latimes: Turn on, tune in and get better? Hallucinogens and other street drugs are increasingly being studied for legitimate therapeutic uses, such as helping patients deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, chronic pain, depression and even terminal illness. A drug can’t be dismissed because of a dangerous reputation or colorful history, Bedi said, if trials demonstrate that it is safe and can benefit patients. Photo: UCLA psychiatrist Charles Grob led a team that found psilocybin improved the mood of patients with “existential anxiety” related to advanced-stage cancer. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

latimes:

Turn on, tune in and get better? Hallucinogens and other street drugs are increasingly being studied for legitimate therapeutic uses, such as helping patients deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, chronic pain, depression and even terminal illness.

A drug can’t be dismissed because of a dangerous reputation or colorful history, Bedi said, if trials demonstrate that it is safe and can benefit patients.

Photo: UCLA psychiatrist Charles Grob led a team that found psilocybin improved the mood of patients with “existential anxiety” related to advanced-stage cancer. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

(Source: Los Angeles Times)