Psychedelics

Executive order to speed access to psychedelic treatments likely to have limited legal impact despite high-profile pushThe Trump administration issued an executive order earlier this month to accelerate access to psychedelic medication for people with “serious mental illnesses,” but experts say the order is more likely to make a difference symbolically than legally.“Policymakers and the medical field have long struggled to address the burden of suicide and serious mental illness rates in America,” the order reads, noting that some people do not respond to available treatments. Continue reading...

Use of the illicit drug has plummeted in recent years among gen Zers, compared with their parents’ generationEver since cocaine first emerged as a popular party drug via the shores of Miami in the early 1970s, use of the stimulant has been inextricably entwined with the very essence of capitalist excess and what it is to be American: brash, bombastic and brazen.The wide-scale use of cocaine in the US has left a trail of destruction in its wake, largely thanks to the illegal nature of the trade and the resultant US government policy of a “war on drugs”. Continue reading...

• The FDA announced it will issue national priority vouchers for three psychedelic drugs next week, marking the first time the agency has fast-tracked any psychedelics for review under Trump's executive order on mental health reform. • The vouchers can compress FDA review timelines from several months to just weeks, according to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, if the drugs align with national priorities. • Trump's order directs $50 million in federal funding to states developing psychedelic treatment programs and establishes a federal-state partnership for technical assistance and data sharing.