AUDIO – TRIPPING OUT –
Oct. 4, 2023 – Many young people followed. They rode the wave of psychedelic journeys, until they didn’t. The federal government classified hallucinogens as Schedule 1 controlled substances, concluding that they had no medical benefit, and prohibited their possession, sale or use.
Fifty years later, researchers at UC San Francisco began studying these substances again in carefully controlled clinical trials. They discovered, as their scientific predecessors had before, that taken in a therapeutic setting, these drugs were potentially beneficial for some confounding mental health conditions. MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) is now on the precipice of FDA approval for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. Unlike what occurred before, however, these drugs have been glorified in the press. Some people have begun experimenting with them – for the sheer hallucinogenic experience, spiritual enlightenment or help with mental health struggles. Yet their risks have not been as widely publicized, and as a result, have been largely ignored.
