The first wave of psychedelic exploration in the U.S. surged after American seekers were introduced to the traditional use of psilocybin mushrooms by members of the indigenous Mazatec culture of southern Mexico in the late 1950's. The molecule psilocybin was first isolated from these mushrooms in 1958. Psilocybin has become one of the major focus areas of modern psychedelic research.
"We should be clear that psilocybin is not without risks of harm, which are greater in recreational than medical settings, but relatively speaking, looking at other drugs both legal and illegal, it comes off as being the least harmful in different surveys and across different countries," says Matthew W. Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Psilocybin mushrooms continue to play a major role in the current psychedelic movement and their use has now been decriminalized in the states of Oregon and Colorado, as well as in a growing number of American cities, despite their continued Class 1 scheduling status with the DEA.
Due to promising clinical research, like MDMA, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy has also been given breakthrough therapy status by the FDA, for the treatment of depression. FDA-approval for psilocybin-based treatment may likely be forthcoming. Currently access to therapeutic use of psilocybin is only available through participation in FDA-approved clinical research trials.
