Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained: Regulations Cripple Potentially Life-Saving Research of Illicit Substances
Kodye L. Abbott, Kristina Gill, Patrick Flannery, Dawn M. Boothe, Muralikrishnan Dhanasekaran, Satyanarayana R. Pondugula
ACS Chemical Neuroscience May 12, 2020 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00241 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractRegulations intended to prevent harm and addiction from substances like cannabis, MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin also create major barriers for scientists trying to study these drugs. The authors argue that modifying current drug scheduling to reclassify illicit substances would allow extensive testing in research settings, potentially advancing life-saving research.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | LSD Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Cripple Nothing Hallucinogen |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key finding | Modifying drug scheduling regulations to reclassify illicit substances could advance research into their therapeutic and adverse effects. |
Abstract
Modern day research, in an attempt to determine the potential therapeutic and adverse effects of illicit substances, is a growing field, but one that faces many regulatory challenges. Due to the potential abuse of illicit substances such as Cannabis, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin, regulations have been conceived with the intent of preventing harm and addiction. However, these regulations have also become a major barrier for the scientific community as they suffocate attempts of the scientists to acquire illicit substances for research purposes. Therefore, it is imperative to modify the current regulations of drug scheduling, leading to a reclassification of illicit substances that would allow for extensive testing in research settings. This reclassification effort could advance the potentially life-saving research of illicit substances.