A 41-year-old woman in a case study reported remarkable improvements of longhauler’s symptoms after taking psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapy sessions.

A case report, “Long-COVID symptoms improved after MDMA and psilocybin therapy: A case report,” was published May 24 in the journal Clinical Case Reports. The woman in the case study was healthy before contracting COVID-19 in February 2022, and she was vaccinated three times. She reported symptoms of long COVID or longhauler’s: severe anxiety, depression, debilitating headaches, and cognitive difficulties.

The woman tried many methods to get relief from the disease: fasting, massage therapy, acupuncture, and meditation. The woman resorted to psilocybin and bought golden teacher shroom spores online and consumed significant improvement of the symptoms in subsequent tripping sessions.

“The patient’s first dosing session was on May 5, 2022, where she consumed 1 g of dried whole golden teacher psilocybin cubensis mushrooms from an online store,” the report reads. “The patient subjectively reported a 20% improvement in her depression, fatigue, joint pains, and headache for seven days. However, she also reported chills and shivering with a sensation of being cold while ‘coming up.’”

About a month later, she ingested 125 mg of MDMA, followed by two separate doses of psilocybin. After this session, she said her symptoms improved significantly—80% percent overall—and that she was able to resume her PhD studies.

“The patient’s second dosing session was 24 days later on May 29th where she consumed a single dose of MDMA 125 mg, 1 h later 2 g of whole dried golden teacher psilocybin cubensis mushrooms prepared in a tea, and 1 hour later a second dose of 2 grams of whole dried golden teacher psilocybin cubensis mushrooms prepared in a tea.”

Another month later she ate more shrooms and she saw huge improvements again.

“Six weeks later (on July 16th), her head pressure returned at approximately 30% of its previous severity,” the report reads. “After another 2 g dose of psilocybin cubensis mushrooms, her symptoms abated to 90% relief of symptoms. She was able to work part-time thereafter and return full-time in September.”

“After several months of improvement, the patient reported experiencing an early November relapse of her post-COVID-19 symptoms in the setting of a non-COVID-19 flu-like illness. Her headache returned, although it was less severe and not as frequent as before. The patient decided to try another dosing session with psychedelics on November 24th. This time, 2 g of dried golden teacher psilocybin cubensis mushrooms led to a remission of her symptoms. The patient subjectively reported complete resolution of her symptoms. The patient was again able to return to work 3 days later and continue with her PhD studies.”

Research on larger groups of people is needed in order to determine why psychedelics seem to improve long-COVID symptoms.

Science Reports noted that researchers at Columbia University have launched a small pilot trial to explore whether single-dose hallucinogenic treatments can really relieve long COVID symptoms.

Other Studies Show Potential for Cannabis in COVID Treatment

Beyond psychedelics, cannabis—itself a minor psychedelic—has also been linked to COVID improvements. Cannabis consumers with COVID-19 experienced “better outcomes and mortality” compared to similar patients who did not use cannabis, in a recent study.

The study, entitled “Exploring the Relationship Between Marijuana Smoking and Covid-19,” was announced at a meeting for the American College of Chest Physicians, which was held in Honolulu, Hawaii on Oct. 11. It was also published in the October issue of CHEST Journal.

Researchers noted that they analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample, which is the largest publicly available collection of inpatient healthcare data—recording about seven million hospital visits per year. Researchers studied 322,214 patients over 18 years of age, with only 2,603 stating that they were cannabis consumers.

Each cannabis-consuming patient was matched 1:1 with a non-consumer, as well as their “age, race, gender, and 17 other comorbidities including chronic lung disease.” The other comorbidities included obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, which were more commonly found in non-users.

In these comparisons, cannabis users experienced a lowered rate of specific conditions. “On univariate analysis, marijuana users had significantly lower rates of intubation (6.8% vs 12%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (2.1% vs 6%), acute respiratory failure (25% vs 52.9%) and severe sepsis with multiorgan failure (5.8% vs 12%),” researchers explained. “They also had lower in-hospital cardiac arrest (1.2% vs 2.7%) and mortality (2.9% vs 13.5%).”

“Marijuana smokers had better outcomes and mortality compared to non-users,” researchers concluded. “The beneficial effect of marijuana use may be attributed to its potential to inhibit viral entry into cells and prevent the release of proinflammatory cytokines, thus mitigating cytokine release syndrome.”

The growing amount of evidence shows that psychedelics and cannabis may be the key to solving the riddle of COVID and long-COVID symptoms.

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Ladies and gentlemen I’m proud and brutally disgruntled to say that I’m just over six months clean and sober (yes this includes weed) after over 12 years of doing drugs.

Hold your applause, please. I’m happy about it and shit but I didn’t ever want to come to this. I love drugs like a fat kid loves cake. I just personally can’t be trusted with them anymore (if I ever could). I have kids now, I’m getting a little older and it was just time to hang up my drinking and drugging boots for a long and indefinite period of time. 

That said, sobriety is damned difficult. I got high as a kite on all kinds of shit all day every day for over a decade and it’s no easy task to change my ways after such an extended jaunt down the proverbial rabbit hole. The general state of my life is undeniably better since I got sober but as a fellow wagon rider I know likes to say: sobriety is not all rainbows and blowjobs. It sucks dirty dog ass just to get out of bed some days and I’ve had to develop little tricks to keep my head in the game.

I was in the throes of one of those no good dirty awful very bad days when the idea for this article was born. I was in a group chat with some fellow drug reporters and derelicts talking about how Hunter Biden would make a way better president than his geriatric father or that fast talking orange fellow when I lamented that I would almost certainly break sobriety to smoke crack with Hunter Biden. 

