A U.S. House member from Arizona introduced a bill requiring the Pentagon to report on emerging evidence that psychedelic drugs may benefit military veterans with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The legislation, sponsored by Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh, followed his visit to a nonprofit research lab in Arizona conducting the first federally approved clinical trial using organic psilocybin-containing mushrooms as a potential treatment for PTSD in veterans and first responders.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and current treatments for nicotine addiction achieve no better than a 30% success rate. A newly announced multisite study of the psychedelic psilocybin for smoking cessation is generating excitement. Those involved caution against overselling the potential but hope the large study with a diverse population will help identify who might benefit most from this alternative approach.