DMT, or N,N-dimethyltryptamine is a strong anesthetic. DMT, like its sister drug drugs (LSD, MDMA, psilocybin…even marijuana), is a Schedule I controlled substance. And therefore according to For the DEA, the potential for abuse is high and it has no medical use. Also, according to the DEA, “Human experience likely dates back several hundred years since the use of DMT has been associated with a number of religious practices and rituals.” In fact, DMT is the active ingredient in ayahuasca and has been used by indigenous communities in the Amazon region for centuries; Here, the past few decades have seen a revival in the use of DMT and/or ayahuasca ceremonies by non-native people.
Despite its dubious distinction as a Schedule I drug, DMT is increasingly a subject of study for its potential efficacy in treating a wide range of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This research – as with psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, ibogaine, etc. – is expanding rapidly as several neuropharmaceutical companies appear to be among the first potential revolutionary treatments on the market.
Just last month, Small Pharma, a neuropharmaceutical company, announced that it had received an innovation passport from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for one of its DMT products to treat major depressive disorder. This designation is similar to the US Food and Drug Administration’s rapid approval process. In fact, Small Pharma has conducted experiments such as mentioned It was approved by the BBC and expanded its clinical trial last summer.
In September, the Nikean Foundation announced a $5 million gift to establish the Psychedelic Therapy Research Center at the University of Toronto. Several months ago, Canada-based Algernon Pharmaceuticals submitted a request to US regulators to launch a clinical program to study the use of DMT to treat stroke-related dysfunction. Last July, researchers published A study on the use of DMT to treat veterans of US Special Forces operations with promising results. And of course, the Interdisciplinary Association for Narcotic Studies (“MAPS”) has been leading the mission since 1986. MAPS completed a study on DMT in 2013 working with renowned physician and author, Gabor Mate, who have worked to recover from trauma (see In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction) Basic reading.
But the paths from research and clinical trials to the actual use of DMT and other drugs as therapeutic methods are a tortuous one. we’ve got Mason Marks He wrote in an interview he co-authored Article – Commodity for nature Anesthetic therapy: a roadmap for wider acceptance and use, the status of Schedule I drugs means that federal funding for research is virtually non-existent. Other drawbacks to their use include the rush to obtain patents for different compounds as this may limit access to these emerging treatments. And, of course, changing the perception towards accepting drug use after five decades of a campaign to discredit any and all use.
Oregon embarks on a major trial when it comes to psilocybin. It might have seemed impossible even five years ago. So perhaps the use of DMT and other psychedelic drugs to treat America’s mental health crisis isn’t far off. But in the short term, it looks like other countries will overtake the United States by leaps and bounds due to our federal government’s refusal to end the failed war on drugs. So perhaps the rising ‘medical tourism’ trade from the US will soon include ‘mental health tourism’.
For additional reading on cannabinoids, microdoses, and related topics, see:
