The University of Michigan’s Medical School has received a $3.3 million grant to explore how Americans perceive and use psychedelics.
The grant funding was announced last week by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a part of the National Institutes of Health.What to know about psychedelic retreats, a booming business with few safety guardrails
Watchdog groups have noticed a rise in psychedelic use in recent years because of trends that claim they can help manage mental illnesses. Psychedelics are still a Schedule I substance according to federal law, but some states and cities have instituted policies “decriminalizing” them.
Psychedelics are a class of substances that alter perception and mood and impact several cognitive processes, mostly by affecting the brain’s serotonin receptors. Psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSD and mescaline are some of the most common ones. Unlike other drugs, many psychedelics are natural and do not lead to addiction.
Kevin Boehnke, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at U-M and the associate director of the Michigan Psychedelic Center, will lead the study. He believes hard science should be used to discern the truth.
“We need carefully designed clinical trials to fully understand the risks and benefits of these substances. But psychedelic policy is moving faster than the research base and enables access and use of these substances for both medical and nonmedical reasons,” Boehnke said in a university blog post.
“This study gives us a complementary way to understand trends in how people are thinking about and using these substances at a time when laws, regulations and access are rapidly changing across the country,” he continued.
The project plans to measure the nation’s attitude and perceptions of risk and benefits through four annual surveys.
It will also include a separate study on people who use psychedelics, how they used them and their notable health outcomes.
The Michigan Psychedelic Center launched in 2022 and is quickly growing a portfolio of research. George Mashour, the founding director of the MPC, said the NIH providing funding to study psychedelics is “rare.”
“We are now one of the very few centers in the U.S. with support across the translational spectrum, from fundamental neuroscience to large-scale community-engaged research,” Mashour said. “I am thrilled for Dr. Boehnke and excited about his national study.”