U.S. National Institutes Of Health Leader Stands Behind Psychedelic Medicines and Cannabis Therapies

1.4 min readPublished On: June 2nd, 2021By

WASHINGTON, D.C.–The National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the leading health organization in the U.S.A., Dr. Francis Collins, (who Dr. Anthony Fauci works for) praised the potential of psychedelic research during a U.S. Senate budget hearing last week in Washington D.C.

Collins launded the progress in psilocybin research, which has been tested in clinical trials for depression in the U.S.

“That could be quite exciting, because we all are looking for new approaches to that,” he said, adding that MDMA and LSD are also of interest.

“As we’ve learned more about how the brain works, we’ve begun to realize that these are potential tools for research purposes and might be clinically beneficial,” Collins said, per Benzinga. Collins lamented the many political and legal barriers limiting cannabis research.

On the topic of cannabis and greater access to the plant for researchers, Collins said “We’re making some progress.”

Despite maintaining that cannabis has no medical value, one farm, at the University of Mississippi, has been the sole cannabis supplier for U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved trials. The quality of the plants at Ol’ Miss are famously not suitable for any kind of research. However, that is finally beginning to change as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently announced that it was registering additional growers for research purposes.  Collins said cannabis’ Schedule 1 status ultimately remains the largest impediment to research.

“What we really need is to moderate the Schedule 1 limitation,” Collins said, adding that he’s discussed the possibility of creating a new category, Schedule I-R, that could create further pathways for research.

(Reporting from The Vancouver Sun and The Growth Op and Other Sources. Image: Getty Images License)

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