Politics

Legalization of psychedelic drugs is on the ballot in Massachusetts

[In Massachusetts]… a yes vote would trigger the state’s commission and advisory board to establish a regulatory framework for the psychedelics… residents may also grow psychedelics in a 12-foot-by-12-foot space, as long as it’s secured from anyone under 21… Oregon was the first state to legalize psilocybin for adult use, but with a very tight…

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Science

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health acknowledges psilocybin’s therapeutic potential…

An annual nationally representative survey on drug use and health reported that 9.68 percent of U.S. adults have used psilocybin at least once in their lifetime, based on data gathered between 2015 and 2018. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health… posted page about psilocybin…

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Medicine/Healing

The VA’s high hopes for psychedelics

Why the VA matters: It’s the largest health system in the country and serves a population with disproportionately high rates of PTSD. The VA announced in January [2024 that it would fund research into psychedelics like MDMA, also known as ecstasy, and psilocybin as potential treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. While outside groups have…

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Science

…psilocybin could be powerful… for pain – without opioids’ dwindling effects over time, study says

“Recent neuroimaging studies combined with small sample interventions with classic psychedelic agents,” authors wrote, “may point towards a possible means of improving the treatment of chronic pain on a mechanistic and experiential level.” Numerous small trials of… psilocybin for chronic pain have already shown a good safety profile, with minimal physical dependence, withdrawal syndrome, or…

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Science

Psilocybin’s ‘efficacy and safety’ for bipolar II depression demonstrated by American medical association study

“12 patients met both response and remission criteria” at the end of a 12-week study period, the trial found, meaning that measures of the diagnosis had dropped by more than half and fell below a minimum threshold. Results… published by the American Medical Association “suggest efficacy and safety” of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of bipolar…

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Science

Psychedelic mushroom use linked to lower psychological distress in those with adverse childhood experiences

…researchers have uncovered a potentially promising connection between the use of psychedelic mushrooms and a reduction in psychological distress, particularly among individuals who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. The study was published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. …study aimed to explore the relationship between psilocybin use and psychological distress, with a specific focus on individuals…

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Politics

Ukraine: ecstasy, mushrooms to fight war trauma

…calls to permit their use in psychotherapy have been growing in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion. Experts in Ukraine are appealing to parliament to facilitate the therapeutic use of these substances. Ksenia Voznitsyna, director of the Ukrainian Health Ministry’s Center for Veterans’ Mental Health and Rehabilitation, is a leading voice in the campaign. “We are…

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