15 Sep Medicinal Cannabis Company Given Green Light To Research Psychedelic Drug
Has medicinal marijuana provided a blueprint for the study and research of psilocybin mushroom, more commonly known as magic mushrooms, for using a medicine? The success of legalising and, in some cases decriminalising cannabis in many countries worldwide seems to have opened the door to the potential of other plant-based drugs such as Psilocybin.
Just as we have harnessed the medicinal part of many other natural substances, with research, study, trials and testing, we can undoubtedly do so with others.
Psychedelic drugs have been used to treat conditions
Although those with a more conservative view would probably never believe it, psychedelic drugs have been used to treat conditions in our not so distant past. For example, in the ’60s and ’70s, the Dutch psychiatrist Jan Bastiaans treated Holocaust survivors for their traumas using experimental LSD treatment, which many claim saved their life again.
The old ways of treating physical and mental illness are experiencing a new world renaissance thanks to academic and scientific research, studies and trials. MDMA, which is more well known to be a recreational drug, is undergoing trials for use within psychotherapy to treat PTSD.
‘Breakthrough therapy’
There is a belief that Psilocybin could have similar medical benefits as cannabis and provide relief to those with medical conditions such as depression and anxiety. Considered to be a ‘breakthrough therapy’, there are now studies being granted by several countries. Studies have already been published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and The Lancet Psychiatry.
The drug will be considered for use in conditions such as mental health illnesses like PTSD, depression and anxiety, particularly in terminal cancer patients. It is also being considered to help treat OCD, cigarette, alcohol and cocaine addiction.
Unlike medicinal cannabis, psilocybin is recommended alongside psychological support to enhance the therapy, similar to the techniques the Dutch psychiatrist used decades ago. Although, much has changed since then, and this is why academic research and scientific trials are necessary to find the best way to harness these medications for safe and effective use.
An Australian-based medicinal cannabis company has been granted regulatory permission to produce psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in the mushrooms, to supply further research and use in trials.
Little Green Pharma
Little Green Pharma is based at an undisclosed location in Australia’s South West and has produced medicinal cannabis products since 2018. They were granted the license to produce the psychedelic substance because they already had the infrastructure. They will extract the psilocybin from mushrooms grown within their facility and produce a powder or pill for use in research and trials.
This news is beneficial for other countries because it shows the potential in this area. Hopefully, more trials will help advance psychiatric treatment, which has reportedly been lacking in recent years. Trials are vital for helping to determine if a treatment is better than a placebo or anything currently available to treat specific conditions.
There is a long way to go with developing all these treatments because of the need to understand the long term effects. Preliminary trials seem incredibly promising, and as mentioned earlier, there are precedents for treating conditions with cannabis, LSD and MDMA.
Medicinal cannabis may not only have provided the blueprint for the research into the possibilities of Psilocybin. Still, it may also have helped dampen the stigma surrounding other controlled substances and the relaxation of drug laws for the purposes of medical use. While it may be some time before Psilocybin is as widely accepted as cannabis, there is great progress being made in the name of science and medical care.