I would love to say I was joking but it’s a mortal sin to lie in print. If Hunter Biden invited me to smoke crack, ride water slides and fire off automatic weapons with Ukrainian hookers I would have absolutely no choice but to say yes. I may be trying to live a better life but I’m not fucking daft. That shit would rule.

Thus, I was reminded about the episode of Friends where Ross makes a list of all the celebrity women he’s allowed to sleep with while in a long-term relationship. A hall pass list if you will. As somebody deadlocked in a long term relationship with sobriety, I thought it might be helpful and motivating to have my own hall pass list of people I’m allowed to do drugs with should the opportunity arise. 

Obviously, smoking crack with Hunter Biden is at the top of that list and I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to ask him in writing if he would be down to get high and ride water slides with me and some of my fellow drug journalist friends. So, Hunter, if you happen to be reading this please get ahold of me. Your dad, lawyers, girlfriends and/or ranking members of The Justice Department absolutely do not have to know.

Now it is at this time I feel I should be absolutely clear for my fellow sober people, this is just to have a laugh. I’m fully committed to sobriety and better living and I really don’t want to overdose again. I’m just trying to be funny, mostly. I also don’t think I’ll ever realistically be put into any of the following situations but who knows, life is cool sometimes. The point is this is supposed to be funny and I’m only like 2 maybe 40 percent serious so don’t yell at me and don’t tell my sponsor, wife, parents or kids that I wrote this. 

Now that we got the disclaimer out of the way, here’s my sobriety hall pass list complete with the people I’m allowed to get high with and the substance we’re allowed to do together. 

1. Drinking Lean with Future

This one should be obvious. I have listened to the 56 Nights mixtape well over 10,000 times. When I found out my lady was pregnant with my first son I swear to God I put an earbud in her belly button and played Codeine Crazy at max volume. I never had enough access to lean in the mountains of NorCal to really sip like I wanted to but on the rare occasion it was around I loved me some dirty sprite. If DJ Screw or Pimp C were still alive I’d choose to sip with them instead but I’d still want to do drugs with Future even though I’m pretty sure he’s actually sober in real life. His music was the soundtrack to so many of my degenerate activities it would only be right to sip a double cup or three in the studio with the man himself. 

2. Whiskey with Johnny Depp

Hear me out on this one, I don’t want to drink with Johnny Depp just because I’m secretly a little gay for him. I want to drink with Johnny Depp because he’s one of the few remaining people walking the Earth who knew and loved the late and great Hunter S. Thompson while he was still alive. As a die-hard Thompson fanatic with a Gonzo fist tattooed on my chest, I would love nothing more than to hear some stories about him from one of his closest friends and allies. I also know Johnny appreciates great literature and writing which I can sit and nerd out about with anybody, but to toss a few back with the guy who played Hunter in real life and trade stories from the dark and bloody ground would easily be the coolest moment I’ll ever experience in this lifetime. 

3. Acid with Ralph Steadman

Could it be any more obvious that I’m a Gonzo fanatic? Not only that, Ralph Steadman is one of my favorite artists and a noted lover of psychedelics, though maybe not so much in his old age. Either way, it would be an absolute gaggle of fun to dose with Steadman, watch his process, throw some paint around a studio and hear stories from his life. Art and acid also just go hand in hand for me. I used to dose up and spray paint manic scenes of pigs, butterflies and grim reapers (oh my!) on bedsheets in my old garage, so this would be a much more well-thought out version of that with one of the true godfathers.

4. Cocaine with Grace Slick

The 60’s are, naturally, my favorite bit of American history I wasn’t around for and Jefferson Airplane is one of my all-time favorite bands. As the lead singer and mastermind behind some of my favorite tracks from that era, it would be unbelievably rad to toss back some nose-beers with Grace Slick and fast-track a conversation about the 60’s, the Vietnam War, the Chicago Seven, the original Woodstock and how shitty the weed was back then compared to now. She’s probably a little old to be railing lines now but hey, this list was never supposed to be super realistic. I actually reached out to her for an interview once but never heard back so if anyone knows Grace Slick, tell her to call me so I can pick her brain. Doing drugs together would not be required.

5. Smoking Weed with Barack Obama

I stole this one from Jon Cappetta but it was too good to leave out. I’m not the most political person in the world. Frankly, everyone who gets too into politics seems to be fighting a losing fight against what I can only assume to be a superhuman race of reptilian overlords. That said, Obama was by far the coolest lizard-person ever to grace the White House since I’ve been alive (Although Slick Willy was in office the year I was born I was just too young to remember and too young to know what a blowjob was). The Secret Service would likely have to be there which would be really, really funny to me. They might even have to test the weed first, in a highly classified fashion of course. I also want to ask the former president about the night we killed Bin Laden, what it was like in the Situation Room, etc. That seems like it would make for some fun, light weed conversation.

6. MDMA with Emma Watson

Before anyone accuses me of anything let me be clear: this is not a sexual thing. Emma Watson just seems like she’d be fun to party with and I don’t want to take Molly with dudes. Not to mention I already saw Daniel Radcliffe in person once after doing a bunch of cocaine on a sea cliff (the details of which are here) so as my other favorite character from the Harry Potter series and somebody who generally seems cool as shit, I just have a weird feeling that it would be super fun to take Ecstasy and go to a light show with the brilliant Hermione Granger. Maybe we’d fake magic fight just for fun. Miley Cyrus also seems like she’d be fun to take Molly with, for whatever that information is worth.

