Psychoactives

14 pages, 254 KiB

Open AccessReview

Regulatory Challenges of Integrating Psychedelics into Mental Health Sector

by Kerem Kemal Soylemez, Emma Marie de Boo and Joanne Lusher

Psychoactives 2025, 4(2), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/psychoactives4020011 - 22 Apr 2025

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Psychedelic substances have recently emerged as a promising method for treating mental health conditions, despite a history of stigmatization and restriction in use. The present review synthesizes existing literature on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA in addressing specific mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and addiction. On reviewing the existing literature, it became apparent that when administered in controlled settings with psychological support, psychedelics can induce profound psychological insights, leading to long-lasting and positive changes in mood, cognition, and behaviour. This review discusses the ethical, social, and regulatory challenges linked to using psychedelics within the mental health sector across different countries, and how these might influence societal beliefs towards their efficacy and use. Further research would be beneficial for eliciting a deeper understanding of the use of psychedelics in the field of mental health, leading to the development of standardized administration protocols and a thorough appreciation of societal implications and long-term outcomes. This review discusses the potential for psychedelics to revolutionize mental health treatment while underlining the urgent need for rigorous scientific inquiry on this topic and the ethical considerations surrounding the use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes. Full article

15 pages, 7964 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Brief but Concise History of the Discovery and Elucidation of the Structure of the Major Cannabinoids

by Lumír Ondřej Hanuš and Leonid N. Maslov

Psychoactives 2025, 4(2), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/psychoactives4020010 - 10 Apr 2025

Viewed by 191

Abstract

The history of cannabis research spans centuries, with a focus on isolating and understanding its active compounds. Although plants like opium and coca yielded active alkaloids relatively early, cannabis posed unique challenges due to its active substances existing in oily mixtures that were difficult to isolate. Early studies in the 19th century, such as Ferdinand Tscheppe’s 1821 research, debunked claims of opioid-like substances in hemp, setting the stage for further exploration. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, key figures like Sir William Brooke O’Shaughnessy and Robert Sidney Cahn made significant contributions to the understanding of cannabis’s chemical components, though major breakthroughs were delayed due to technical limitations. In the 1940s, Ghosh and Adams independently elucidated the structure of cannabinol, marking the first cannabinoid identified from cannabis. Subsequent work, including Šantavý’s 1964 and Mechoulam and Gaoni’s 1964 identification of ∆⁹-THC, confirmed the psychoactive compound’s structure and absolute configuration. This article traces these incremental advancements, highlighting the critical role of each researcher’s contributions in piecing together the puzzle of cannabinoid chemistry. It underscores that scientific progress thrives on collaboration and shared knowledge. Full article

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10 pages, 550 KiB

Open AccessProtocol

The Use, Role, and Function of Music During Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) with Ayahuasca: A Scoping Review Protocol

by Guillermo Escobar-Cornejo, Fernando P. Cardenas, Diego Torres, Mario Valderrama and Mark Ettenberger

Psychoactives 2025, 4(2), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/psychoactives4020009 - 1 Apr 2025

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Abstract

Objective: To provide a state of the art on the use, role, and function of music during psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) with ayahuasca. Introduction: Ayahuasca is a medicinal brew with psychoactive qualities used by indigenous communities throughout the Amazon region, and music is deemed crucial during ayahuasca experiences. In PAT, music forms part of the set and setting, but it lacks systematization and is poorly explored in the scientific literature. Inclusion criteria: Published literature in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, focusing on conceptualizing, defining, or describing the use, role, and/or function of music in PAT sessions with ayahuasca. Methods: This review follows the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. We will search Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases without year restrictions, and a hand search of articles will be performed. Two reviewers will assess titles/abstracts, followed by independent reviews of included full texts. An Excel data extraction sheet will be used to tabulate the information. The findings will be presented narratively, including respective tables or figures. If feasible, a potential theoretical framework for the use, role, and function of music during PAT with ayahuasca will be outlined, including implications for future research and clinical practice. Full article

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20 pages, 1749 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shamanism and Psychoactives: Theory, Practice and Paradoxes of a Field Study in India

by Stefano Beggiora

Psychoactives 2025, 4(2), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/psychoactives4020008 - 1 Apr 2025

Viewed by 360

Abstract

Since its origins, the debate on the interaction between religions and psychoactives has been strongly influenced, both positively and negatively, by prejudices, policies, fashions and trends that had little to do with scientific research. Stigma and exaltation in different historical moments have equally characterized the study of the presence and use of so-called entheogens in the different declinations of the shamanic phenomenon around the world. This article attempts to shed light on the various trends regarding the state of the art, providing new epistemological elements on the basis of an ethnographic investigation among some Indigenous peoples of India. The production of alcoholic beverages (fermented and distilled, but sometimes in combination with other psychoactive or hallucinogens among the starters) is a fundamental trait of the aboriginal (ādivāsī) cultures of the Indian subcontinent. Not immune from an attempt at political instrumentalization, which occurred both in the colonial period and in the contemporary era, the discourse on the natural production of these sacred substances is today the key to understanding indigenous ontology and its traditional idea of sustainability. Far beyond the mere documentation of the induction of altered states of consciousness, this investigation involves the discovery of local pharmacopeias, as well as principles of fermentation and food preservation. Full article

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Psychoactives, Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2025) – 4 articles

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