Pubdate: Thu, 01 Dec 2016
Source: USA Today (US)
Copyright: 2016 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/625HdBMl
Website: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/index.htm
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/466
Author: Kim Painter

"MAGIC MUSHROOM" DRUG LIFTS ANXIETY FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Psychedelic medicine, long taboo, is moving toward the mainstream: Two
new studies show the hallucinogenic drug psilocybin might relieve
anxiety and depression in cancer patients.

Dozens of distressed patients, treated under controlled conditions at
two prestigious medical centers, saw spirit-lifting effects that
lasted at least several weeks after taking the "magic mushroom" drug,
according to results published Thursday in The Journal of
Psychopharmacology.

In an unusual move, the journal also published 10 commentaries from
experts in psychiatry, end-of-life care and drug policy. The experts
said the studies were small and preliminary, but all supported
continued research. They suggest psilocybin, while still illegal
outside of studies, is "well within the accepted scope of modern
psychiatry," said an editorial by David Nutt, a professor of
neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College, London.
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MAP posted-by: Matt