The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is stepping up efforts to combat the rising tide of methamphetamine addiction by funding a $2.4 million study to explore the potential of psychedelics as a treatment.

According to Marijuana Moment, this five-year grant, provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), will support collaborative research by experts from the University of California San Diego (UCSD), Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Shreveport and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW).

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Methamphetamine: A Worsening Crisis

This initiative comes in response to a sharp increase in meth-related deaths. Between 2015 and 2022, fatal overdoses involving meth and other psychostimulants rose nearly fivefold.

In 2022 alone, these substances claimed over 34,000 lives, a dramatic increase from just under 6,000 deaths in 2015. Methamphetamine now dominates overdose deaths in parts of the U.S. South and West, surpassing even opioids.

"There are currently no pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine addiction," explained John McCorvy, a professor at MCW and a key recipient of the grant. "The project's findings could ultimately pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to treat stimulant use disorder, impacting the lives of so many who are coping with addiction."

The Promise Of Psychedelics To Treat Addiction

The study aims to determine whether psychedelics, such as psilocybin, could offer a new way to treat meth addiction.

Researchers will focus on understanding how these substances work at a molecular level, which could lead to developing new drugs that harness the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics without causing intense psychoactive experiences.

"Psychedelics appear to have significant therapeutic activity against different types of substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders," said Adam Halberstadt, director of the UCSD Center for Psychedelic Research.

However, he noted that "existing psychedelics induce intensive psychoactive effects and can also induce side effects in some individuals, complicating the clinical use of these substances and restricting their widespread application."

The research will pay particular attention to the serotonin receptor 5-HT2A, a key player in the psychedelic effects of these substances.

"Our research aims to unravel the precise mechanisms through which psychedelics influence the 5-HT2A receptor," McCorvey added. "Understanding that could lead to lessening their psychoactive effect and open the door to new treatments.

This grant is part of a broader push to explore psychedelics’ potential in treating substance use disorders. Previous studies have shown promise, such as a 2022 study that found psilocybin-assisted therapy could reduce heavy drinking in people with alcohol use disorder.

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