The Special Committee on Drugs, chaired by MK Ram Shefa, today (Tuesday) held its first discussion of its kind on the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms (the active substance psilocybin) in mental and medical treatments.
During the discussion, Dr. Keren Tzarfati, CEO of Zero, a research institute and treatment using hallucinogenic mushrooms, announced that the institute, headed by her, is promoting research, during which psychotherapeutic treatment will be combined with hallucinogenic mushrooms in the Department of Eating Disorders at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer. According to her, the ethics approvals for the treatment have already been received and are now in the process of importing the drug.
“A full dose of mushrooms provides an 8-5 hour session. No problem with a bad trip. This is an opportunity to process the difficulties, provided of course it is held and treated properly. There is no physiological addiction. It is an experience full of pain and difficult memories, and that is what we mean. This is not an experience. “It’s fun, but a meaningful experience. Studies that the FDA has declared to be groundbreaking indicate significant help in treating these substances with major depression,” said Dr. French.
The committee’s chairman, MK Shefa, emphasized in the discussion: “Our intention is solely to assist and promote research as much as it will be useful, and indeed evidence is beginning to emerge. This should not be seen as an offer to experiment with the material independently and unsupervised.”
MK Alon Tal: “This is a historic and courageous debate. More and more studies are revealing significant health benefits that hallucinogenic mushrooms have. “The state of Oregon in the United States already allows for free consumption. The use of a treatment framework expands awareness and takes the person out of his narrow thinking. Suggests addressing the issue with an open mind.”
The head of mental trauma treatment at the Ministry of Health, Bella Ben Gershon: “We encourage clinical studies and the construction of a mechanism that will enable the provision of treatments in the most controlled manner, including compassionate care.”
Dr. Yaron Dekel, Scientific Director at the Shamir Institute for Research: “In the past year alone, 207 scientific articles have been published on the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in treatment. In the early 2000s they were not published at all. “However, he noted that” we are at the beginning of the road in terms of understanding the molecularness of the processes, how it affects us. ”
Hagai Brosh, director of treatment and rehabilitation at the Ministry of Homeland Security, warned: “Care must be taken to keep it in a very supervised medical clinical setting, and not to create a false grip among teens and young people who have a miracle cure here, and then use hallucinogenic mushrooms freely. Psychoactive and very harmful. ”