Federal Money To Support Research On Psychedelics As Alternative To Pills For Chronic Pain Among The Elderly
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently said it will fund clinical trials on examining the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy in older adults with chronic pain. According to NIH's Wednesday notice, it intends to direct $8.4 million toward research on "classic" psychedelics such as psilocybin, N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and mescaline, as well as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The funding notice also highlighted that roughly 40% of older Americans said they've been living with chronic pain caused by musculoskeletal conditions, neuropathies and cancer. Interestingly the document highlighted that cannabis and ketamine are not "considered psychedelic agents" for the purpose.
