Tag: mental health

Study: Medical Cannabis Improved PTSD Symptoms, Anxiety, and Quality of Life Over an 18-Month Period

The study followed 269 PTSD patients who were prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) for at least 18 months. Conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, the Curaleaf Clinic, and King’s College London, the observational cohort study examined changes in PTSD-related symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and overall quality of life.

Patients experienced statistically significant improvements across all measured outcomes at each follow-up interval—1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. This included reductions in PTSD symptoms based on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), lower anxiety scores, better sleep quality, and enhanced health-related quality of life.

Notably, men were found to be less likely than women to report improvements in PTSD symptoms, with male gender associated with lower odds of symptom reduction.

Adverse events were reported by about one-quarter of participants. The most commonly reported side effects were insomnia (15.6%) and fatigue (14.9%).

“CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] were associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, sleep, and HRQoL[health-related quality of life] at up to 18 months”, states the study. “Although the study’s observational nature limits causal conclusions, these findings support further assessment of medical cannabis.”

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Microdosing Psychedelics as Treatment Could Increase Flexible Thinking

One small dose of a psychedelic compound could help brains better adapt to changing circumstances, potentially improving treatments for those struggling with depression, PTSD, and neurodegenerative diseases, according to experiments conducted in mice. The results of the study were reported in the journal Psychedelics.

“What makes this discovery particularly significant is the sustained duration of cognitive benefits following just one psychedelic dose,” Omar J. Ahmed, a psychology researcher at the University of Michigan and a co-author of the study, said in a press release. “We observed enhanced learning adaptability that persisted for weeks, suggesting these compounds may induce lasting and behaviorally meaningful neuroplasticity changes in the prefrontal cortex.”

Measuring Cognitive Flexibility

Figure 1. Experimental timeline and overview. (A) Experimental timeline. (B) Schematic of the SEQFR2-forward protocol. Mice have to sequentially poke left and then right within 30 s to earn a reward pellet. (C) Schematic of the SEQFR2-reversal protocol. Mice now are required to poke right and then left within 30 s to get a reward pellet. (Image Credit: Omar J Ahmed)

In the experiments, researchers treated mice with a single dose of a potent hallucinogen called 25CN-NBOH. That chemical binds very specifically to a serotonin receptor, then activates it. Serotonin receptors are often associated with depression.

Mice treated with the compound performed better than the mice that were not. The improvements lasted two to three weeks following administration. The results were similar in both male and female mice.

The researchers essentially tested how well they could adapt to changes in rules required to perform a particular task. Such tests are considered standard ways to measure what scientists call “cognitive flexibility” — the ability to try new approaches to accomplish the same job.

The mice treated with the psychedelic showed a better ability to adapt than ones who received a saline solution instead. The psychedelic mice also performed their tasks both more efficiently and more accurately.

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Iowa House Passes Bill To Legalize Medical Use Of Psilocybin

The Iowa House passed legislation Monday to legalize the use of psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in “magic mushrooms,” for psychiatric treatment through a state program.

House File 978, passed 84–6, would establish a Psilocybin Production Establishment Licensing Board within the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), operating in a similar fashion to the existing Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board that oversees Iowa’s medical cannabis program. The board would grant licenses for the production and administration of products with psilocybin to people with certain mental health needs in the state.

The bill also sets new requirements for who can access the substance, including an age 21 restriction and limit of 5,000 patients who can be recommended psilocybin treatment.

Rep. John Wills (R-Spirit Lake), the floor manager for the bill, said he would not have guessed that he would be involved in a bill on psilocybin before this year because “it’s just not something that I’m into.” But he said after learning more about the effectiveness of psilocybin treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he believed the program will help people suffering in Iowa, like military veterans, law enforcement officers and other groups that face high rates of PTSD.

He said the bill requires people to receive psilocybin in a clinical environment with psychiatric support. In this environment, he said, the drug has been shown to allow people to “relive” their trauma in a controlled, safe space, and be able to resolve or lessen the impacts of PTSD. Wills said he believes this method could help address the high suicide rates of veterans and others suffering from the disorder, and offers a better alternative to other forms of PTSD treatment currently available.

“I will tell you, right now the only option these veterans have, the only option these people with PTSD have, is to be on mind-altering, life-altering drugs for the rest of their life,” Wills said.

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Texas Lawmakers Take Up Bills To Expedite Access To Psychedelic Therapy

A Texas House committee took testimony on Monday about two bills designed to prepare the state to provide swift access to therapeutic psychedelics in the event of approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

One measure, HB 4014, would establish a state-backed study, in collaboration with university researchers, on the use of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders such as PTSD and depression. It would direct officials at the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to make subsequent recommendations “to ensure patient access to psychedelic therapies” following FDA approval.

