ARGUING “HELP”
Director of Policy and Advocacy at MAPS
ARGUING “HYPE”
President and CEO at the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions
MODERATOR
Host and Moderator-in-Chief
This week:
- New episode: Should the FDA reconsider the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes?
- Your Sunday reading list
The use of psychedelics for mental health treatment, particularly PTSD, presents a rapidly evolving policy question for advocates and regulators – and an urgent one for those in despair and searching for novel solutions.
While the drugs have shown promise for patients with treatment-resistant disorders, critics say they aren’t ready for primetime. Just months ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that more research is needed before a decision can be made about the drugs’ potential. With a new president about to take office and poised to appoint a new agency chief, it seemed like a good time to hear both sides.
Supporters say that treatments should be available to those most in need and that any risks might be mitigated by administering the drugs in a controlled environment. They also say that regulatory guardrails are a sensible path forward versus a climate that pushes use and experimentation underground.
Skeptics question the ethics of the research and argue that side effects or long-term cognitive impacts are unknown. They also point to research showing it could exacerbate symptoms of certain mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Are psychedelics a turning point for mental health? Listen to the debate now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. As always, let us know what you think.
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Psychedelics for Mental Health: Help or Hype?
HELP: Ismail Ali
“Psychedelic therapy works. It should be made legal. We’re in a crisis. FDA reviews do not signal rejection, but request for further data. The momentum continues. While current mental health treatments are not novel or sufficiently effective, this modality has moved in the direction of safety, cost effectiveness, efficacy, as the stakes are high, people are suffering. We should take that seriously and responsibly regulate.”
HYPE: Kevin Sabet
“We need to properly study [it], not have advocates lead the way, not have people who regularly are using the drug lead the way. But those that actually are looking at this objectively, which there are researchers that are doing that, there are universities doing this research right now, wait and reserve judgment for that to happen.”
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