The Use of Illicit Drugs in Therapy: an Introduction
Current Addiction Reports September 8, 2023 Anna Ross, Jake Hawthorn
A growing area of addiction research, sometimes called the psychedelic renaissance, examines the use of illicit substances such as psilocybin, cannabis, and heroin as adjuncts to psychotherapy for treating substance use disorders and underlying conditions like trauma, depression, and anxiety. Historically, research has focused on single substances and excluded comorbid mental health conditions or polysubstance use. Recent landmark proof-of-concept studies include psilocybin-assisted therapy for smoking cessation at Johns Hopkins University and for alcohol addiction at the University of New Mexico. This review introduces core concepts and historical developments to highlight emerging research and encourage further investigation into illicit substances in therapy.