The Latest Prescription Psychedelics Idea? Treat Addiction With Magic Mushrooms

This article was originally posted on Inverse. By Jacqueline Ronson Psilocybin, the substance that gives magic mushrooms their magic, is a drug with enormous potential. In recent years a new wave of research of therapeutic uses of psychedelics has risen, and early results are nothing short of astonishing. A single dose of psilocybin, administered in a controlled environment with the support of talk therapy beforehand and afterwards, has reduced anxiety and depression in cancer patients, and cured smokers of their addiction. In a recent Johns Hopkins University study, 80 percent of heavy smokers treated with the drug were still cigarette-free six months after treatment. The best nicotine treatments available on the market today, on the other hand, have success rates of just 20 percent. A variety of conditions related to psychological distress -- including addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, and PTSD -- have been alleviated, if not cured, by magic mushrooms. Despite this, psilocybin remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance -- by official definition, it has a high potential for abuse, is not useful as a medical treatment, and is not safe even when administered under doctor supervision. #PsychedelicsBecause from Psymposia on Vimeo. There's a groundswell, though, of doctors, researchers, therapists, enthusiasts, and activists who are pushing for legalization of psychedelics and acknowledgement of their potential for good. The good news is that ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news