YuLin Zhen, Photography Editor

Once vilified under the pretense of the War on Drugs, psychedelic substances are gaining popularity among researchers as promising treatments to mental ailments.

Psychedelics are a type of substance that induces an altered state of consciousness. Examples of psychedelics include LSD, psilocybin and DMT. These substances have been used by humans for centuries according to Paula Bizzi Junqueira of the Chacruna Institute. 

“In Brazil, we have Ayahuasca religions that are not so alternative, they are over 100 years old, so they are well integrated into society,” says Junqueira.

Psychedelics played a notable role in the counterculture movement of the 1960s, a movement calling for a liberalization of societal values. Supporters of this movement frequently used and supported recreational drugs, leading to the ban of some types of psychedelics in the late 1960s and the complete ban of most under the Controlled Substances Act of 1971. 

After decades of hibernation, educational and governmental institutions are approving studies within the space of psychedelic medicine for the first time since the original declaration of the War on Drugs. Many potential uses for psychedelics have already been established.

“We’ve done quite a bit of work over the last eight years on using psilocybin,” says Dr. Christopher Pittenger ’94, a professor of psychiatry at Yale. 

Psilocybin, commonly known as mushrooms, can alter short-term perception, followed by a long-term benefit for psychiatric symptoms such as depression, addiction and OCD, according to Pittenger. Pittenger’s team has recently published a study on work investigating psilocybin’s effect on OCD, with more follow-up studies to come. 

Many other studies have been conducted in finding the effects of psychedelics on certain mental conditions. Researchers are also investigating the mechanisms of these substances, but “there’s a lot we don’t know,” according to Pittenger. 

Psychedelic research isn’t just a topic of interest to Yale. Dr. George Greer of the Heffter Research Institute says that the institute is currently funding projects investigating the use of LSD with patients who abuse opioids, as well as more technical research into the biological mechanics of psychedelics. And many other studies about psychoactive substances have been completed and are currently ongoing, with almost 10,000 papers published in the last 10 years, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Despite this momentum, there are still many hurdles within the field. Pittenger describes the lack of controls as one of these challenges. 

“It’s almost impossible to have a real placebo, because when you take a psychedelic, you kind of know it, that kind of blows up the whole idea of the placebo control,” Pittenger says. 

Pittenger also discusses the challenge of choosing participants in studies that fit an exhaustive bill of constraints and complying with government regulations, which makes research in psychedelics time-consuming and expensive.

Pittenger says that this process involves licensing from the DEA and FDA, which requires following different regulatory frameworks for substances that “aren’t as well understood nor available.” These processes require a lot of safety data and bureaucracy to get a study approved.

Greer describes some of these regulations as necessary, stating that “a research environment is very different from a clinical environment and until the FDA approves a drug, it could be harmful to a lot of people.” 

Nonetheless, Greer is in agreement that he hopes the new studies can help influence the FDA to take a better look at the potential of psychedelics.

Neil Markley, CEO of Beckley Retreats, an organization dedicated to sponsoring safe and legal access to psychedelics, finds some of these regulations unreasonable. Markley believes that mushrooms and other psychoactive substances should not be classified as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act, grouping them alongside drugs like heroin. 

“When they’re in that classification, it really restricts the amount of research we can do with these substances,” he states.

Markley remains hopeful for change. He discusses how recent ballot measures in Oregon and Colorado have lessened restrictions on psychedelics, and how more states are interested in putting similar measures to vote. 

Despite the risks and challenges posed in the field of psychedelic research, these researchers are excited to see where the field goes next. Greer declares that “we’re just beginning to know how psychedelics can help people.”

There are over 200 active clinical trials investigating psychedelic compounds for various therapeutic applications as of December 2024.