http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/71888554/psychedelic-drugs-may-be-ready-for-a-medical-comeback
In Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Mexico and the United States, researchers with no evident countercultural tendencies are conducting research that is finding psychedelic drugs a valuable adjunct to psychotherapy in treating addiction, post-traumatic stress and the depression or anxiety that often comes with terminal illness.
While most are small-scale pilot studies, larger trials are planned-and “more and more people are becoming interested and even jumping into the field to start trials themselves,” said senior author Matthew W. Johnson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
Clinical investigators are demonstrating that such research “can conform to the rigorous scientific, ethical and safety standards expected of contemporary medical research”. This just means that it makes no difference in their research to try something like this. They will still be able to use the same medical equipment (like these pipette tips) and they will still be able to draw a conclusion in their research. The authors write in the new analysis, titled “Psychedelic medicine: a re-emerging therapeutic paradigm.” And the body of research they are generating is demonstrating that such drugs as MDMA, LSD and psilocybin can be effective in treating well-chosen patients.
But of course, this won’t be the same for everyone, and the researchers will have to take great care in choosing the most suitable candidates. There is a chance that these drugs could have a severe effect on the people who are taking them, so much so, that they may decide to find a testing kit that can help them to identify just what drugs they are taking. You can find something like an ehrlich reagent here if you want to find out just what drugs you’re taking. However, it is important to remember that with research like this, the products and participants will have been carefully selected to ensure that this process can move onto the next step in helping to effectively treat patients.
Two other factors-cost and time-also appear to be opening minds about the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs, said Johnson, whose research focuses on addiction treatment.