Prominent American Psychiatrist supports psilocybin research

Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD, currently chairman of psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and former president of the American Psychiatric Association, has endorsed research on psychedelic compounds in a Medscape post (free registration) stating they "need to be studied in an intensive and extensive way".

Some passages from his post:

• We have had a nearly 50-year hiatus in any serious investigation, except for some heroic investigators at a few universities, primarily in Europe but also in the United States.
• These psychedelic drugs clearly are pharmacologically active, have profound effects, could be useful for therapeutic purposes, and need to be studied in an intensive and extensive way before an informed determination can be made. 
• I believe that the scientific investigation of mind-altering psychedelic drugs in the 1960s and '70s was a truncated but promising avenue of research, and that these medications, these drugs, could have significant value for a variety of indications if studied adequately.

Why the DoD and/or VA are not leading this research remains troubling since PTSD and suicides are major issues to them.  Psychedelics such as psilocybin show promise in reducing suicidal thinking and in the treatment of PTSD. We are in great need of a few "heroic investigators".

Note: Medscape is a web resource for physicians and health professionals. It features peer-reviewed original medical journal articles, CME (Continuing Medical Education), a customized version of the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database, daily medical news, major conference coverage, and drug information—including a drug database (Medscape Drug Reference, or MDR) and drug interaction checker. All content in Medscape is available free of charge for professionals and consumers alike, but registration is required. (Source: Wikipedia)