Fox 5 (Atlanta). “Hallucinogens Tested to Help Treat Cancer Patients”

Originally found at: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpps/news/dpgoh-psilocybin-hallucinogens-tested-to-help-treat-cancer-patients-fc-20100413_7040108

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) – Would you go on an hallucinogenic trip for research? Widely known as the drug type of choice for many hippies in the ’60s, LSD-type drugs, including psilocybin, which is related to “magic mushrooms,” are making a comeback in the medical community.

According to The New York Times doctors are dabbling in psychedelic drugs, like psilocybin, to treat patients with depression and anxiety with a new focus on the terminally ill.

To further investigate the effects of hallucinogens the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Cancer Project is looking for cancer patients between the ages of 21 and 70 who are willing to volunteer. Eligibility requirements include a cancer diagnosis that is potentially life-threatening and experiences of anxiety or depressed mood.

Researchers believe psilocybin may help bring about meaningful and spiritually significant experiences that can lead to ongoing reductions in anxiety, depression, personal isolation, and fear of death.

According to Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit (BPRU) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine the hallucinogen psilocybin, which is in a class of compounds that alter perception and cognition, is derived from certain mushrooms that have been used for thousands of years.

The John Hopkins site explains that psilocybin is in the same class of drugs as mescaline, which is contained in the peyote cactus used in religious ceremonies by the Native American Church, and dimethyltryptamine, which is contained in the ayahuasca sacrament used by several South American religions.

If you are selected to take part in the study you will be administered the psilocybin in a “living-room style room, decorated with artwork, comfortable furniture, and soft lighting” on one of the school’s campus. Also during most of the session, the participant will be encouraged to lie on the couch wearing eyeshades and listening to supportive music through headphones.

This week in San Jose, Calif. the largest conference on psychedelic science is being held, where researchers will discuss treating depression in cancer patients and end-of-life anxiety with psilocybin.

AOL News reports that research facilities like the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Harvard and New York University are running tests on normal patients to assess the potential for hallucinogens in medicine.

For one patient the results have been positive. Clark Martin, who is battling kidney cancer, commented on his experience with the drug to The Times , saying “It was a whole personality shift for me. I wasn’t any longer attached to my performance and trying to control things.”
There are tight restrictions on the studies to avoid repeating the mistakes made 50 years ago, with the use of brain scans to monitor effects of the drug on cognition.

The Times reports that Dr. Roland Griffiths, a professor of behavioral biology at Johns Hopkins has found that psilocybin caused what “experimental subjects described as a profound spiritual experience with lasting positive effects for most of them.”

According to The New York Times doctors are dabbling in psychedelic drugs, like psilocybin, to treat patients with depression and anxiety with a new focus on the terminally ill. To further investigate the effects of hallucinogens the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Cancer Project is looking for cancer patients between the ages of 21 and 70 who are willing to volunteer. Eligibility requirements include a cancer diagnosis that is potentially life-threatening and experiences of anxiety or depressed mood.