Psilocybin: a revolution in psychedelic medicines in the US?

Six decades ago, hallucinogenic drugs such as psilocybin and LSD were having a heyday in the US. Medical researchers were testing their value for psychotherapy, Western anthropologists were studying their use in indigenous communities around the world, and casual users were being excitedly implored by a high profile Harvard researcher to “turn on, tune in, and drop out.”Then things changed. The Harvard researcher and a colleague were fired for zealous promotion of untested drugs. The US Army and Central Intelligence Agency were caught testing psychedelics as interrogation agents on civilians who didn’t know or consent. In both research trials and casual use, little if any consideration was being given to users’ baseline mental health, and the media were full of stories of trips gone bad.Decades later, psychedelics—with psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, in the lead—are making a medical comeback in the US. Careful, methodical experiments have established a…
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