The International journal on drug policy
January 1, 2022
Brian S Barnett, Sloane E Parker, Jeremy Weleff
57 citations
Despite a global resurgence in clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health and addiction—mostly funded privately—the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world's largest public biomedical funder, has not directly supported any such trial. A search of NIH grants from 2006 to 2020 for trials involving MDMA, 5-MeO-DMT, ayahuasca, DMT, ibogaine, LSD, mescaline, peyote, or psilocybin found zero grants directly funding psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials. Possible reasons include concerns about risks, a federal law barring promotion of Schedule 1 drug legalization, and prioritization of other psychedelic research.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
March 1, 2024
Brian S Barnett, Miranda Arakelian, David Beebe et al.
28 citations
A repeat survey of American psychiatrists in 2022-23 found a striking increase in optimism about the therapeutic use of hallucinogens compared to 2016. Among 131 respondents (13.1% response rate), 80.9% moderately or strongly believed hallucinogens show promise for psychiatric conditions, and 60.8% for substance use disorders. Large majorities supported research into therapeutic potential (93.9% for psychiatric conditions, 88.6% for substance use disorders) and federal funding of clinical trials. Concern about risks decreased, and 50.4% reported moderate or strong intentions to incorporate hallucinogen-assisted therapy into their practice if regulatory approval is granted.
Psychopharmacology
January 1, 2025
Brian S Barnett, M Frances Vest, Marcus S Delatte et al.
20 citations
Establishing psychedelic research programs at academic medical centers in the United States faces unique obstacles because psychedelics are intensely psychoactive, carry sociopolitical baggage, and most are Schedule I drugs. This article reviews academic literature and draws on the authors' experiences with regulatory agencies and conducting basic science, investigator-initiated, and industry-sponsored psychedelic trials. It recommends that investigators cultivate broad institutional support early and anticipate challenges in securing funding, obtaining FDA Investigational New Drug approval, sourcing clinical-grade drug, getting DEA Schedule I researcher registration and any required state license, preparing treatment and storage spaces, managing controlled substance inventory, and engaging the local community. With planning, persistence, and expert assistance, these hurdles are likely surmountable.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
June 1, 2024
Brian S Barnett, Akhil Anand, Elizabeth N Dewey et al.
20 citations
From 2015 to 2019, the proportion of Americans who perceived 'great' risk in trying LSD fell from 70.5% to 64.8%, a statistically significant linear decline. Lower perceived risk was associated with later survey year, personal LSD use, younger age, higher education, male gender, identifying as a sexual minority, and past-year psychological distress. Higher perceived risk was linked to identifying as Black or Hispanic, past-year suicide attempt, and having children at home. Among respondents under 18, Hispanic identity showed no association, and male gender was linked to higher perceived risk. Most Americans still perceive great risk in trying LSD.
Psychiatry research
June 1, 2025
Jeremy Weleff, Alejandra Pulido-Saavedra, Ardavan Mohammad Aghaei et al.
4 citations
A systematic review of clinical studies on psychedelics for opioid use disorder found few completed trials using serotonergic psychedelics; most investigated ibogaine or ketamine. The evidence is limited by weak study designs focused on opioid withdrawal, few double-blind or placebo-controlled trials, and considerable methodological heterogeneity that makes comparisons across compounds difficult. Most studies had a high risk of bias, mainly due to lack of randomization, blinding, and blinded outcome assessment. The review outlines these limitations and steps to improve the quality of future research in this area.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
June 1, 2025
Rahul Katkar, Ashley M Perez, Murat Altinay et al.
4 citations
LSD experiences focused on gender identity have been reported informally but not studied systematically. Analyzing 94 anecdotes from the Reddit subreddit r/LSD, nearly half of authors identified as non-cisgender at the time of use, and most of those reported enhanced self-acceptance regarding their gender identity. Among authors who were questioning their gender, most reported clarifying effects from LSD. A minority of cisgender authors explored non-cisgender identities during their experience, and some reported that the experience introduced a persistent non-cisgender identity for the first time. Challenging experiences were reported by 17% of authors, and 11% of non-cisgender authors reported decreased self-acceptance. The findings suggest LSD may support gender identity exploration and acceptance, but the fragmentary nature of social media data requires confirmation through surveys and prospective studies.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
July 2, 2025
Brian S Barnett, Miranda Arakelian, Jeremy Weleff et al.
