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Comment by WalterGR | Hacker News Reader

There has been more research into psychedelics in the past 5 years than in the preceding 5 years. Johns Hopkins, one of the top medical schools in the US, opened a research center dedicated to psychedelics last year. Moreover, they report

“In 2000, the psychedelic research group at Johns Hopkins was the first to achieve regulatory approval in the U.S. to reinitiate research with psychedelics in healthy volunteers who had never used a psychedelic. Their 2006 publication on the safety and enduring positive effects of a single dose of psilocybin sparked a renewal of psychedelic research worldwide.”

More US states are legalizing possession of so-called magic mushrooms.

I’m not seeing a conspiracy here.

(It’s also worth pointing out that academic research isn’t “the media.”)

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Who is funding this "research"? Academic research is as susceptible to influence-by-money as much as anyone else.

A recent relevant example is Purdue Pharma: https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-purdue-pharma-medi...

Who is funding this "research"?

I don’t know. I’m not seeing any malfeasance and I don’t think research into psychedelics is innately immoral or improper, so I’m not motivated to check the institution’s funding sources. You can probably find this out fairly easily.

Why do you put the word research in scare quotes? Do you not personally approve of the research, or do you have evidence that the research methodology or conclusions are problematic?

As I said above, academic research is as susceptible to influence-by-money as anything else. As the parent commenter pointed out, there is a lot more of this being published, and there is a monetary benefit for certain firms to have new types of drugs to introduce and sell. And as I also pointed out, large corporations have funded publications, news coverage, and research that help change the public perception and discussion around things previously less-accepted.

With all the above (more uncharitably, since actors have the means, motive, and opportunity), we should certainly be skeptical when we notice this happening and not hand-wave it away.

It's mostly because the feds have been lightening up on forbidding the research and in granting permission to do it. See also state governments as more evidence comes to light that they just might help (significantly) various neurological issues, particularly depression and anxiety.

To be clear only Oregon has legalized "magic mushrooms" in the U.S.

A bit misleading to say most states or a few states have legalized it.

Sure other states are researching it, but that's a long way from state sanctioned legalization.

I wish everyone in the states had access to it, sadly that's just not the current reality here today. States could benefit economically like most have from legalization of marijuana, billions of dollars to be made.

You’re right - apologies. I thought Colorado had at least decriminalized possession but I remembered incorrectly.

In addition to Oregon, no states have, but some cities have.

“ The movement to decriminalize psilocybin in the United States began in the late 2010s, with Denver, Colorado, becoming the first city to decriminalize psilocybin in May 2019. The cities of Oakland and Santa Cruz, California, followed suit and decriminalized psilocybin in June 2019 and January 2020, respectively.”

You’re right. I thought Colorado had at least decriminalized possession but I remembered incorrectly. My mistake.

In addition to Oregon, no states have, but some cities have.

“The movement to decriminalize psilocybin in the United States began in the late 2010s, with Denver, Colorado, becoming the first city to decriminalize psilocybin in May 2019. The cities of Oakland and Santa Cruz, California, followed suit and decriminalized psilocybin in June 2019 and January 2020, respectively.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin_decriminalization...

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