Psychedelic Drugs News

November 18, 2016

How LSD Makes Us Lose Our Sense of Self

First Scans of Brain On LSD

LSD Not Linked With Mental Health Problems?

'Magic Mushrooms' May Change Personality

Latest Headlines

updated 8:38am EST

Nightclub Goers More Likely to Use New Designer Drugs

Sep. 15, 2016 — Novel Psychoactive Substances are synthetic or “designer” drugs which have increased in popularity in recent years. Few studies in the U.S. have focused on use among one of the highest-risk ... read more

First Study to Explore Language and LSD Since the 1960s: New Study Shows LSD's Effects on Language

Aug. 18, 2016 — The consumption of LSD, short for lysergic acid diethylamide, can produce altered states of consciousness. This can lead to a loss of boundaries ... read more

Magic Mushroom Compound Psilocybin Could Provide New Avenue for Antidepressant Research

May 17, 2016 — Psilocybin -- a hallucinogenic compound derived from magic mushrooms -- may offer a possible new avenue for antidepressant research, according to a ... read more

Psychedelic Drugs May Reduce Domestic Violence

Apr. 26, 2016 — Psychedelic drugs may help curb domestic violence committed by men with substance abuse problems, according to a new study. The study found that 42 percent of US adult male inmates who did not take ... read more

Psilocybin Reduces Psychological Pain After Social Exclusion, Study Finds

Apr. 18, 2016 — Social problems are key characteristics in psychiatric disorders and are insufficiently targeted by current treatment approaches. By applying brain imaging methods, ... read more

Active Ingredient in Magic Mushrooms Reduces Anxiety, Depression in Cancer Patients

Dec. 10, 2015 — Psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, decreased anxiety and depression in patients diagnosed with life-threatening cancer. New research shows that ... read more

LSD Changes Consciousness by Reorganizing Human Brain Networks

Dec. 10, 2015 — LSD alters consciousness, but the mechanism of how this happens has been elusive. Now researchers report that LSD interferes with the patterns of activation in brain networks that underlie human ... read more

Researchers Document Self-Reported Use of New, Uncommon Synthetic Drugs by Teens, Young Adults

Sep. 15, 2015 — This is the first study reporting on use of a variety of new drugs in a nationally representative U.S. sample. Researchers are confident that use was ... read more

Psychedelic Therapy Re-Emerging for Anxiety, PTSD and Addiction

Sep. 8, 2015 — Renewed medical interest in the use of psychedelic drugs for anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and addiction has resulted in small research studies that show some success with the controlled use ... read more

Daily Marijuana Use Among U.S. College Students Highest Since 1980

Sep. 1, 2015 — Daily marijuana use among the nation's college students is on the rise, surpassing daily cigarette smoking for the first time in ... read more

A Compound In Psychedelic Mushrooms Could Treat Severe Depression

This Is What's Going On In The Brain During An LSD Hallucination

Eli Lilly's New Drug Could Lead To Alzheimer's Cure

The State Of Hallucinogen Studies

Hallucinogen May Protect Against Intimate Partner Violence, Researcher Suggests

Feb. 5, 2016 — Hallucinogen research gains traction, suggests class of substance could be therapeutic for problem behaviors, including intimate partner violence, according to one ... read more

Getting High in Senior Year: Researchers Examine Whether Reasons for Smoking Pot Are Associated

June 29, 2015 — A new study examines how reasons for illicit marijuana use relates to the use of other drugs individually, rather than grouping them into a single “illicit drug” ... read more

Psychedelic Drugs Should Be Legally Reclassified as They May Benefit Patients, Experts Say

May 26, 2015 — Legal restrictions imposed on medical use of psychedelic drugs, such as LSD and psilocybin (the compound found in 'magic' mushrooms), are making trials almost impossible and authorities ... read more

What's the Forecast? Cutting Off the Supply of Psychoactive Substances

May 13, 2015 — The use of novel psychoactive substances -- synthetic compounds with stimulant or hallucinogenic effects -- is on the rise. The diversity and breadth of these substances has led policymakers, law ... read more

Synthetic Drugs: Evidence That They Can Cause Cancer

Apr. 16, 2015 — Almost weekly, a new synthetic psychoactive drug comes onto the market that can be ordered legally and easily, for example as an incense blend, via the Internet. Synthetic cannabinoids are difficult ... read more

