“They give you keys to unlock doors containing knowledge you already possess.
Ben Strahan thought he had lost the will to live. After an exhausting year as a Reno-based wildland firefighter dealing with COVID pandemic and an extreme fire season that year.
“My central nervous system was overtaxed,” says he, noting his absence from family for 20 months and feeling fatigued as a result of being away for so long.
Strahan had recently been promoted to supervise a “hotshot crew,” the firefighters responsible for fighting some of the country’s hottest and most complex wildfires. It was his dream job; he could handle high-stakes pressure – including that year’s one million-acre fire in Mendocino, California – but after fire season had subsided he began grappling with internal demons and unaddressed trauma that surfaced from within himself.
“On that chilly winter morning, sitting on the edge of my bed, with sun streaming through windows and heat on my back felt amazing,” recalls Heitfeldt. “Like every other morning I would put on running shoes as an outlet against any struggles that came my way – in that instant though I chose to put a gun to my head and pull its trigger.”
“Thankfully for me,” Strahan recalls, “the gun didn’t go off.” This moment served as a wakeup call; he knew something needed to change but was reluctant to use antidepressants due to potential unpleasant side effects and prolonged use.
So he set about researching alternative treatment methods and eventually came upon something advertised as nonaddictive and promising near instant results: psychedelic medicine.
“[Drugs] used to give me anxiety,” says Robert. “Now that my situation has reached rock-bottom, however, and my life feels hopeless enough that something has to change – or at least try.”
Strahan is not alone; many more people are turning to psychedelics for treatments of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction – with his being no exception – yet having to travel overseas in search of this medication.
That is because psychedelic-assisted therapy is currently illegal almost everywhere in the U.S. Nevertheless, momentum exists within some states to legalize certain psychedelics–namely psilocybin, an ingredient often called magic mushrooms.
Nevada is currently making strides toward legalizing psychedelic-assisted therapy, where at least two bills relating to this subject will likely be introduced into its Legislature this session that started February 3 and runs through early June.
Jon Dalton is a retired Navy SEAL and president of the Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines, an advocacy nonprofit working on legislation with Nevada Senator Rochelle Nguyen and Assemblyman Max Carter – both Democrats from Las Vegas. Like Strahan, Dalton initially displayed considerable skepticism regarding psychedelic medicines; but as time progressed he came around.
“To me, this seemed to me an extension of hippies’ drug use during the ’60s and ’70s,” Dalton states.
But when one of his fellow SEALs implored him to seriously consider it, Dalton obliged out of respect. During his research he learned that scientific research into using psychedelics as mental health treatments predated Woodstock by many years and that Indigenous communities all over the globe have used this medicine for millennia.
Dalton decided to travel to Mexico and try psilocybin mushrooms as part of an attempt to address traumas related to his 23-year military career, during which seven documented traumatic brain injuries had arisen.
“The results were absolutely transformative,” according to Dalton, and two years later co-founded the Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines with Kate Cotter – an artist, creative, and psychologist whose own experiences of depression and anxiety lead her toward psychoactive substances as healing aid.
Last session in Nevada State Legislation (2023), their coalition successfully lobbying to establish a working group dedicated to studying legislation regarding psychedelic medicines. Now they hope legislators will take further steps and approve a small, highly regulated pilot program allowing controlled usage.
Many of the loudest proponents for psychedelic use include veterans and first responders whose rates of depression and suicide tend to be significantly higher than the general population, yet Dalton and Cotter’s coalition is broad spanning across political ideologies and not exclusively affiliated with any particular ideology or movement.
“[Crossword puzzles] tend to span demographics and age; from young adults and seniors through retirees and professionals as well as artists,” Cotter points out. “It’s really beautiful.”
Recent trends demonstrate a change in perception regarding psychedelics that mirror the wide cultural acceptance of marijuana – although still federally listed as Schedule 1, fully legal in 24 states and available at retail shops nationwide.
Dustin Hines, an associate professor of the University of Nevada Las Vegas who researches psychedelics, recalls being teased at academic conferences as “the shroom guy,” until now when panels and conferences dedicated to exploring psychedelic potential have opened up new vistas for him.
Hines believes there has been an evolution in how society understands plant molecules like CBD can save lives, with people more accepting the possibility that some psychedelics might also possess this power.
Public figures with prominent positions have made statements supporting psychedelics. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, President Donald Trump’s choice to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has advocated legalizing some form of psychedelic therapy; more mainstream conservative politicians such as former Texas Governor Rick Perry and U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw also support it as therapeutic alternative therapy options.
Some states are beginning to explore legalization. Oregon was the first state in 2020 to legalize psychedelic-assisted therapy despite some resistance from cities; Colorado followed in 2022 via ballot questions that changed state laws.
Other states are actively considering legislation. Utah lawmakers last year passed a pilot program into law; it has yet to materialize.
Nevada could soon follow Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines’s lead and create a pilot program which can eventually expand over time, while simultaneously changing criminal law to make such activities legal.