During the course of writing this I was surprised to find this was actually a bit of a difficult list for me because all the people that came to mind originally are dead. Mac Miller, Hunter S. Thompson, Kurt Vonnegut, Warren Zevon, Joan Didion, MF Doom, James Gandolfini, Charles Bukowski and plenty more I can’t be bothered to remember at the moment would have all made the list ahead of the rest but they tragically passed before the fateful day I sat down to write this silly little article, many of them far too young. Maybe that says something about who I choose to look up to but I think it says more about the bargain you make between heaven and hell when you decide how you want to be remembered. Greatness takes a heavy toll on the mind, body and soul after all. Live fast, die young and don’t leave enough money behind to pay for the casket.

Anyway, I won’t turn this into a philosophical diatribe. I’d have to be high for that and I am regretfully…not…. I’ll end by saying that getting sober was a smart choice for me at the time I decided to do it but I don’t regret getting after it as hard as I did, not for a second. You gotta get a little weird with it sometimes. You gotta balance out the mundane with some good old fashioned freak power. You gotta have a backup plan to get through the pain of being a well-functioning human. You don’t necessarily need drugs to do that and I would be remiss if I did not take the time to strongly recommend sobriety to anyone struggling with substance abuse. It helps, it really does. Everyone else feel free to party on for the rest of us who can’t anymore.

That said, if anyone listed above wants to get high with me you can find me on AOL Instant Messenger. My screen name is “5ubstanc3Dumpst3r143.” Until then, you can find me hanging out with my kids, fully present, telling better stories than the other parents and casting my vote for Hunter Biden this November. 

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Medical research into using the psychedelic MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder is being called into question following allegations that a clinical trial investigating the treatment was potentially tainted by misconduct. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently conducting a review of the psychedelic commonly called ecstasy for patients with PTSD. The treatment is being developed by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and its public benefit Lykos, which has conducted clinical trials in a bid to have the therapy approved by the FDA. In 2017, the FDA designated the MDMA-assisted treatment for PTSD as a breakthrough therapy, indicating it may be a significant improvement over existing therapies and clearing the way for further research.

The clinical trials tested MDMA in conjunction with intense therapy administered by a pair of therapists to a group of patients with PTSD. In one stage of the trial, 94 patients were given either MDMA or a placebo during three therapy sessions spaced one month apart. Participants also completed integration sessions to help them process their experiences during the drug therapy sessions.

At the end of the trial, 71% of participants in the MDMA group had experienced an improvement in symptoms and no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Among the placebo group, 48% of participants had similar results. Some participants in both groups experienced adverse effects such as anxiety or heart palpitations, although none of the adverse effects were characterized as serious.

“Consistent with PTSD, suicidal ideation was observed in both groups,” the authors reported in the journal Nature Medicine, “MDMA did not appear to increase this risk, and no suicidal behavior was observed.”

Group Reveals Concerns About the Validity of Research Findings

While the research results are promising, an independent investigation of the clinical trial has determined that the findings may not tell the whole story. In a recent draft report, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), a nonprofit that evaluates clinical trials and drug prices, said the investigation found “substantial concerns about the validity of the results” of the MDMA clinical trials. Following the report’s release, a citizen petition filed with the FDA alleged that possible misconduct and ethical violations could mar the credibility of the MDMA research.

The ICER report acknowledges that the research data shows that MDMA may be an “important addition to treatment options for PTSD.” But it also listed several factors that could cloud the results of the study.

The report notes that it is not easy to conduct research into psychedelics because it is difficult to obscure which participants are receiving a placebo and which are receiving the active drug because of the unmistakable effects of psychoactive drugs. As a result, most of the study subjects correctly guessed which group they were in, according to a review of the research released by the FDA on Friday. Without proper blinding, the findings can be skewed by participants or researchers, many of whom see strong promise in the therapeutic potential of the compounds.

“There’s the possibility that the data might not be representative of what’s actually happened in clinical trials,” Neşe Devenot, one of the authors of the citizen petition and a senior lecturer in the writing program at Johns Hopkins University who is involved in psychedelic research, told NPR. “I don’t think this has been publicly reckoned with.”

Additionally, the report notes that “very strong prior beliefs” among therapists, researchers and patients influenced the results of the trial.

“Concerns have been raised by some that therapists encouraged favorable reports by patients and discouraged negative reports by patients including discouraging reports of substantial harms, potentially biasing the recording of benefits and harms,” the report states.

The research was also marred by allegations from a study participant that two therapists– a married couple– engaged in inappropriate physical contact while the subject was under the influence of MDMA during a treatment session in Canada. An investigation by MAPS determined that the couple had “substantially deviated” from the treatment protocol, leading the organization to notify health authorities in Canada and the United States. Additionally, the therapists were barred from administering MDMA-assisted therapy in affiliation with MAPS.

The ICER report has not been finalized, but Dr. David Rind, the chief medical officer for the group says its investigation showed that “there’s still a lot of uncertainty” about using MDMA to treat PTSD.

“You have a group of people who are very upset about how these trials went,” he said. “We couldn’t tell, even though we talked with people where this happened, whether that represents a tiny fraction of bad events or a number of bad events large enough to have rendered the trial just not believable.”

Investigators involved in the research, however, have rejected claims that the study is flawed. Jennifer Mitchell, lead author of the published papers from the Phase 3 trials, says she stands behind the study’s findings.

“I didn’t feel any pressure from the sponsor to come up with anything different than what the data was providing,” said Mitchell, a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco and associate chief of staff for research at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. “I wouldn’t have continued to work with them if I had felt that.”

The FDA review also expressed concerns about the safety of MDMA, including the risk of abuse and possible side effects that could harm the cardiovascular system and the liver. Lykos CEO Amy Emerson said the company stands by the quality and integrity of its research and development process. 

“Given there has not been a new PTSD medication approved in the United States in over two decades for the 13 million people living with PTSD, we are deeply committed to making a difference by bringing a potential new treatment to patients,” she said in a statement cited by the Washington Post.

