Candidates who support psychedelics as a drug get political action committee

Inspired by a growing body of research on the use of psychedelics to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD and other mental illnesses, a new political action committee is seeking to elect leaders who support the therapeutic use of substances such as psilocybin (mushrooms in magic), ketamine and MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.

The founders of the newly formed Psychedelic Medicine PAC are also seeking to secure federal funding for further education and research during a period of heightened focus on the dangerous side effects of opioids, especially fentanyl, and other traditional pharmaceuticals.

Proponents have long argued that the therapeutic use of psychedelics may be safer and more effective than prescription drugs, some of which carry the risk of addiction. This movement has grown in recent years as more clinical research supports these claims and society grapples with deepening mental health issues exacerbated by the pandemic.

But even true believers say more research is needed to fully understand how the same substances popularized by hippies and ravers can be used to treat potentially life-threatening disorders.

“We have to convince the historically stubborn audience around psychedelics that this is not the 1960s,” said Ryan Rogers, co-founder and CEO of Psychedelic Medicine PAC.

“People will not look at the sun to make their eyes pop out. People are not going to jump off the building,” he said. “It’s about healing trauma. It’s not about rest.”

Melissa Lavasani, co-founder and chief executive of the group, experienced this healing firsthand after using psychedelics to treat postpartum depression and chronic pain. She led decriminalization efforts in Washington, D.C., where she pushed through an initiative that made growing and possessing herbal and mushroom medicines the lowest priority for local police and prosecutors.

The measure was overwhelmingly passed, with 76% supporting it in 2020, the same year that Oregon approved a ballot initiative to legalize the use of psychedelic mushrooms for therapeutic purposes.

Since then, similar initiatives have sprung up across the country. Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders organized a gathering dedicated to advancing research and raising awareness of psychedelic therapy. Last year, the Biden administration said it was exploring the possibility of creating a task force to study psychedelics, expecting the Food and Drug Administration to approve such therapy in the coming years.

“An exploratory approach and a science-based approach is really the path of least resistance,” Lavasani said. “It’s going to take a little longer – it’s a very slow approach and a very methodical thing we’re trying to do – but it’s a way of making people feel comfortable buying into this problem.”

The group, which plans to raise $10 million in its first year, is in the early stages of fundraising and is reaching out to donors of all levels, including investors in the commercial biotech space and Silicon Valley, Rogers said.

The action plan also includes securing support from both Democrats and Republicans, a strategy that worked in the early days of cannabis law reform but has yet to generate widespread support for legalization and decriminalization.

“We want to make sure that what we stand for does not create opposition to this issue in the halls of Congress,” Lavasani said. “We have seen some of the strategies used by the cannabis reform movement create controversy and that has really delayed progress. This is a real lesson.”

Among those lessons, Lavasani added, is not to push for legalization or decriminalization until elected leaders better understand psychedelics and how they can be used in therapeutic settings.

“If their goal is to change the schedule or decriminalize, it will be very difficult for them,” said Dustin Robinson, founder of Iter Investments, a psychedelic venture capital firm. “But if their goal is to create more policy on what’s going on with psychedelics in the therapeutic space, the federal government seems to be very open to that.”

Unlike cannabis, which is deeply stigmatized by the so-called war on drugs, psychedelics seem to be more appealing to a wider audience. They are non-smoking, can be taken in low doses, and when combined with therapy, have been found to be effective in treating severe mental disorders.

“The time has come,” said Stuart Titus, chairman of the board of Hempacco, a California-based hemp products manufacturer. “With today’s economic climate, we are seeing a very difficult environment for companies to raise money for research and development. It would be very popular to make the federal government pay for it.”

But the sudden interest in psychedelics as a drug is very reminiscent of the early boom of the cannabis industry, which has since fizzled out as cumbersome regulations slow down government programs and congressional leaders stall efforts to decriminalize the plant at the federal level, which remains a Schedule 1 drug, which is currently time is not accepted. medical use and high potential for abuse, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin found in hallucinogenic mushrooms are classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as controlled substances with no medicinal value.

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