Research Underway Into Medical Benefits Of Psychedelic Drugs

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – After years of inactivity due to the war on drugs, research has resumed into the possible medical benefits of psychedelic drugs.

In some ways, we know a good deal about psychedelic drugs. In other ways, we're just beginning.

"There was a whole wave of research into beneficial uses of psychedelic drugs in the 1950s and 1960s," said Don Lattin, a Bay Area journalist and author of the book "The Harvard Psychedelic Club."

Lattin said there was evidence that psychedelics could be a valuable tool when used in conjunction with psychotherapy.

"We're not talking about people just taking these drugs on their own. We're talking about with trained guides and therapists and treating things like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction to alcohol and other drugs," Lattin explained to KCBS.

But between nefarious experiments conducted by the military and wild drug use in the '60s, the research was dropped by the 70s and 80s.

That's all beginning to change, especially when it comes to addiction treatment.

"They're treating the underlying psychological and emotional issues which can cause people to become addicts. And a lot of people are having what you might call spiritual experiences or spiritual revelations on these drugs," Lattin said.

Research is currently underway at Johns Hopkins, NYU and UCLA.