2 citations
In 2023, a survey of 109 U.S. psychiatry residents found that most had limited formal education on psychedelics during training but strongly desired more instruction. 83.49% believed psychedelics hold promise for psychiatric disorders, though fewer (55.96%) saw similar potential for substance use disorders. Nearly 40% reported that psychedelic-related educational or research opportunities influenced their residency program rankings, and a similar proportion said the possibility of treating patients with psychedelics influenced their decision to pursue psychiatry. Higher knowledge scores and stronger belief in therapeutic potential were linked to greater influence on program ranking. The findings suggest a need to expand psychedelic-focused education in residency.
Psychiatry research
May 1, 2025
Gerard Sanacora, Brian S Barnett, Bo Hu et al.
2 citations
Patients with treatment-resistant depression who preferred ketamine over electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) were more likely to respond to treatment, regardless of which treatment they actually received. Matching patients to their preferred treatment improved response rates for ketamine but not for ECT, and reduced adverse events for ECT-treated patients. Ketamine was the more popular choice overall. The findings suggest that aligning treatment with patient preference can influence effectiveness, safety, and possibly adherence, but these effects vary by treatment modality and context.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 14, 2025
Lukas Bobak, Ian Dorney, Alexsandra Kovacevich et al.
2 citations
In an analysis of 110 Reddit posts from individuals with long COVID who used psilocybin, 78.2% reported any improvement in their symptoms, while 11.8% reported worsening. Among those reporting improvement, 77.9% said the improvement lasted beyond the acute psychedelic experience, and 5.8% reported improvement only during the experience. The most common symptoms were fatigue (47.3%), cognitive impairment (46.4%), and depression (30.0%). The authors suggest that controlled studies comparing social media data for other self-treatments or prospective observational studies of individuals self-treating with psychedelics may be warranted.
CNS drugs
January 17, 2026
Gaëlle Rached, Anna Campana, Dimitri Fiani et al.
1 citation
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) can be used safely in some patients who use psychoactive substances, but certain combinations pose potentially fatal risks. This narrative review of 219 publications found that combining MAOIs with amphetamines, the empathogen MDMA, opioids with strong serotonergic reuptake inhibition (e.g., meperidine, tramadol), or alcoholic beverages high in tyramine can lead to serotonin toxicity, hypertensive emergencies, or death. In contrast, MAOI treatment of patients who use low-tyramine alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, nicotine, sedatives, and some classic hallucinogens can likely be managed with careful monitoring. No robust human data support MAOIs as effective treatments for substance use disorders themselves.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
June 1, 2026
Brian S Barnett, Akhil Anand, Jeremy Weleff et al.
Among US adults who first used LSD at least 5 years ago, only 4.2% reported using it in the past year. Past-year use dropped sharply with time since first use, from 14.4% among those who started 5 years ago to 0.1% among those who started 46–50 years ago. Factors linked to past-year use included being male, never married, living in poverty, higher education, lifetime stimulant use, recent contact with drug sellers, having sold illegal drugs, perceiving LSD as lower risk and more available, and a past-year suicide attempt. Having children at home, living in a small metro area, and more years since first use were linked to lower odds. Perceived risk and availability showed the strongest associations.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
June 1, 2025
Olivia M Dhaliwal, Lukas Bobak, Brian S Barnett
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) may be in high demand in rural America, where residents face greater morbidity and premature mortality due to unique social disparities. Barriers to accessing PAT in rural settings include geographic, economic, and cultural factors, as well as a shortage of healthcare providers. Without intervention, disparate access could worsen existing rural-urban inequities. The authors propose solutions such as incorporating PAT into rural health training, using teletherapy for preparation and integration sessions, and creating new care models and economic incentives to enable rural providers to deliver PAT.