News & Research

Some suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have had little relief from traditional anti-depressants; now, a recent FDA-approved trial using MDMA – a.k.a. ecstasy – has shown promising results.

Jon Lubecky was desperate when he signed up for a clinical trial testing a new type of therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, one that included the use of a psychedelic drug called MDMA, known on the street as “ecstasy” and “molly.” Tortured by memories from his tours in Iraq, the retired army sergeant had attempted suicide five times. Now he saw the possibility that he could get past those memories so that his son would have “a father instead of a folded flag.”

Jose Martinez, a former Army gunner whose right arm and both legs were blown off by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, has a new calling: He’s become one of the most effective lobbyists in a campaign to legalize the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs across the country.

From approving religious exemptions to budgeting for medical research, advocates are hopeful that Biden and a Democratic Congress could mean progress for psilocybin and other therapeutic psychedelics. Psychedelic reform isn’t exactly President Joe Biden’s top priority. But as his administration and the new congress gets underway, advocates are hopeful that the next four years will continue to bring policy changes that chip away at the federal prohibition of psilocybin, MDMA, and other psychedelics.

Jose Martinez, a former Army gunner whose right arm and both legs were blown off by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, has a new calling: He’s become one of the most effective lobbyists in a campaign to legalize the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs across the country.