I agree. Ha, you explain it much better than I could. As you said "strip away the filters," thus what I was hinting at was that for those who are well trained in going to those "soul planes" and know how to handle said drugs. Then the drug is an aide in going to those planes as it helps induce an altered state. Of course, one can only access such as state if they are already focusing on the spiritual. Such as the examples we have in our said human history as it always seems that mystics, sages, and the wise would use 'herbs' and such in their spiritual endeavors.
My thoughts are that those drugs should be respected as they have a purpose, such as how ayahuasca is used in Peru and elsewhere. It is only through our own efforts that we move along our spiritual path. Thus, the dedication that is expressed through meditation (and the such) to reach that level is the way rather than thinking that we must be dependent on an outside stimulant to gain access to those higher realms.