Shawn Hauser, a partner at the cannabis and psychedelics law firm Vicente LLP, said it is not surprising that the FDA’s consideration of new MDMA-assisted therapies is raising questions, noting that the use of a psychedelic drug in conjunction with therapy is uncharted territory for the agency. The FDA drug evaluation process is difficult to apply to certain substances and treatments including psychedelics and other compounds including botanical cannabis, although for different reasons.

“The promising research makes clear the potential of this therapy for treating PTSD, and while there are certainly challenges in these studies (as with any study) and legitimate concerns that must be addressed, these must be considered in the broader context of the severe unmet treatment needs by patients with PTSD and the strong data on safety and efficacy,” Hauser wrote in an email to High Times. “The questions around this process clearly underscore that the FDA evaluation process requires modernization to appropriately evaluate treatments like MDMA-assisted therapy and substances like botanical and natural medicines.”

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As it turns out, your marital status could affect the extent to which psychedelics can lower your stress levels. And it appears that single folk may experience the greatest benefit of psychedelics. 

An analysis of data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health revealed that individuals who had used psychedelics at least once in their lives, in general, had lower levels of psychological distress, according to research PLOS ONE. This association was most pronounced among people who were single and significantly weaker among those who were married, widowed, or divorced, PsyPost reports. 

There’s already loads of research that clearly establishes a positive correlation between psychedelics and mental health. The Department of Veteran Affairs is funding research into psilocybin and MDMA to treat PTSD and depression. The FDA recently recognized LSD’s potential to treat anxiety. And there’s a study suggesting that DMT may be an effective treatment for depression.

The research into the martial status and tripping looked at classical psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT, in addition to MDMA. 

The study’s author, Sean M. Viña, sought to explore the relationship between psychedelic use, marital status, household size, and psychological distress. He hypothesized that married individuals who have used psychedelics might experience reduced distress and that those in larger households would face increased distress. He also suspected that the beneficial effects of psychedelics on distress would be least pronounced among people with large households.  

Viña analyzed data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, which is an annual survey conducted across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. This survey seeks to measure the pervasiveness of substance use and mental health issues in the United States. 

This analysis looked at data on people’s distress levels over the past month using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a straightforward tool for measuring psychological distress. It consists of 10 questions about emotional states, each with five possible responses. The K10 can be used as an easy screening method to figure out one’s levels of distress (you can try it here). 

It also considered whether participants had ever used classic psychedelics like DMT, ayahuasca, psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, peyote, or MDMA. It also included information regarding participants’ marital status, household size, and other demographic details.

While single people won in some ways, and we’ll get to that, the results indicated that married individuals experienced lower levels of distress compared to single and divorced people. Married folks’ distress levels were actually comparable to widowed individuals. 

Interestingly, the divorced individuals had the highest levels of drug use, unrelated to the psychedelics, which included cannabis but also tobacco, cocaine, tranquilizers, inhalants, pain relievers, and heroin. They also were more likely to have started drinking at an earlier age. While some of that substance use could be in reaction to divorce, it also may indicate that, unsurprisingly, an unhealthy relationship with drugs could lead to relationship problems. 

Those who reported using classic psychedelics, in general, had generally less psychological distress. This was held true even after considering marital status and household size. But the connection between psychedelic use and reduced distress was strongest in single individuals. It was also significantly weaker in those who were married, widowed, or divorced. So, while being partnered or mourning a partner could lead to less stress in general, such folks may have a reduced benefit from taking psychedelics. 

Notably, and giving child-free people a reason to celebrate, those with the most stress had larger households. If a person using classic psychedelics was married, the connection between living in a large household and experiencing psychological distress was even stronger. 

“The results confirm the predictions that LCPU [lifetime classic psychedelic use] exacerbates the negative consequences of household size for the heads of households who are married, widowed, and divorced. The results also suggest that larger households are associated with harm regardless of marital status, but the negative consequences decrease for single psychedelic users as the household size increases,” Viña explained. 

Viña went on to conclude that: “Widowed psychedelic users may experience some benefits from living with more people, but these benefits decrease as the household size becomes too large. In contrast, among married or divorced psychedelic users, the distress caused by household size worsens as the family sizes increase. Finally, for widowed psychedelic users, there is a negative association between household size and distress, but this association decreases at a decreasing rate.”

So, while, if you’re windowed, it might not be a bad idea to move in with a friend, don’t move in with an entire family. 

“These results can be explained by the increasing responsibilities that heads of households face as their families grow, which are then exacerbated by psychedelic use. On the other hand, single individuals may experience a diffusion of responsibility as their family sizes increase,” Viña said. 

It’s important to remember that while studies like this are fascinating, we don’t always know if they’re demonstrating correlation or causation. In other words, while psychedelics could lead to less stress for single people, compared to overworked and exhausted moms and dads, on the other hand, it could just be that single people are more likely to have less stress and have a free weekend to spend tripping. 

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As cannabis and psychedelics continue to experience a modern-day renaissance, with increased education and access to information surrounding their use and benefits, we’re collectively crafting new narratives after decades of inflammatory propaganda surrounding these substances.

Tired messaging of the past has suggested that cannabis and psychedelic use were one-way tickets to unpleasant and traumatic experiences, though we’re gradually moving away from these assertions, as research is finding these drugs can work to ease physical and mental trauma and stress, alongside many other potential benefits.

A new YouGov poll sheds even more light on the experiences of individuals with cannabis, psilocybin and other psychedelics like LSD and MDMA, finding that the majority of those who have tried the substances described their experiences as positive. 

