LAUSR

Classic psychedelics are a loosely grouped class of drugs that activate serotonin 5HT2A receptors to induce complex behavioral, psychological, and physiological effects [1]; 5HT2A agonism induces the hallucinogenic experiences that distinguish psychedelics [2] while pre-medicating with a 5HT2A antagonist, such as ketanserin, prevents them [3,4]. In the 1950s and 1960s, after Albert Hoffman’s discovery of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin (the chemical component of ‘magic mushrooms’), these compounds were used as experimental treatments in over 100 clinical trials including over 40,000 participants with mental and substance use disorders [5,6]. The results of these initial studies, and mainstream media, heralded psychedelics as a promising treatment for substance use disorders, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [5]. However, scientific momentum stalled when social and political forces constrained supply of these compounds for research before their ban by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances in 1971.