The other bill, HB 4813, would dictate that substances reclassified under federal law be similarly controlled under state law.

Members of the House Committee on Public Health heard from sponsors and public commenters at Monday’s hearing but did not take action on either bill.

Supporters said the proposals would work together to minimize delays to military veterans and others who stand to benefit from the potentially life-saving therapy.

“This is going to happen. This is coming,” Rep. John Bucy III (D), sponsor of HB 4014, said of what many described as impending FDA approval of psychedelic therapy. “This is the study bill to make sure we’re ready when it comes to implement.”

Bucy’s measure would establish a state-backed study into the use of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders, such as PTSD and depression, in consultation with researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy.

The project would include an assessment of clinical trials and published literature into the efficacy of psychedelics—specifically MDMA, psilocybin and ketamine—as a treatment PTSD, depression and other mental health disorders.

Officials would also review FDA actions around the therapies, evaluate treatment guidelines and make recommendations to eventually ensure legal access for Texas patients.

In a subsequent report, due by December 1, 2026, DSHS would need to “recommend legislative or other actions necessary to ensure patient access to psychedelic therapies following approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration, including considerations of provider availability, affordability, accessibility, training and licensure, and other regulatory requirements.”

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Mental Health “Experts” FEAR Secretary Kennedy’s Investigation into Psychiatric Drugging

Within a few weeks of Donald Trump’s inauguration, the President signed an Executive Order establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA), which, among other things, will be “assessing the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants and weight-loss drugs.” In other words, officialdom finally is looking at the out-of-control unscientific chemical experimentation used to address unwanted behaviors.

Alert the media! Get Megyn Kelly on the phone! Finally, a governmental body will be looking into the serious risks associated with prescription mind-altering drugs. It’s decades in the making. But, as they say, “better late than never.” It was no surprise then that within a month of that announcement the mental health industry was none too pleased and released a “joint statement” about the wonders of its mind-altering chemical elixirs.

According to the statement, “these drugs provide relief for many young people enabling them to participate fully in treatment, school, social activities, and family life — all key aspects of healthy development.” Utter nonsense.

“Healthy development?” There is no such thing as the decades-long touted “chemical imbalance.” That theory finally got debunked in 2022 research published by Professor Joanna Moncrieff and Dr. Mark Horowitz. So, since it’s clear that people are not “short” on certain brain chemicals as a reason for depression, then why are those chemicals being prescribed as “treatment?” And, make no mistake, lots and lots of Americans are being drugged.

According to data gathered in 2020 by IQVIA (Formerly IMS Health) and made public by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) in January of 2021, nearly 77 million Americans are taking at least one prescription psychiatric drug. The breakdown of who is drugged is jaw dropping crazy. There were more than 85 thousand 0–1-year-olds, nearly 140,000 2–3-year-olds, 215,000 4- to five-year-olds, two-and-a-half million 6–12-year-olds and more than three million 13–17-year-olds taking psychiatric mind-altering drugs every day.

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Chairman of Assassination Task Force Touts Mental Health Bill, While Withholding Mental Health Information About Alleged Shooter

Congressman Mike Kelly—the lawmaker blocking access to critical documents about the Butler assassination attempt—must not be allowed to advance a bill that ignores glaring conflicts of interest in behavioral health linked to the Butler, PA assassination attempt of President Trump. KILL THE BILL: HR 2085

Key Connections Being Hidden:

  • Crooks’ Parents & Behavioral Health Influence: Investigative documents withheld by Kelly’s office may reveal ties between Thomas Crooks’ parents (behavioral health “experts”) and entities like Genesis HealthCare, which employed Crooks at its Bethel Park facility.
  • Genesis HealthCare’s Reach: A major behavioral health and nursing home provider, Genesis has subsidiaries spanning 19 states and investors linked to behavioral health tech firms.

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP represented Genesis in these matters. What is stunning about the law firm that rescued Bethel Skilled Nursing home from Department of Justice inquiries was that Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP is deeply entrenched in the psychiatric drug sector.

The firm has extensive ties to pharmaceutical companies. In fact, the firm handled one of the largest psychotropic drug settlements in United States history in 2017, M.B. v. Tidball, on behalf of a group of nonprofits that the firm also just happens to represent.

The results of this insider settlement by vested stakeholders, psychotropic drugging continues to skyrocket. Big Pharma and the Behavioral Health Industrial Complex was able to walk away from any accountability without losing access to children in State care.

  • AGR Building Investors: The AGR Building is reportedly tied to stakeholders in behavioral health technology—a sector incentivized by bills like H.R. 2085, which lacks ethical guardrails.