As the government works to reschedule cannabis to the less restrictive Schedule III category and psychedelic research and reform continues to escalate across the country, the results offer further insight on today’s shifting attitudes surrounding plant medicine and psychedelic drugs.

U.S. Adults Report Positive Cannabis, Psychedelic Experiences Most

YouGov conducted the online poll April 25-28, 2024, comprised of 1,134 U.S. adult citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status.

Most participants had used cannabis (57%, including 42% who used it more than once). Psilocybin was the next most popular substance, with 20% reporting previous use, while 16% had tried LSD and 11% had tried MDMA. About half of people who had used each of those drugs said they had tried it more than once.

For each of the drugs, the majority of users said their experiences were “mostly positive” — specifically 57% of cannabis users, 65% of psilocybin users, 55% of LSD users and 56% of MDMA users. 

The next most popular response for all drugs was “equally positive and negative,” while those reporting “mostly negative” experiences for all drugs was lowest (20% for cannabis, LSD and MDMA and 8% for psilocybin).

Support for Cannabis, Psychedelic Legalization

The survey also asked respondents about their attitudes surrounding the legislative reform measures surrounding the drugs and whether they believed that they should be legalized.

The majority of respondents showed their support for cannabis legalization, with 60% in favor and 30% opposed, though far fewer said the same for the other drugs in the survey. Just 27% said they support legalizing psilocybin, 16% MDMA and 15% LSD.

Still, those who had tried each drug were more likely to support legalization than those who had not. 

Specifically, 78% of cannabis users support its legalization, 63% of psilocybin users support legal psilocybin and 55% of MDMA users support legal MDMA. LSD stood out in this respect, as 38% of LSD users said they supported legalization while 43% would oppose it.

The survey echoes the sentiments of other recent polls investigating the shifting modern-day attitudes surrounding cannabis and psychedelic drugs.

Monitoring Evolving Perceptions on Cannabis and Psychedelics

A number of recent polls reveal the progression surrounding consumer attitudes around cannabis and harm perception, with many revealing that Americans view cannabis as safer than using alcohol or tobacco.

Myriad polls have also shown strong support for cannabis legalization among American adults, with one recent Pew survey finding that 88% believe cannabis should be legal for medical or recreational use — 57% said it should be legal for both medical and recreational use. Most respondents also said that recreational cannabis reform was positive for the economy and makes criminal justice more fair.

Similarly, another recent poll found that 28% of Americans have used at least one of seven psychedelic drugs included in the questionnaire, with LSD, psilocybin and MDMA as the most popular (at 14%, 13% and 9% reporting use, respectively). The poll, also conducted by YouGov, nods to the changing trends surrounding psychedelic acceptance, saying that “recent shifts, both in policy and public opinion, suggest the tide in the United States may be turning toward increasingly favoring psychedelic drugs.”

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The Vermont House of Representatives voted in favor of S.114 on May 8, which would create a working group to study the pros and cons of allowing psychedelic-assisted therapy, as well as determine what regulations would entail.

S.114 was first read in the Senate on March 1, and passed on March 27. It was read in the House two days later, but a majority of action in the House has taken place over the past week in May. Due to a variety of changes made between Senate and House versions of the bill, another vote is necessary in order to pass the bill on to Gov. Phil Scott. If passed, the first meeting by the working group would take effect starting on July 1, 2024, with the first meeting to be held before July 15, with a report to be presented by Nov. 15. After that, the working group will conclude its role and cease to exist by Jan. 1, 2025.

The working group’s role would be to “review the latest research and evidence of the public health benefits and risks of clinical psychedelic assisted treatments” and “examine the laws and programs of other states that have authorized the use of psychedelics by health care providers in a therapeutic setting,” while also seeking testimony from Johns Hopkins’ Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

One of the more recent hearings included a change that tasks the Vermont Psychological Association to work with the Vermont Department of Health “for purposes of scheduling and staffing meetings and developing and submitting the report.”

When Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick first introduced the bill, it included language to legalize possession and consumption of psilocybin. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee removed that portion to primarily target the working group.

At the floor hearing on May 8, Rep. Tristan Roberts shared his personal experiences with psychedelic-assisted therapy. “I now recognize that my night terrors were my body’s way of asking me to face my fears,” said Roberts. “Psychedelic-assisted therapy gave me the tools to do that that I hadn’t found in 40 years of looking.”

He also spoke of the positive results of therapy and its benefits. “I sleep much better now. Depression and anxiety are more often symptoms that move through me; they are not me,” Roberts said. “I felt for the first time in memory that I could appreciate and add to the beauty in life. Psychedelic medicine helped me uncover again my true nature.”

In a hearing at the beginning of May, Rep. Anne Donahue voiced concerns about the safety of psychedelics as medicine. “I have lived the life of somebody who has been told, ‘Oh, this is safe, this is safe, this is safe.’ You know, ‘We in psychiatry and mental health know what we’re doing is safe. This is safe, this is safe, this is safe,’ and having my life practically destroyed,” Donahue said. “I see the new ads on TV about, ‘Oh, your distracted mother, calm her down with this drug!’ That’s a drug that’s prohibited in nursing homes, because it’s used to keep their behaviors in line. And it causes early, premature death. But, you know, give it to mom because she needs to be calmed down!”

Donahue did admit that if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is actively investigating psychedelic-assisted therapy, then Vermont should be “following [the FDA’s] lead” rather than acting too quickly. The FDA also recently recommended that cannabis be rescheduled from a Schedule I substance to Schedule III earlier this year in January.

Evidence is building in high-profile research in favor of psychedelic-assisted therapies. In September 2023, MAPS published its research on its Phase 3 Trial on MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). “It’s the first innovation in PTSD treatment in more than two decades. And it’s significant because I think it will also open up other innovation,” said MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) CEO Amy Emerson.

