people toward drug use. What was once healthy socializing has turned into a culture of late-night parties, casual sexual encounters, and substance abuse. Many young people, in pursuit of a few nights of pleasure, are willing to risk their futures—and sometimes even their lives.
Psychologist and addiction therapist Homa Hamavandi believes that a lack of healthy recreational opportunities plays a key role in this trend. “We haven’t provided young people with safe alternatives for socializing, like organized night gatherings. If they want to go to an amusement park or swimming pool, it’s expensive. If they spend time in public spaces, they face other challenges. As a result, they are pushed into secluded areas, where illegal activities are more likely to happen.”
Meanwhile, addiction specialist and psychoanalyst Mahmoudreza Hashemvarzi argues that beyond the lack of recreational facilities, the root cause of drug use is society’s increasing demand for instant gratification. "We live in a world where people want quick solutions to their problems and even their entertainment—solutions that require no effort or cost."
Sociologists and social welfare experts emphasize that families should not avoid conversations about drugs and addiction out of fear of making their children curious or normalizing the topic. While many addicts blame their substance use on social and economic pressures, countless others in similar situations choose to stay away from drugs. The key, experts say, is early education, open dialogue, and providing young people with positive alternatives.
