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In Oregon and Colorado, you can book an appointment for psilocybin therapy, where a licensed therapist takes you on a guided trip using the drug that makes “magic” mushrooms hallucinogenic.
Under federal law, psilocybin is illegal. But within the past few years, both states greenlit the drug for supervised medical use, and New Mexico may soon follow. It’s being used to treat certain conditions, including drug-resistant depression and PTSD. With a lot more people taking the drug under state supervision, what are we learning about its safety and efficacy? Who is taking it, and can clinics make money?
Host Flora Lichtman checks in on the state of these programs with Colorado Public Radio journalist Alejandro Galva. Then, she sits down with geriatric and palliative care specialist Stacy Fischer for a research update on the therapeutic use of the drug, and the nation’s largest clinical trial for psilocybin use for advanced cancer patients facing mental health challenges.
Further Reading
- ‘Shrooms Lead the Pack in Psychedelic Medicine, but Rollout is Bumpy, via the New York Times
- ‘The attrition is setting in’: How Oregon’s magic mushroom experiment lost its way, via The Guardian
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Segment Guests
Alejandro Galva
Alejandro Galva is the afternoon editor at Colorado Public Radio. He is also editor of the series “The Trip,” which covers the state’s psychedelic therapy landscape.
Stacy Fischer
Dr. Stacy Fischer is a geriatric and palliative care specialist at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.
Segment Transcript
The transcript is being processed. It will be available 2-3 days after this story’s publication date.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Flora Lichtman
Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.
About Dee Peterschmidt
Dee Peterschmidt is Science Friday’s audio production manager, hosted the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.