The movement to get psychedelic medicine into the mainstream requires action on multiple fronts. Commercial development, FDA approval, and regulatory changes are all necessary pieces of the puzzle, each doing their part in changing minds and moving the needle towards greater acceptance.
But then there’s the media, our print and digital puppet-masters, pulling the strings and tipping the scales of public opinion. It could be argued that all other aspects — laws, drug approval etc — are dependent on what the media has to say on the subject. Positive coverage leads to positive public opinion which leads to the people in decision making roles being more likely to sign that paper and make that change a reality.
So let’s take a look at recent psychedelic medicine headlines and see what the media has been saying as of late.
Bloomberg: A Legal Play for ‘Shrooms in Canada Could Make Waves in the US
A Canadian lawsuit over magic mushrooms could help spur the wave of liberalization the nascent industry has been pushing for. So just who is behind it, and what are its prospects?
Insider: A woman with terminal cancer says taking ‘magic’ mushrooms eased her depression
A woman in her seventies with terminal cancer said a “magic” mushroom trip helped alleviate her depression and process a miscarriage from her thirties. And according to Tina Beattie, a former professor of Catholic studies at the University of Roehampton, UK, drugs that are acquired legally aren’t morally prohibited for Catholics.
Rolling Stone: Can Psychedelics Avoid the Mistakes of the Cannabis Industry?
Public opinion is shifting on psychedelics, with decriminalization statutes passed not only in blue-state capitols and liberal college towns but in places like Oklahoma and New Hampshire. The Oklahoma measure, for example, authorizes research institutions to obtain psilocybin to study its potential efficacy for PTSD, depression, anxiety and addiction.
It’s powerful to imagine what an equitable landscape for psychedelics might look like.
Axios: VA clinical trials exploring psychedelics to treat PTSD in “watershed moment”
The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun offering psychedelic substances to patients in a series of clinical trials that may shed light on the therapeutic value of such drugs. MDMA, psilocybin and LSD — combined with psychotherapy — have been touted as a potentially revolutionary tool in treating addiction and other mental health conditions, Axios’ Alison Snyder reports.
The Wall Street Journal: Investors See Far Out Profits in Psychedelic Medicine
A former hedge-fund portfolio manager raises millions from scientists, financiers and crypto bros eager to buy into treatments that aren’t even legal yet.
Politico: A new dawn for psychedelics?
MDMA, magic mushrooms, DMT and acid have all had their day as recreational drugs. Now scientists — and companies — are hopeful these could be the game-changing medicines needed for mental health disorders.
MIT Technology Review: Psychedelics are having a moment and women could be the ones to benefit
Psychedelics are being scientifically researched now more than ever. This time, women might finally benefit.