The Potential Therapeutic Benefits of Psychedelics

Bicycle Day commemorates the day when Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann was the first human to trip on LSD on April 19, 1943.

And now, there is a growing movement in the United States to decriminalize and legalize psychedelic substances, such as psilocybin – the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms.” New research shows that these psychedelic drugs can be used for recreation and also for therapeutic treatments.

In November 2020, Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy, alongside decriminalizing the personal possession of drugs more broadly. In Cities such as Denver, Oakland, California and Washington, D.C., voters have approved ballot measures to decriminalize the personal possession of psychedelic mushrooms.

And although Psilocybin and other psychedelics remain illegal under federal drug laws, there are several prominent universities studying psychedelic-aided therapy and its effectiveness in treating mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD and – perhaps most surprisingly – addiction.

We speak with Michael Pollan, Co-founder of the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics and author of How To Change Your Mind: What The New Science Of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, And Transcendence, about the history of Bicycle Day, the criminalization of psychedelics, and psychedelic-aided therapy.