June 22nd–June 28th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Cer tifications 33 Magic Mushrooms $5 million in grants puts Arizona on the cutting edge of natural psilocybin research. BY GERI KOEPPEL W ith $5 million in funding, Arizona is on the cusp of becoming the first state to publicly fund research into magic mushrooms in the hopes of better understanding the medical benefits of natural psilocybin on post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, long COVID- 19, depression and other conditions. The funding and research is part of a growing nationwide move toward demysti- fying, studying and decriminalizing psychedelic drugs. Not only is Arizona the first state to publicly fund research into natural psilo- cybin, but the studies will be the first clin- ical trials on whole mushrooms, rather than synthetic or single-molecule psilo- cybin, to better mimic what people actually ingest, experts said. “There’s never been a single controlled study on the planet looking at whole mush- rooms, which is what people are taking day-to-day,” said Sue Sisley, a doctor and president of the nonprofit Field to Healed Foundation, which conducts studies on plant medicines and psychedelics. Its affil- iate, Scottsdale Research Institute, holds a Drug Enforcement Administration license to grow magic mushrooms and cannabis and to produce LSD. “This deserves to be studied in an objec- tive and controlled environment so we can know more and know what is the poten- tial” of natural psilocybin, Sisley said. “They’re getting some interesting, impres- sive results from the synthetic molecule, but people in real life are eating whole mushrooms and describing transformative experiences.” Sisley helped draft legislation that would provide $30 million for natural psilocybin research. But HB 2486, a bipar- tisan effort sponsored by Rep. Kevin Payne, a Republican who represents portions of north Phoenix and Glendale, stalled in the House in January. So supporters of the research lobbied to include $5 million in funding in the state’s nearly $18 billion budget, which takes effect in July. That effort was successful. Some 12 years ago, Sisley started researching how cannabis might help mili- tary veterans with pain and PTSD. She discovered that psilocybin helped patients in ways that weed didn’t because it gets at the root of the issue rather than simply treating the symptoms. Although there’s no scientific proof yet, patient experience suggests that in addi- tion to pain and PTSD, mushrooms help treat addiction, anxiety, eating disorders, long COVID and chronic pain. “I think the big, untold story is about the anti-inflammatory capability,” Sisley said. “Inflammation is the pathogenesis of most conditions,” such as arthritis and migraines. “Patients at the end of life need to have access to plant medicine and psychedelics to come closer to a good death. That’s part of my life’s work. I call it ‘psychedelic hospice,” she added. It could be a long road before psilocybin is available at all, Sisley said. She noted that the $5 million in grants is only enough for two or three small phase-one studies, and it will probably be a couple of years until they’re underway. Scottsdale Research Institute plans to apply for a grant, which should be awarded in early 2024. In the meantime, legal ketamine- assisted psychotherapy clinics offer similar treatment for many of the same conditions psilocybin seems to address. Chris Cohn, CEO and founder of Daytryp Health and Wellness in Phoenix, used to run a tradi- tional recovery center but was disap- pointed in the low success rate. After trying psilocybin therapy himself in Oregon, it helped with his depression. “I found it very profound. It helped me dramatically in terms of how I was feeling about myself,” Cohn said. “And I realized I wanted to be in the psychedelics business to offer these types of therapies to the masses.” As with psilocybin, Cohn explained, the therapy is monitored. “The ketamine allows you to revisit the trauma in a peaceful and spiritual way. The medicine does the heavy lifting.” Sisley said she hoped the studies funded by the grants will examine the whole treat- ment process. “It’s not like mushrooms are the treat- ment. They just give people the capability to explore the problem for the first time,” she said. | CANNABIS | The medical benefits of magic mushrooms are getting serious attention thanks to new state funding. Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images