Psychedelic Drug Use Could Reduce Psychological Distress, Suicidal Thinking, Study Suggests

Mar. 9, 2015 — A history of psychedelic drug use is associated with less psychological distress and fewer suicidal thoughts, planning and attempts, according to new research. The findings suggest that some ... read more

Amber Fossil Links Earliest Grasses, Dinosaurs and Fungus Used to Produce LSD

Feb. 9, 2015 — A perfectly preserved amber fossil from Myanmar has been found that provides evidence of the earliest grass specimen ever discovered -- about 100 million years old -- and even then it was topped by a ... read more

Classic Psychedelic Use Protective With Regard to Psychological Distress and Suicidality

Jan. 21, 2015 — Classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and mescaline, previously have been shown to occasion lasting improvements in mental health. But researchers, through a new study, wanted to ... read more

Use of Alcohol, Cigarettes, Number of Illicit Drugs Declines Among U.S. Teens

Dec. 16, 2014 — A national survey of students in U.S. middle schools and high schools shows some important improvements in levels of substance use. Both alcohol and cigarette use in 2014 are at their lowest points ... read more

Biological Basis for Magic Mushroom 'Mind Expansion' Discovered

July 3, 2014 — New research shows that our brain displays a similar pattern of activity during dreams as it does during a mind-expanding drug trip. The study found that under psilocybin, activity in the more ... read more

Gauging Local Illicit Drug Use in Real Time Could Help Police Fight Abuse

June 11, 2014 — The war on drugs could get a boost with a new method that analyzes sewage to track levels of illicit drug use in local communities in real time. The new study could help law enforcement identify new ... read more

Alcohol and Drugs: Not Just for Modern Humans

May 12, 2014 — Unlike most modern humans, the prehistoric people of Europe did not use mind-altering substances simply for their hedonistic pleasure. Researchers contend that their use was an integral part of ... read more

Psilocybin Inhibits the Processing of Negative Emotions in the Brain

May 7, 2014 — Emotions like fear, anger, sadness, and joy enable people to adjust to their environment and react flexibly to stress and strain and are vital for cognitive processes, physiological reactions, and ... read more

Protein Researchers Closing in on the Mystery of Schizophrenia

Apr. 11, 2014 — Schizophrenia is a severe disease for which there is still no effective medical treatment. In an attempt to understand exactly what happens in the brain of a schizophrenic person, researchers have ... read more

New Study Examines Effects of Methoxetamine (MXE)—A New “Legal High”

Nov. 25, 2013 — Researchers attempted to create an understanding to the subjective effects from use of Methoxetamine (MXE), a drug belonging to a class known as “legal highs” or “research chemicals,” and ... read more

New Research Links Smoking Synthetic Marijuana With Stroke in Healthy, Young Adults

Nov. 19, 2013 — Add stroke to the list of severe health hazards that may be associated with smoking synthetic marijuana, popularly known as spice or K2, a neurology team ... read more

'Yes' to One Drug Could Become 'Yes' for Other Drugs

Oct. 8, 2013 — High school seniors who frown upon the use of drugs are most likely to be female, nonsmokers or hold strong religious beliefs, according to a new study. The work examines how teenagers’ attitudes ... read more

Evolutionary Relationships Among Species of 'Magic' Mushrooms Shed Light on Fungi

Aug. 6, 2013 — "Magic" mushrooms are known for their hallucinogenic properties. New research helps uncover the evolutionary past of a fascinating fungi that has wide recreational use and is currently ... read more

First Trial to Investigate Magic Mushrooms as a Treatment for Depression Delayed by UK and EU Regulations

Apr. 7, 2013 — The world’s first clinical trial to explore the use of the hallucinogenic ingredient in magic mushrooms to treat depression is being delayed due to the UK and EU rules on the use of illegal drugs ... read more

The Mysterious GRIN3A and the Cause of Schizophrenia

Mar. 14, 2013 — Since the 1960s, psychiatrists have been hunting for substances made by the body that might accumulate in abnormally high levels to produce the symptoms associated with schizophrenia. In particular, ... read more

Friday, February 5, 2016