Psilocybin — the ‘magic mushroom’ drug — could see restrictions eased
Psilocybine regulations – “magic” substance in psychedelic fungi – has been a hot button problem for Californians in recent years, but repeated attempts by state legislators allow medical use of the substance have legs.
Now it seems that change can happen at the federal level.
The United States Ministry of Health and Social Services weighs a petition sent earlier this month by the Drug Encompement Administration to examine scientific evidence and consider relaxing the restrictions.
Psilocybin is currently classified as an amazing of Annex I, the most restrictive category under the federal law, reserved for drugs “with high potential for abuse” and “without medical use currently accepted”. The DEA plans to move psilocybin to the less restrictive level II level, which includes drugs considered to be addictive or dangerous – including fentanyl and cocaine – but which also have a medical value.
Previous efforts to allow therapeutic use of psilocybin have largely blocked official intransigence and lack of political will, including in California, where state legislators efforts to decriminalize psilocybin And other psychedelic substances have failed several times.
Despite a strict ban under state and federal law, psilocybin is widely available and is increasingly popular for recreational and therapeutic purposes.
The illegal cannabis dispensaries across southern California openly sell real psilocybin mushrooms, as well as doubtful chocolates and frosty who often claim to contain the substance but only contain synthetic versions. In recent decades, an growing set of research has revealed that psilocybin can be beneficial to treat mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and substance consumption disorder.
The question of psychedelic access concerns the agenda of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the controversial secretary and the spirit of Trump’s conspiracy. Kennedy has reported support in the past to expand access to certain hallucinogens in a medical environment for the treatment of mental health disorders.
The Kennedy agency has directed all requests for information at the DEA, which said in an email that it was “unable to comment or confirm planning actions”.
The DEA sent the psilocybin petition after a printed legal battle led by Dr. Sunil Aggarwal. For about five years, Aggarwal, an integrative Advanced MEDICAL ADVANCEDER MEDICAL INSTITUTE in Seattle, has sought a way to legally obtain and administer psilocybins to patients in difficulty and aging for care during the final stages of their lives.
Kathryn L. Tucker, lawyer for Aggarwal, wrote a letter to the DEA this month which said that it “continues to provide care to advanced and terminal cancer patients which could greatly benefit from assisted therapy assisted by psilocybin, allowing them to undergo a more peaceful mold process.”
“Science supports movement in Annex II; Such an investment will allow access under the right to try the laws, which envisage early access to new promising drugs for those who have deadly conditions, “wrote Tucker.
Aggarwal has filed a legal action after its request in 2020 to reprogram the psilocybin was refused. A federal panel rejected the prosecution, but the development towards reprogramming now continues that the DEA has officially transmitted its petition to the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
But some researchers and other experts warn against the move too quickly to extend access.
Dr. Steven Locke, a former psychiatry professor from the Harvard Medical School, wrote in an email that the question of whether psilocybin has medical demands “remains controversial”. Former president of the American Psychosomatic Society, Locke has studied rare conditions such as hallucinogen persisting in perception disorder, which causes symptoms similar to lasting “bad trips” in a small percentage of people who use psilocybic and other psychedelic mushrooms.
“There is little good quality evidence to support complaints for the effectiveness of using psilocybin for the treatment of any medical disorder,” said Locke. “The reclassification should be subject to a meticulous examination.”
