PSILOCYBIN OCCURS NATURALLY.
It’s found in more than 200 species of Basidiomycetes fungi, collectively known as psilocybin mushrooms, found around the world. The chemical can also be synthetically produced and administered in standardized dosages, the form generally used in clinical settings.
IT CAN MITIGATE MULTIPLE CONDITIONS.
Psilocybin, well-known for its “mind expanding” effects, has also been shown to improve an array of maladies. These include post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans and first responders, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, migraines, and alcohol and tobacco use disorders. If taken properly, psilocybin can connect detached neurotransmitters, which send messages between nerves in the brain, promoting mood stability, concentration, and mental well-being.
BUT PROMISING RESEARCH WAS HALTED.
According to the American Society for Microbiology, trials showing the efficacy of psilocybin were conducted in the 1960s. However, research funding bottomed out after the compound, along with other psychedelics like LSD and mescaline, was designated a Schedule 1 drug by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as part of the war on drugs.
IT WORKS BY ACTIVATING SEROTONIN RECEPTORS.
Depending on the person and dosage, psilocybin can cause euphoria, changes in perception, perceived spiritual experiences, and feelings of detachment, among other effects. These aren’t due to psilocybin itself but to its metabolization upon ingestion, which produces its active form, psilocin. Psilocin activates serotonin 5-HT2a receptors on cortical pyramidal cells in the brain. These cells are “the major computational units of the brain and where everything comes together. [They help us] put together our picture of what reality is,” says David Nichols, a professor emeritus at Purdue University School of Pharmacy who has been studying them for decades. “By activating these receptors, psilocin … influences cognitive function and perception.”
PSILOCYBIN MUST BE TAKEN UNDER A PHYSICIAN’SCARE.
Taking psilocybin mushrooms with a doctor’s supervision is usually quick and simple. The mushrooms may be eaten fresh or dried, but psilocybin is bitter, so patients usually mix it in with food or steep it as tea.
HOOSIER EXPERIENCES INSPIRED SENATE BILL139.
According to Indiana State Senator Ed Charbonneau of District 5, who authored the bill along with Senator Tyler Johnson of District 14 (both Republicans), it was testimony from Hoosier participants in established clinical research that gave birth to the idea of allowing the use of mushrooms in the state for medical purposes. The committee heard from a person afflicted with cluster headaches—called “suicide headaches” by some sufferers—who participated in a study at Yale University. After the second treatment utilizing the mushrooms, a 475-day run of headaches was broken. Another Indiana resident living with debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder testified before the committee that after his second mushroom treatment in a study at Johns Hopkins University, his symptoms all but disappeared.
YET, IT SOON DIED.
Public interest in SB 139 was high, at least partially because of the association the drug has with hippie counterculture, films, and TV. The bill passed the Senate and went on to the House. “Dr. Brad Barrett [a Republican from District 56 who is chairman of the House’s Public Health Committee] heard the compelling testimony and got on board, so the bill passed his commit-tee and went on to the Ways and Means Committee,” says Charbonneau. “And like so many other bills, there it died.”
BUT SUPPORTERS DIDN’T GIVE UP.
Proponents decided to try to piggyback SB 139’s language. Charbonneau and Barrett met weekly to scour legislation for germane bills and found a place in House Bill 1259, a healthcare bill aimed at increasing the number of nurses in Indiana. It passed on March 13.
DEEP POCKETS ARE NEEDED.
“This bill provides hope for many people who are in hopeless situations,” says Charbonneau. “But there is not a great deal of love for creating bills that aren’t funded.” The research will commence as soon as an entity with an interest in this type of treatment infuses the money. Charbonneau is not actively soliciting support from any individual or organization. While he is, of course, hopeful funding will come through, he notes, “I introduced this bill to create an opportunity. I wanted to elevate the discussion of what I thought was a very helpful treatment. I wanted to put a structure in place when money comes available.” That said, Charbonneau speculates there may be discussions regarding funding in the next budget session in January 2025.
THIS ISN’T ABOUT RECREATIONAL USE.
In their flower power heyday, recreational psychedelic mushrooms were called shrooms, Alice, and mushies. To be clear: That’s not what we’re talking about. “It will be very controlled. It will be conducted in research settings and has nothing to do with getting anything out on the street,” says Charbonneau.
MARIJUANA ISN’T LIKELY TO RIDE IN ON MUSHROOMS’ COATTAILS.
The question now on the minds of many is, “Does this mean medical marijuana is next?” Charbonneau is doubtful. He points to the benefits being anecdotal. “There have been no studies that show medical marijuana works.” A medical marijuana bill passing is “not close,” he says.
INDIANA IS PART OF A MOVEMENT.
No state has legalized psilocybin mushrooms for recreational consumption; only Oregon and Colorado have decriminalized them for medical use statewide. Eleven states aside from Indiana are also working on medical research approval in one form or another.
