President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as U.S. surgeon general says that, while she wouldn’t recommend that Americans experiment with psychedelics like she has, there’s “exciting” research indicating that substances such as psilocybin can effectively treat serious mental health conditions that she would continue to follow if confirmed for the job.
During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee on Wednesday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) pressed the nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, on a section of a book she wrote that described an experience using psilocybin and how that helped her emotionally process news of her mother’s diagnosis with a terminal illness.
Collins said she was concerned about Means’s suggestion that other people may benefit from using the federally illicit substances, and the senator asked whether she stood by that message and how she would communicate with the American people about the use of controlled substances if confirmed as surgeon general.
President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as U.S. surgeon general says that, while she wouldn’t recommend that Americans experiment with psychedelics like she has, there’s “exciting” research indicating that substances such as psilocybin can effectively treat serious mental health conditions that she would continue to follow if confirmed for the job.
During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee on Wednesday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) pressed the nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, on a section of a book she wrote that described an experience using psilocybin and how that helped her emotionally process news of her mother’s diagnosis with a terminal illness.
Collins said she was concerned about Means’s suggestion that other people may benefit from using the federally illicit substances, and the senator asked whether she stood by that message and how she would communicate with the American people about the use of controlled substances if confirmed as surgeon general.
“This is a very important question, and I would start by just saying that I believe what I would say as a private citizen is, in many cases, different than what I would say as a public health official joining a team where the purpose of this role is to communicate absolutely the best evidence-based science to the American people to keep them safe, thriving and healthy,” Means said.
“And when it comes to psychedelic therapy for mental health issues, I think the science is still emerging—and so it would certainly not be a recommendation to the American people to do that, under under no circumstances,” she said.
Read more at Marijuana Moment