Last December, MAPS PBC submitted an application for approval to study MDMA-assisted therapy for those who suffer from PTSD. “The filing of our NDA is the culmination of more than 30 years of clinical research, advocacy, collaboration and dedication to bring a potential new option to adults living with PTSD, a patient group that has experienced little innovation in decades,” Emerson said. “If approved, MDMA-assisted therapy would be the first psychedelic-assisted therapy, which we hope will drive additional investment into new research in mental health.”

Recently in Vermont, concerns are mounting against a cannabis company that has had its products recalled by the Vermont Cannabis Control Board for having used myclobutanil. Board Chair James Pepper spoke to local news outlet Seven Days about the harm in using such as fungicide. “Some pesticides are OK for human consumption,” said Pepper. “This one is a very known toxic one. So there’s no excuse here. And the fact that they’ve been through this once before leaves very little room for any sort of leniency.”

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On May 2, the Alaska House of Representatives recently approved House Bill 228 in a 36-4 vote, which would establish a task force to regulate various psychedelic-assisted therapies. The official name of the group will be Alaska Task Force for the Regulation of Psychedelic Medicines Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Passing HB-228, according to Rep. Jenny Armstrong who sponsored the bill, is an attempt to get ahead of possible future substance rescheduling and/or federal approval. “This August, it is widely anticipated that FDA will approve the most significant medicine for the treatment of mental health in decades,” Armstrong said prior to the House floor vote. She added that FDA approval of psilocybin as a medical treatment could be coming in the next one to two years. “House Bill 228 before us today would create a task force that would put forth recommendations for the next legislature to consider as it relates to this treatment. Whether you are excited about the idea of psychedelics getting approved, you’re neutral or you’re flat-out against it, I think we can all agree that if it is coming, we should be prepared and be thoughtful in how we approach it.”

Armstrong also noted that Alaska not only has the most veterans per capita, but is also ranked among the highest in violence rates throughout the U.S. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation data spanning 2012-2022, murder and aggravated assault were among the top crimes reported in Alaska. While the total crime rate in 2021 and 2022 was reduced compared to numbers from 2018, murder incidents increased in 2019 and 2022.

If passed, HB-228 would require that a task force be established, and for the group to spend one year reviewing the pros and cons of psychedelic-assisted therapies such as psilocybin and MDMA.

Most House representatives were receptive to moving the bill forward to assist those who have mental health conditions. Rep. Laddie Shaw spoke up and explained that she was formerly the director of Alaskan Veteran Affairs, and veterans are asking for some kind of positive move forward. “This task force gives us an opportunity to move forward with some productivity on behalf of our veterans,” Shaw explained. “We haven’t done anything for the last 50 years. Let’s move forward with something.”

Rep. Sarah Vance also supported the bill, stating that even though she’s uncomfortable with the topic, she still sees the value in exploring psychedelic-assisted therapies as an option.

Other representatives, such as Rep. Dan Saddler, opposed the idea that there is any benefit to psychedelic drugs. “I rise against this bill because I don’t believe we should be going off in a direction in what I believe to be a premature fashion,” Saddler said. He added that a task force would encroach “on the purview of the legislature.”

Rep. Jamie Allard claimed that military veterans were being harmed by those attempting to promote psychedelic therapy agendas. “Using our military veterans as experiments? We aren’t experiments,” said Allard. “We are human beings who deserve to have things done in the proper manner, and slowly and concisely.”

Rep. David Eastman compared the approval of psychedelic medicine to the once normal acceptance of lobotomies. “I look at the history of medicine in this country, and it was not that long ago that we were told—and our entire government, you know, echoed—that lobotomies were a good thing, and they were carried out in our country,” said Eastman. “I hope that we will not look back some number of years now and see that hallucinogens were also a mistake.”

HB-228 received amendments one day before the House floor vote. On May 1, one of these changes included adding a board of directors member from the Alaska Pharmacy Association to the task force. Other changes include extending the due date of the task force report from December 31, 2024 to January 31, 2025. The task force was originally set to end at the beginning of the legislative session, but changes altered this timeline so that it would conclude at the end of the session instead. Another amendment required that any task force members from the Alaska State Medical Association must be physicians. “These are all items that we were looking to clean up with the other body if they weren’t tackled today and so I fully support them.” commented Armstrong.

The next move is for HB-228 to be presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 6.

Senate Bill 166 is a companion bill to HB-228, introduced in January by sponsor Sen. Forrest Dunbar. At a Senate Labor & Commerce committee hearing in February, Dunbar explained the purposes of the bill: “…the overriding purpose of the task force is still the same: We are preparing Alaska—hopefully preparing—for what we see as the very likely legalization, in the medical context, of certain of these substances,” Dunbar said. 

Alaska legalized medical cannabis through a voter initiative in 1998, and adult-use cannabis was later passed through a voter initiative in February 2015.

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A recent report shows a steady growth in the psychedelic drug market, however the report represents a much more conservative projection compared to past reports, which have blown that projection by almost three times as much by the same year.

The Guardian and peer-reviewed journals call it the “Psychedelic Rennaisance.” The psychedelic drug market is projected to rise from $3.6 billion USD in 2022 to reach $4.6 billion USD by 2030, according to a new report released by Virginia-based MarketDigits. This projected growth represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5%.

The report was announced April 26 in a press release and found a similar trajectory as similar reports, but with a more conservative number for its total projection. 

“In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in psychedelic drugs as potential treatments for various mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use disorders,” the report reads. “Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin (found in certain mushrooms), MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) have shown promising results in clinical trials, demonstrating their potential to alleviate symptoms, promote emotional healing, and induce transformative experiences.”

The reasons for the market’s growth are complex but represent a steady rise in popularity.

“As the field of psychedelic medicine continues to evolve, driven by factors such as shifting societal attitudes, advances in neuroscience, and growing demand for alternative mental health treatments, the psychedelic drugs market is experiencing renewed interest and investment, reshaping the landscape of mental healthcare and therapeutic innovation.

The “major players” the report lists are: Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Inc., Verrian, Avadel, Celon Pharma S.A., COMPASS, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC, NeuroRx, Inc., PharmaTher Inc., Mind Medicine, Inc., Cybin Corp., GABA Therapeutics, Inc., EmpathBio, DemeRx and Others.

MarketDigits’ report broke down psychedelic drugs into natural and synthetic, and divided up drug types as the following:

• Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB)
• Ketamine
• Psilocybin
• Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
• 3,4-MethylEnedioxyMethamphetamine
• Others

The report also breaks down drugs by indication, or the conditions drugs are used for; form or in capsule, liquid, or table; and also by route of administration, end-user, distribution channel, and region.

“In conclusion, the psychedelic drugs market represents a paradigm shift in mental healthcare, offering novel approaches to treating mental health disorders, promoting emotional healing, and fostering personal growth and transformation,” the report reads. “By harnessing the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances and psychedelic-assisted therapy approaches, the psychedelic drugs market has the potential to revolutionize how mental illness is understood, treated, and experienced by individuals and communities. As the field of psychedelic medicine continues to evolve, driven by advances in neuroscience, clinical research, and regulatory frameworks, the psychedelic drugs market is poised for significant growth and innovation, reshaping the landscape of mental healthcare and therapeutic innovation. By embracing collaboration, innovation, and advocacy, stakeholders in the psychedelic drugs market can unlock new opportunities and drive meaningful advancements in mental health treatment, patient care, and societal well-being.”

What Other Reports Project for the Psychedelic Drug Market

In a separate report, Brandessence Market Research found that the same market could reach nearly $12 billion USD by the same year, however that report is based on a slightly larger current market under their definition of psychedelic drugs. Aligning with MarketDigits’ report, Brandessence Market Research arrived at a nearly identical CAGR rate based on their research, however.

The global market for psychedelic drugs including psilocybin, ketamine, and LSD is expected to grow to nearly $12 billion per year before 2030, according to data from a recent market analysis. In a report released last Thursday, Brandessence Market Research revealed that the psychedelic drug market is anticipated to reach a valuation of $11.82 billion by 2029, growing from an estimated $4.87 billion in 2022.

The report shows the global market for psychedelic drugs expanding at a CAGR of 13.49% over the next six years. The market includes several psychedelic drugs being used or researched as treatments for a wide range of mental health disorders, including psilocybin, LSD, ketamine, MDMA, GHB, and others.

“Additionally, the rising prevalence of depression and other mental disorders worldwide and increasing demand for treatment, are the key factors supplementing the growth of the psychedelic drugs market,” Brandessence Market Research wrote in the report published in November. “Furthermore, changes in lifestyle and the desire for a higher and better quality of life [are] expected to contribute toward the market growth. And also increase in R&D initiatives in the sector of psychedelic medicine is projected to drive market expansion during the forecast period.”

Both reports show no signs of the psychedelic drug market slowing down, bolstered by a constant flow of research showing the potential for treatment in numerous areas.

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As it turns out, researching the efficacy of MDMA to treat PTSD may be pretty complicated. The initial efforts to secure governmental sanction for a psychedelic substance for mental health care, in this case, MDMA, are facing some serious scrutiny over the clinical trial process, the Washington Post reports. 

MDMA has long been lauded as a treatment for PTSD, which affects 6% of the U.S. population. Per a Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Substances (MAPS) 2023 study on how the drug can treat PTSD, the researchers found that, as High Times reported, in the MDMA group, 86% showed improvement in their standard PTSD assessment. 69% of those in the placebo group also improved. A standard PTSD assessment evaluates the intensity of PTSD symptoms, which can include anxiety, phobias, insomnia, and emotional numbness, among others. When the study wrapped, 72% of people within the MDMA treatment group no longer matched the criteria for PTSD, compared to 48% of the placebo participants.

Given how awful PTSD can be and, to be honest, how fun (and effective) MDMA can be compared to other treatment methods, this research was generally met with enthusiasm. While SSRI antidepressants like Zoloft are FDA-approved to treat PTSD, research shows it’s not always effective. The study in question shows that it had a response rate of 60%, which is obviously lower than the 86% improvement rate that came with MDMA.

However, per an independent analysis into the reliability of patient studies that are backing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) application for MDMA, apparently, it’s pretty tricky to discern how effective these results are. Compared to other treatments, there are some serious hurdles associated with studying and then implementing psychoactive substances such as MDMA. 

While the bliss that MDMA can bring is generally considered a plus, it may make it trickier to study. One of the biggest challenges that arose when looking at the MDMA trial is that participants in the placebo group, who received a fake version of MDMA, could tell they hadn’t received the real thing because they experienced no changes in perception or euphoria, so it was rather obvious that they were in the placebo group, as noted in a draft report by the nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER). This lack of “blinding” in the trial, crucial for assessing the drug’s impact, potentially compromises the validity of the results.

The second hiccup when studying MDMA for PTSD came from the possibility that therapists were skewing the results. They basically thought that the therapists who were a part of the trial, there for mental health support, were biased in favor of MDMA, perhaps along with the participants, many of whom had previous positive experiences with the drug and, as a result, couldn’t provide the neutral ground required for a reliable study. 

