Close on the heels of widespread legalization of recreational marijuana use across North America, recently Denver, Colorado voted in favor of decriminalizing psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and now psychedelics are taking the main stage in serious scientific research. Preliminary studies suggest the hallucinogen could be used to treat depression and anxiety; even help with quitting smoking because it works on the area of the brain associated with mood.
The landmark decision in Denver is one step along the path of a movement in favor of reclassifying psilocybin from a schedule I drug, considered to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical purpose, to a schedule IV drug, pending clinical trials.
If proved to be safe, the drug could help manage treatment-resistant major depression, anxiety and addiction. Although the benefits of psilocybin for treating these disorders was first suggested in the 1960s, society’s reaction to hallucinogenic drugs led to a US ban in 1965 which halted further clinical research into therapeutic uses.
Newer research suggests that magic mushrooms could help treat depression without side effects such as the “emotional dulling” or apathy that taking antidepressants can cause. A dose of psilocybin appears to help re-set the brain, and early research has found that the effects of reducing anxiety and depression lasted 6 months past the last treatment session.
According to the American Cancer Society, up to 1 in 4 people with cancer have clinical depression; this is more than double the rate in the general population. And cancer patients with depression have a greater chance of dying from the disease. Cancer Research UK states that although it’s not often discussed, age in the single biggest risk for developing cancer. Half of all cancers in the UK occur in people over the age of 70 and because adults are experiencing greater longevity, the proportion of people diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime is expected to continue to rise with the growing senior population.
Stay tuned as we learn more about the potential health benefits of magic mushrooms.
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