The recent increase in clinical research on the potential therapeutic uses of classic psychedelics has prompted the need to revisit the assessment of the abuse potential of these drugs. The term "classic psychedelic" is used in this manuscript to describe serotonergic 5-HT2A agonists that alter perception, cognition, and mood (i.e., psychedelic effects) and ...
Most illicit drug casework samples at the Israel Police National Drug Laboratory are found to be mixtures of substances. Some are a mixture of an illicit drug with fillers, and others may contain more than one illicit drug. This study was triggered by a routine gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of an unusual casework sample. The sample ch...
Mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety are major contributors to the overall global health burden. COVID-19 has further aggravated mental health disorders and also increased substance abuse due to lockdowns1. The Global Burden of Disease reported that the pandemic has led to a 27.6% increase in cases of major depressive disorder (MDD) and a 2...
The beneficial effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy on alcohol use disorder (AUD) are significant, based on a study published in JAMA Psychiatry last month. In general, psychedelic medications have been a focus of research, but less is known about psilocybin, and it has been 40 years since the studies with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) provided do...
The utility of classical drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders (e.g., antidepressants, anxiolytics) is often limited by issues of lack of efficacy, delayed onset of action or side effects. Psychoactive substances have a long history of being used as tools to alter consciousness and as a gateway to approach the unknown and the divinities. These substances...
New medicines containing classic hallucinogenic and entactogenic psychedelic substance are under development for various psychiatric and neurological disorders. Many of these, including psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) are Schedule I controlled substances of the United States Controlled Substances Act...
BackgroundEvidence points to an incongruence between international drug policy and expert opinion about safety, abuse potential, and therapeutic potential of specific drugs. However, no prior studies have directly explored psychiatrists' attitudes about the current drug schedule. Therefore, we examined whether American psychiatrists' perceptions of four psyc...
Driving under the influence of drug (DUID) cases continue to challenge forensic toxicologists as both the volume and complexity of casework increases. Comprehensive DUID testing should also meet the drafted Academy Standards Board (ASB)/ American National Standard Institute (ANSI) standard and the National Safety Council's Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Divis...
International drug policy is rapidly evolving in tandem with promising evidence for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) in treating a range of mental health conditions. Canada is among the countries increasingly expanding access to psychedelic substances for therapeutic purposes. The 8-year ban on medical exemptions through the Canadian Special Access P...
The word "psychedelic" (psyche (i.e., the mind or soul) and delos (i.e., to show)) has Greek origin and was first coined by psychiatrist Humphry Osmond in 1956, who had been conducting research on lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) at the time. Psychedelic drugs such as N,N-DMT/DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine), 5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine), LSD (ly...
Magic mushrooms are naturally occurring fungi that are considered hallucinogenic drugs because they contain psilocybin and psilocin. These substances are controlled in almost every country in the world, so the use, possession, cultivation, and sale of magic mushrooms are prohibited in whole or in part. Despite this, the abuse of magic mushrooms continues and...
Despite an increasing body of research highlighting their efficacy to treat a broad range of medical conditions, psychedelic drugs remain a controversial issue among the public and politicians, tainted by previous stigmatisation and perceptions of risk and danger. This narrative review examines the evidence for potential harms of the classic psychedelics by ...
Hallucinogens, or psychedelics, are substances/drugs that have been used for over a millennium. The most well known are LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and PCP. These substances may induce hallucinations as well as cause somatic and psychological symptoms. Because of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, there has been very little research done to determine the...
Back to table of contents Previous article Next article ProfessionalFull AccessMarijuana, Hallucinogen Use Reach Historic Levels Among Young AdultsLinda M. RichmondLinda M. RichmondSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:30 Nov 2021https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2021.11.29AbstractChanges in the availability and social acceptability of hallucin...
Back to table of contents Previous article Next article ViewpointsFull AccessPsychedelic Drugs for Mental Disorders and Human Potential: Placebo or PanaceaDavid Hellerstein, M.D., Kevin Sabet, Ph.D., Jeffrey A. Lieberman, M.D.David HellersteinSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Kevin SabetSearch for more papers by this author, Ph.D., Jeffrey A. Lieb...
With nicotine being one of the most addictive substances and the available treatments for nicotine addiction leading to no better than a 30% success rate, it's no wonder that a newly announced multisite study of the psychedelic psilocybin for smoking cessation is generating excitement. While taking care not to oversell the potential of this strategy, those i...
It is well established that a wide range of drugs of abuse acutely boost the signaling of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, where norepinephrine and epinephrine are major output molecules. This stimulatory effect is accompanied by such symptoms as elevated heart rate and blood pressure, more rapid breathing, in...
First it was the plant, cannabis. How could this be made into a saleable profit-making commodity when it grows in the ground? Witness the marijuana (a chemical from the plant) industry, which lobbied to make sure laws in states that legalized it banned people from growing more than a few plants.
Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Clinical & ResearchFull AccessPsychedelic Therapy Hits Another Milestone, But Caution UrgedNick ZagorskiNick ZagorskiSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:22 Jul 2021https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2021.7.14AbstractPositive findings from a phase 3 trial may have brought MDMA-assisted the...
Background: Experiences with psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), are sometimes followed by changes in patterns of tobacco, opioid, and alcohol consumption. But, the specific characteristics of psychedelic experiences that lead to changes in drug consumption are unknown.Objective: Determine whether quantitative descripti...
