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A bill proposed in the Indiana Senate would establish a fund to advance research into whether psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, can be used to treat certain mental health disorders.
If passed, Senate Bill 139, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ed Charbonneau, would require the state to set aside funding for the Therapeutic Psilocybin Research Fund, which would use psilocybin to treat diseases such as The money will be paid to research institutions interested in discovering whether it can help. :
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- anxiety
- depression
- bipolar disorder
- chronic pain
- Migraine
Research will need to prioritize veterans and first responders, groups who are more likely to suffer from the disorders listed above, especially PTSD.
The bill states participants will undergo a psychological evaluation before participating. Once the study is complete, researchers will determine what relationship the mushrooms have with currently accepted treatments for the problem in question.
The results would then be sent to the Interim Study Committee, as well as the state Department of Health and Department of Mental Health and Addictions.
Mushrooms ‘may help’ treat mental illness
The idea of using so-called “magic” mushrooms to treat mental health issues has been around as long as mushrooms themselves. However, their use in practice in clinical practice has gained more mainstream approval in the last few years.
They have been linked as a treatment for depression and anxiety. And in 2022, a study of 93 people found that the drug helped alcoholics stop drinking.
In a post last year, the American Society for Microbiology said, “A growing body of research suggests that psilocybin, when administered in a controlled setting with supportive care, may be useful in treating a variety of psychiatric disorders, including depression.” Stated. “However, questions surrounding psilocybin’s mechanism of action, stigma, funding, and regulatory hurdles must be resolved before psilocybin can be adopted for routine therapeutic use.”
SB 139 would at least partially resolve Indiana’s “funding and regulatory hurdles.”
The proposed fund will consist of disbursements from the General Assembly, as well as “contributions” and “contributions.” Any funds left over at the end of the year would remain in the fund rather than being returned to the state’s general fund.
Psilocybin legalized in other states
Whether this bill actually passes is another matter entirely. Indiana is one of the last states in the United States not to have legalized marijuana in any form, but its drug laws face a tough road ahead.
The bill would also legalize psilocybin. It simply creates a method for formal research.
Other states are further along. Colorado legalized mushrooms in 2022, but the state is still considering what that will look like. The sale of the drug remains illegal, there are no psilocybin pharmacies, and no “treatment centers” have yet been established where people can legally consume the drug.
more: Feldman: Are “magic mushrooms” a tool to combat depression and anxiety?
Still, people can use the drug, multiply it, and even pass it on to others. Oregon has legalized a similar framework.
Colorado gave mushrooms the green light under Proposition 122, which promotes their use to treat everything from suicidal thoughts to drug use to depression and anxiety.
“Colorado’s current approach to mental health is failing to deliver on its promise,” it reads in part. “Coloradoans will have more tools to address mental health issues, including approaches such as natural medicines that are based on treatment, recovery, health, and wellness rather than criminalization, stigma, pain, and punishment.” You have the right.”
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