Hes a fungi: U.S. health agency asks researcher to give it the lowdown on psilocybin mushrooms – The GrowthOp

The National Institute of Mental Health has mushrooms on its mind.

The federal health agency has invited Roland Griffiths a prominent psychedelics researcher to lead a discussion on Tuesday as part of its speaker series.

In this presentation, Dr. Griffiths will review the history, epidemiology, risks, and neuropharmacology of classic psychedelic drugs, the NIMH said. The presentation will highlight research into the effects of psilocybin in healthy volunteers, in beginning and long-term meditators, and in religious leaders.

While the invitation was not meant to be seen as an endorsement of the use of psilocybin, the agency said it is hoping to encourage broad thinking as opposed to incremental advancements in knowledge.

Innovation speakers are encouraged to describe their work from the perspective of breaking through existing boundaries and developing successful new ideas, as well as working outside their initial area of expertise in ways that have pushed their fields forward, the agency said. We encourage discussions of the meaning of innovation, creativity, breakthroughs, and paradigm-shifting.

With the legalization and decriminalization of cannabis making news and opening up new avenues of research around the world, the paradigm is already shifting on psilocybin mushrooms.

The NIMH made a fine choice in Griffiths, a researcher who has spent much of his career exploring the potential of psychedelics in the treatment of mental health issues. In September, he was chosen to head up a new facility devoted to the study of psychedelics at John Hopkins University.

Currently, psilocybin mushrooms are classified as a Schedule I drug by the FDA, the same category as heroin and cannabis. To be a Schedule I drug means the substance in question holds no medicinal value. As researchers find mushrooms have a positive effect onanxiety,treatment-resistant depression, andSeasonal Affective Disorder, that could change.

Like cannabis, psilocybin has a long track record of relative safety among recreational users, and it is not toxic. Unlike some drugs that treat anxiety and other mental conditions, psilocybin is not prone to dependence. But given its hallucinogenic effect, lawmakers may be reticent to allow distribution of the psychedelic drug without more restrictions.

And mushrooms may prove to be a growth opportunity for Big Marijuana as well. As legislators consider the decriminalization of the substance for medicinal use, theyll look to industries that already have a similar market with regulations that will likely mirror those for mushrooms.

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Hes a fungi: U.S. health agency asks researcher to give it the lowdown on psilocybin mushrooms - The GrowthOp