Avesta Ketamine and Wellness announced a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer free ketamine therapy to eligible veterans.

This initiative, available now in Avesta ketamine clinics in Bethesda, Washington and northern Virginia, will help veterans overcome treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, anxiety, chronic pain, and substance misuse disorders. Check it out: https://www.abc27.com/business/press-releases/cision/20240221PH38962/avesta-partners-with-veterans-affairs-va-to-offer-free-ketamine-therapy-to-eligible-veterans/

Clearmind Medicine announced that it received approval from the Ministry of Health of Israel to commence its phase I/IIa clinical trial for patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) using the company's MEAI-based (5-methoxy-2-aminoindane) CMND-100 oral capsule.

The primary endpoint of the clinical trial is to find the tolerable dose and characterize the safety and pharmacokinetics/ pharmacodynamics of single and repeated doses of CMND-100 in both healthy subjects and those with AUD. The secondary endpoint is to evaluate preliminary efficacy of CMND-100 in reduction of drinking patterns and cravings in individuals with moderate-to-severe AUD. Here’s more: https://www.clearmindmedicine.com/news-release/clearmind-medicine-receives-approval-from-the-israeli-ministry-of-health-to-commence-its-phase-i-iia-clinical-trial-of-cmnd-100-for-alcohol-use-disorder

Maryland House committees took up a pair of bills to create task forces to study psychedelics legalization and broad drug decriminalization.

The House Health and Government Operations Committee held a hearing on Wednesday to consider the psychedelics legislation, while the Judiciary Committee met on Tuesday to discuss the drug decriminalization proposal.

You can read more about both of those initiatives here: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/maryland-committees-take-up-psychedelics-and-drug-decriminalization-task-force-bills/

Did you know that psilocybin mushrooms may date back to the time of the dinosaurs?

According to a new study from the University of Utah and the Natural History Museum of Utah, psilocybin mushrooms began producing psilocybin about 67 million years ago. This was determined after researchers bioinformatically mined the primary psilocybin [biosynthetic gene cluster] and mapped the core genes on the phylogeny to investigate the tempo, mode, and patterns of its evolution.

While this is fascinating from an historical perspective, researchers believe that this study will lay the groundwork for new, and more effective ways to treat various mental health conditions. Here’s more: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/psilocybin-mushrooms-may-date-to-the-time-of-the-dinosaurs-or-at-least-their-demise-study-finds/