The Past and Future of Psychedelic Science: An Introduction to This Issue
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs March 15, 2019 Lisa Jerome, Brad Burge, Richard Doblin et al. 87 citations
Psychedelic plants and fungi have been used in indigenous healing for millennia. Modern research began with Albert Hofmann's synthesis of LSD-25 in 1938, and his accidental self-ingestion in 1943. After scientific and cultural exploration in the 1950s and 1960s, research was nearly halted by government restrictions in the 1970s and 1980s, despite evidence of limited medical risks and therapeutic potential. Today, rigorous studies are abundant, including clinical trials with MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, alcoholism, and social anxiety, psilocybin studies for depression and addiction, investigations into psychedelics' ability to catalyze spiritual experiences and inspire creativity, and neuroscientific research on their nervous system effects.