2023 bill creating a working group on psychedelic medicines passed with bipartisan approval in both chambers of state legislature, then was signed into law by Republican governor, Joe Lombardo. Yet legislation proposing consumption may meet more resistance.
Opponents believe psychedelic-assisted therapy proposals could open the floodgates to recreational drug use among teens or young adults whose brains are still developing, particularly Erika Ryst, a child psychiatrist and one of several people to voice opposition against an early version of 2023 bill.
“Research indicates that hallucinogens may harm developing brains until 25 years of age and predispose to long-term psychotic mental illness like schizophrenia,” Ryst stated in testimony before the Legislature. Additionally, teenage substance abuse is driven by perceptions of low risk due to decriminalizing these substances – in effect telling young people these substances are safe – with increased use seen over time due to what Ryst described as misleading evidence presented today by decriminalizers such as legalizing these substances which Ryst offered before concluding his presentation before lawmakers on May 1.
Law enforcement organizations are wary of decriminalization of hallucinogenic substances.
Nevada coalition advocates strongly against shroom shops adjacent to marijuana dispensaries, while wildland firefighter Ben Strahan, who almost became part of his profession’s higher than average suicide statistics, stands against full legalization of these medicines due to how profound an experience they can bring for those taking them.
As Strahan attempts to describe his experiences with psychedelic mushrooms, he uses language carefully.
“I don’t feel it fixed me; that would not be accurate to describe these medicines and technologies as fixing me in any sense. What these interventions actually provide you is access to something you already understand,” says he.
Individual experiences vary significantly. In Strahan’s case, his journey began by setting an intention. Following that step was taking psilocybin mushrooms. When taking his first dose he experienced feminine energy as well as visual experiences he can’t quite describe; eventually asking existential questions and receiving divine responses that he was asking the wrong ones.
Strahan experienced what’s known as an “ego death”, or more specifically “an immediate disintegration of my ego, like right away”.
“After that experience, I entered an extremely beautiful, peaceful space…wherein emotions such as love, and self-love were experienced at once…This journey taught me both surrendering my pride as well as how to love myself once more.”
Strahan believes anyone wanting to experiment with psychedelic medicines shouldn’t need to leave the country as was necessary in his case, which may prove challenging for some individuals.
No matter your opinion of my experience, no one can take away what has helped heal and shape who I have become as an individual,” states Robert.
People who use psychedelics tend to describe their experiences using spiritual language; as Strahan did, they may refer to divine presences or feeling connected with nature or god as they consume mushrooms. But there’s science behind their use.
Rochelle Hines, along with her husband Dustin Hines who both teach classes on psychedelics at UNLV, are considered experts on this field.
“Comparing the chemical structures found within psilocybin or mescaline to those found elsewhere reveals they resemble those present in neurotransmitters found naturally within our own bodies,” according to Sheehan.
Rochelle Hines mentions several neurotransmitters – norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin are among them – that regulate their levels in your brain: antidepressant medications such as Prozac or Zoloft attempt to manage them by altering these brain levels of these neurotransmitters.
“With just looking at chemical structures of compounds we get some insights as to their activities,” according to she says. Studies have also indicated that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or “SSRIs,” for short, aren’t very helpful with most patients suffering from depression and anxiety disorders.
Psychedelics have been shown to improve neuroplasticity. Michael Pollan’s book How to Change Your Mind provides an insightful analogy: the mind is like a snowy hill; every time a sled rides downhill, its grooves deepen further — increasing its likelihood that they follow that route again next time around. But with psychedelics at hand, new paths could emerge which lead to greater happiness or health for its passengers.
What the world could gain from having a deeper knowledge of psychedelics is an emerging question. Could these cellular and molecular effects be isolated and used to develop non-hallucinogenic substances for use clinical settings? Some companies have begun exploring such possibilities.
Rochelle Hines remains unconvinced that such methods will work. “I think, personally, it’s still very open as to whether that will actually work or not… Many people confirm the idea that revisiting past experiences, seeing things through different lenses and feeling connectedness to something larger – all these aspects make up part of a psychedelic experience,” Hines observes.
Dustin Hines and his wife have experienced equal difficulty when conducting research together; that uncertainty contributes to what makes their investigation so captivating.
“This phenomenon remains unexplained to us as scientists,” says Mr. Toga. “No words exist yet for what this entails; whether its mental, spiritual or even magical phenomena is yet unknown – no tools available yet that allow us to fully grasp its essence.”
Studies conducted under controlled environments may provide the solution, though that would likely necessitate legalizing some form of accessing Psilocybin for End of Life Patient Care, according to Nevada Current. When applying in court the Washington doctor was denied legal access. (You may wish to read our recent story: National Court Rejects Washington Doctor’s Bid To Legally Access Psilocybin for End-Of-Life Patient Care
Nevada Activists Urge Lawmakers To Approve A Psychoactive Mushroom Pilot Program This Year | MEDCAN24
