Researchers and medical experts are starting to think differently about the way conditions like depression and PTSD are treated. And that different treatment is coming in the form of psychedelics — what have typically been thought of as "party drugs."
It turns out that when used in the correct setting, there can be therapeutic benefits. In June, the Food and Drug Administration issued its first-ever guidance on how to conduct clinical trials for psychedelic drugs. The FDA stated psychedelics show “initial promise as potential treatments for mood, anxiety and substance use disorders.”
Some military veterans have been strong supporters of the use of psychedelics, such as psilocybin found in “magic mushrooms” and MDMA, as ways to combat PTSD.
So what’s the science behind all this? And how do these drugs work? How are they used in a therapeutic setting? We look at the research being done, the federal laws at play, and movement on the issue in North Carolina.
GUESTS:
Daniel De La Cruz, clinical social worker and co-founder of Cohoba
Dr. Cynthia Kuhn (PhD), professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the Duke University School of Medicine
Dr. Robert McClure (MD), associate professor and director of the UNC Interventional Psychiatry Service
Juliana Mercer, veteran, U.S. Marine Corps; director of public policy for Healing Breakthrough