Roper Technologies retains a 49% minority stake in Indicor, the industrial company that owns the AGR Building in Butler, PA, through its subsidiary AGR International.

Simultaneously, Roper is aggressively expanding into behavioral health with its pending $1.65 billion acquisition of CentralReach, a leading provider of cloud-based software for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy serving autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD).

CentralReach is projected to generate $175 million in revenue and $75 million in EBITDA for the fiscal year ending June 2026, reflecting Roper’s focus on high-growth, tech-enabled healthcare solutions.

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New Mexico Governor Signs Bill To Create Psilocybin Therapy Program, Legalizing Medical Use Of The Psychedelic

New Mexico’s governor has signed a bill into law to establish a therapeutic psilocybin program in the state.

Weeks after the proposal from Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D) advanced through the legislature, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) gave it final approval on Monday.

The Medical Psilocybin Act will allow patients with certain qualifying conditions to access the psychedelic and use it under the guidance of a licensed healthcare provider.

The measure says the purpose “is to allow the beneficial use of psilocybin in a regulated system for alleviating qualified medical conditions,” including major treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, substance use disorders and end-of-life care. The state Department of Health would be able to approve additional conditions.

Under the newly signed legislation, psilocybin therapy will consist of a preparation session, an administration session and a follow-up integration session.

The state health department will be responsible for establishing guidelines around training for clinicians and producers, including dosage, approved settings for administration, production and storage protocols and other best practices. State officials will also license producers to grow mushrooms and process psilocybin.

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Nevada Lawmakers Discuss Plan To Create Psychedelic Therapy Pilot Program

A Nevada bill that would create a psychedelic therapy pilot program for military veterans and first responders had its first committee hearing on Wednesday. Lawmakers heard testimony from reform advocates, veterans and their families and members of a state Psychedelic Medicines Working Group, which late last year called on lawmakers to establish a system for regulated access.

The legislation, AB 378, was filed March 10 by Assemblymember Max Carter (D) and 18 other cosponsors. Under the proposal, the state would establish an Alternative Therapy Pilot Program under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The program would allow the medically supervised use of psychedelics including psilocybin, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline, specifically among military veterans and first responders with certain mental health conditions.

While the Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services didn’t act on the legislation at Wednesday’s hearing, they took testimony and asked questions of some speakers.

Carter, speaking to the panel, said that psychedelic therapy—involving ketamine, which is not part of the current bill—helped him overcome “profound, deep grief, treatment-resistant depression” and complex post-traumatic stress disorder after the traumatic death of his wife.

He explained that the pilot program would focus on first responders and military veterans because “those are demographics that everybody can identify with, but more importantly, they’re ones with accelerated—or exacerbated—suicide rates.”

“When we come back here in two years,” Carter told colleagues, “my belief is this will be mainstream therapy.”

Notably, no members of the public at Wednesday’s hearing spoke in opposition to the proposal, nor did any offer neutral comments.

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Depression and Anxiety Affect Millions of People. For Big Pharma, It’s a Big Profit Opportunity

According to the World Health Organization, mental health conditions are one of the biggest health challenges globally, affecting over 450 million people worldwide.

Depression and anxiety are the most common, impacting nearly 30% of adolescents worldwide and ranking as the 13th and 24th leading causes of disability respectively.

In today’s medical system, antidepressants are still the primary treatment for depression and anxiety, making up 75% of all prescriptions for these conditions.

While antidepressant dispensing was already on the rise, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about an even greater increase. Between January 2016 and December 2022, research shows a 66.3% increase in monthly antidepressant dispensing rates.

Today, despite growing concerns about their safety, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) — such as Citalopram, Fluoxetine, Sertraline and Mirtazapine — continue to be widely prescribed across all age groups.

This raises important questions about their long-term impact and whether the medical model that prioritizes medication is truly the best approach.

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Texas Senator Files Bill To Support Research On Psychedelic Therapy For PTSD And Depression

A Texas senator has introduced a bill to require studies on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in the treatment of serious mental health conditions.

Sen. César Blanco (D) filed the legislation on Friday. It aims to facilitate the studies—which would be conducted by medical schools at two Texas universities—to better understand the possible benefits of psychedelics for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

Researchers at Baylor University and the University of Texas at Austin would be tasked with researching the existing scientific literature around psychedelics, actions made by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and potential strategies to provide access to the novel medicines.

The study would involve an evaluation of “patient access to current treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other co-occurring conditions and recommend legislative or other actions necessary to ensure patient access to psychedelic therapies following approval” by FDA, “including considerations of provider availability, affordability, accessibility, training and licensure, and other regulatory requirements.”

Substances within the scope of the review include psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine, according to the bill’s text.

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