The report also highlighted worries that participants who received MDMA felt “pressured to report good outcomes and suppress bad outcomes,” per the Washington Post. It also pointed to a documented instance of therapist misconduct that heightened safety concerns. While MDMA can be used to treat PTSD for sexual assault survivors, the psychedelic community may have some damage control of their own that needs a reckoning. Apparently, the ICER staff talked to folks who were part of a New York Magazine podcast investigating the MAPS’s clinical trial, in particular, patients who said they were victimized by therapists or coerced into reporting beneficial outcomes. According to one account, a woman in a MAPS trial states she was abused by her assigned therapists. 

ICER staffers, after speaking with several former patients and individuals associated with MAPS trials, observed that some adverse effects mentioned in the trial were not captured in the data they reviewed. While MDMA could help relieve horrid symptoms of PTSD, which include self-harm and thoughts of suicide, both of those were also included in the side effects (for both the MDMA group and those who got a placebo). People who have taken MDMA recreationally sometimes speak of “suicide Tuesday,” aka the crash after enjoying the spike of the drug on the weekend, and not only does this appear to roar its head within the trials, but those who spoke on the subject voiced concerns that there may be underreporting of such negative side effects. 

While some of this seems shocking when laid out in print, remember that none of the adverse claims or concerns are news to those in the psychedelic community. There is no medicine that exists without side effects; the silver bullet is a myth. If one finds healing through psychedelics, enjoy it while understanding the well-established risks (and benefits) that come with such a medicine. 

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A new article published in the Federal Register in February, which prefaced a digital Drug Testing Advisory Board (DTAB) meeting that was held on March 5. The topic of the article and the meeting covered the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) drug testing panels and considered adding fentanyl, while also removing MDMA.

Section 8105 from the Fighting Opioid Abuse in Transportation Act (which is included in the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act) requires the Secretary to justify whether or not to include fentanyl or other Schedule I or II substances in the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs.

The focus on fentanyl is driven by the high number of overdose deaths in the U.S., as well as the fact that fentanyl can be used on its own and not paired with heroin or other substances. “According to the National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) 2022 report, fentanyl was the third most frequently identified drug and accounted for 13.81% of all drugs reported by forensic laboratories,” the article stated.

According to the proposal, both fentanyl and norfentanyl (a metabolite of fentanyl) would be tested at 1 nanogram per milliliter of blood.

The article also mentioned removing MDA and MDMA from the list of drugs tested in the panel “because the number of positive specimens reported by HHS-certified laboratories does not support testing all specimens for MDA and MDMA in Federal workplace drug testing programs.”

The National Laboratory Certification Program (NLCP) shows that in 2021-2022, the positive rates of MDMA sat between 0.001%-0.003%, with less than 25% of “positive specimens are likely agency blind samples.”

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA), which manages the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s (CSAP) DTAB, also considered removing PCP from the drug testing panel. However, decided not to pursue that change. “While PCP has an overall positivity rate nearly as low as MDMA, there are regional differences in positivity, with some areas of the country having much higher rates, so PCP remains a regulated test analyte,” the article stated.

During the March 5 digital meeting, SAMHSA led a public presentation covering “Regulatory Program Updates and Mandatory Guidelines.” The goal of the meeting was to discuss a review of the current Federal Drug Testing Program, as well as the state of the Drug-Free Workplace Program.

The National Laboratory Certification Program (NLCP) also presented an analysis of the cost and benefits of testing for fentanyl and MDMA. The most prevalent substances tested by the NFLIS in 2022 according to most frequently identified drugs in seized drug exhibits, meth was ranked at number one, followed by cocaine at number two, fentanyl at three, cannabis/THC at four, heroin at five. The ranking substance skip slightly to oxycodone at seven, followed by amphetamine at 13, hydrocodone at 15, and finally MDMA at rank 19.

The NLCP also explained that fentanyl testing in urine samples costs $0.23 to $5.00 per specimen for initial testing and $8.00 to $25.00 per specimen for confirmation testing, while oral samples costs $0.80 to $1.00 per specimen for initial testing and $22.00 to $25.00 per specimen for confirmation testing. The total cost estimate to add fentanyl to the drug testing panel could cost anywhere between $ $9,139 to $192,850 per year.

However, removing MDMA from the panel would save an estimated $3,800 and $38,000 per year (based on initial testing between $0.10 to $1.00 per specimen, and confirmation testing between $8.00 to $25.00 per specimen). MDMA is ranked as the 19th most frequently identified drug, the NLCP said the cost was negligible.

The meeting also invited the public to submit comments regarding the proposed changes, with 115 commenters agreeing with the adding fentanyl to the drug panel and 20 agreed with the addition of norfentanyl. Only 3 disagreed with the addition of fentanyl, citing the expense, the fact that it’s a time consuming process, and also the ongoing truck driver shortages.

Many commenters supported removing MDMA and MDA because of the low positivity rate, and how the removal wouldn’t “affect workplace and public safety.” However, many commenters also disagreed with MDMA/MDA removal proposal, claiming that even with a low positivity rate “not testing for it could lead to higher abuse.”

SAMHSA provided a graph that showed the drug specimens reported between January 2013-December 2023. During the 10-year period, confirmed tests for 6-acetylmorphine (referred to as 6-am), PCP, and MDMA, all remained low.

These potential changes are not yet official, as the DTAB is set to review and publish responses to the public comments. After that, a federal review process will proceed, possibly with revisions, and eventually a formal federal register article will announce the finalization of the changes.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released a report that show year-end data from 2023 regarding the annual decrease of truck drivers. Overall, the number of truck drivers has decreased significantly every year since 2020, with the 2023 number sitting at 858,000. More truck drivers tested positive in drug tests in 2023 than ever before, and a high number of drivers refused to be screened in 2023 as well.

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