BLUE FOLDER ITEM
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CITY COUNCIL MEETING
JULY 23, 2024
P.1 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE LEGAL STATUS AND POSSIBLE
DECRIMINALIZATION OF PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS IN THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH • ARTICLE- 60 MINUTES: Psilocybin Sessions: Psychedelics could help people with addiction and anxiety
P.1. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE LEGAL STATUS AND POSSIBLE DECRIMINALIZATION OF
PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS IN THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH
60 Minutes: Psilocybin Sessions: Psychedelics could help people with addiction and anxiety The therapeutic potential of psilocybin: a systematic review Jan van Amsterdam & Wim van den Brink
Academisch Medisch Centrum Universiteit van Amsterdam | AMC, Department of Psychiatry MD PhD
Pages 833-840 | Received 17 Dec 2021, Accepted 25 Feb 2022, Published online: 02 Mar 2022 Abstract
Introduction
Psychedelic drugs were used quite extensively before their prohibition in 1968 which delayed research. However, since the 1990s, studies on the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics have rapidly increased.
Areas covered
This systematic review provides an overview of the clinical effects of psilocybin in the treatment of a variety of mental disorders. Only (randomized) clinical trials were selected. A total of 11 studies (15 publications) were selected, including seven randomized controlled trials (eight publications) and four single arm open-label studies (seven publications). In total, 488 patients were included in the selected studies: 333 patients treated with psilocybin and 155 patients treated with (active) placebo. In nine studies, psychotherapeutic support was provided as an integral part of the psilocybin treatment. The findings of these studies collectively show that psilocybin has a positive benefit–risk balance in the treatment of various mental disorders with an immediate and prolonged effect following 1–3 doses of psilocybin and a few (serious) adverse events.
Expert opinion
Psilocybin – mostly combined with psychotherapy or psychotherapeutic support – shows a promise as a treatment for various (treatment-resistant) mental disorders. Larger double-blind RCTs with objective (long-term) outcomes are needed to confirm these findings before standard clinical use of psilocybin can be considered.
Article highlights
The clinical development of psilocybin has been delayed by its scheduling as an illicit compound 10 studies (14 publications) on the therapeutic potential of psilocybin were selected in a systematic review The results collectively show that psilocybin has a high potential for the treatment of a variety of mental disorders
The effects of 1–3 doses of psilocybin are immediate and prolonged (1–6 months) Khan AJ, Bradley E, O'Donovan A, Woolley J. Psilocybin for Trauma-Related Disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2022;56:319-332. doi: 10.1007/7854_2022_366. PMID: 35711024.
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating, chronic disorder and efficacy rates of current PTSD treatments are underwhelming. There is a critical need for innovative approaches.
We provide an overview of trauma and PTSD and cite literature providing converging evidence of the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for PTSD. No study to date has investigated psilocybin or psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) as treatments for PTSD. An openlabel study in traumatized AIDS survivors found that PAP reduced PTSD symptoms, attachment anxiety, and demoralization.
Several PAP trials show preliminary efficacy in facilitating confronting traumatic memories, decreasing emotional avoidance, depression, anxiety, pessimism, and disconnection from others, and increasing acceptance, self-compassion, and forgiveness of abusers, all of which are relevant to PTSD recovery. There is also early evidence that other classic psychedelics may produce large reductions in PTSD symptoms in combat veterans. However, this body of literature is small, mechanisms are not yet well understood, and the risks of using psychedelic compounds for trauma-related disorders need further study. In sum, evidence supports further investigation of PAP as a radically new approach for treating PTSD.
Molecular Mechanisms of Psilocybin and Implications for the Treatment of Depression Susan Ling 1 2, Felicia Ceban 1 3, Leanna M W Lui 1, Yena Lee 1 3, Kayla M Teopiz 1, Nelson B Rodrigues 1, Orly Lipsitz 1, Hartej Gill 1, Mehala Subramaniapillai 1, Rodrigo B Mansur 1 4, Kangguang Lin 5 6, Roger Ho 7 8, Joshua D Rosenblat 1 4, David Castle 4 9, Roger S McIntyre 10 11 12 13 Affiliations expand
PMID: 34791625 DOI: 10.1007/s40263-021-00877-y
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Abstract
Therapeutic deficiencies with monoaminergic antidepressants invites the need to identify and develop novel rapid-acting antidepressants. Hitherto, ketamine and esketamine are identified as safe, well-tolerated rapidacting antidepressants in adults with treatment-resistant depression, and also mitigate measures of suicidality.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychoactive alkaloid and non-selective agonist at many serotonin receptors, especially at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, and is found in the Psilocybe genus of mushrooms. Preliminary studies with psilocybin have shown therapeutic promise across diverse populations including major depressive disorder. The pharmacodynamic mechanisms mediating the antidepressant and psychedelic effects of psilocybin are currently unknown but are thought to involve the modulation of the serotonergic system, primarily through agonism at the 5-HT2A receptors and downstream changes in gene expression. It is also established that indirect effects on dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems are contributory, as well as effects at other lower affinity targets. Along with the direct effects on neurochemical systems, psilocybin alters neural circuitry and key brain regions previously implicated in depression, including the default mode network and amygdala. The aim of this review is to synthesize the current understanding of the receptor pharmacology and neuronal mechanisms underlying the psychedelic and putative antidepressant properties of psilocybin.