Starting next month, 24 Arizonans living with PTSD will take part in an FDA-approved study using psilocybin — a naturally occurring psychedelic found in certain mushrooms.
It’s the country’s first clinical trial to use whole psilocybin mushrooms, sometimes called magic mushrooms. The participants are firefighters, police officers and veterans. Each will receive a dose of psilocybin to evaluate the therapeutic potential of whole-mushroom psilocybin versus a synthetic version.
The FDA has authorized the administration of the psilocybin to occur in groups of eight, allowing researchers to monitor safety and efficacy. The project is backed by the Arizona Legislature, the Department of Health Services and the Mayo Clinic.
More Health + Medicine news
-
Just over 51% of votes counted in Maricopa County so far have been in favor of Prop. 409, an $898 million in bond to upgrade Valleywise facilities and expand services. -
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has applied for a billion dollars in federal aid to assist rural health care providers. The money would come from the new Rural Health Transformation Program. -
Reproductive rights advocates want to overturn a state ban on prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine and a mandatory 24-hour wait to get an abortion in Arizona. -
Nearly 900,000 Arizonans rely on SNAP for food, including thousands of paid caregivers who work in long-term care. -
One local clinical psychologist explains how anti-gay rhetoric has recently impacted kids’ well-being.
