STUDIES: 2 popular party drugs help fight severe depression

Two popular party drugs reduced severe depression in British surveys, but the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warns the public about self-medicating.

The United Kingdom National Health Service tested 19 people with small doses of “magic mushrooms”, participants reported reduced depression lasting five weeks.

Researchers conducted scans that showed an increased blood in the participants’ brains.

In another study, 28 participants signed up to treat sever depression and bipolar disorder with ketamine.

El Paso DEA Diversion Program Manager Heather McMurry said the legality of the substances poses problems.

“Psilocybins, which are your mushrooms,” McMurry said, “those are Schedule 1 controlled substances, which means, really they have no legitimate medical use in the United States,”

Ketamine, a Schedule 3 controlled substance, she said, is different. “It’s often used in short sedation for humans and animals for short medical procedures.”

In the NHS study, 28 participants were given light doses of ketamine one to three times a week. Eight participants dropped out of the study due to side affects such as increased anxiety.

Several patients reported feeling a response within the first six hours of their doses, saying the results lasted anywhere from one to five months.

“The DEA does allow researchers to research those two drugs in order to see if later on there’s availability for those actually become scheduled to be used for medical use,” McMurry said.

States like Colorado and California regulate drugs like marijuana, which studies show can treat disorders like Epilepsy, in their respective jurisdictions. On a federal level, marijuana remains illegal, leaving the door open for the DEA to investigate violations.

“DEA has five schedules: Schedule 1 are the illegal drugs like marijuana, heroin and ecstasy,” McMurry explained. “Schedule 2 are legitimate medical drugs, and most time those are mainly the opiates, which we have a crisis on right now, so those would be mainly the painkillers. Those are the most highly regulated.

McMurry said Schedules 3 through 5 are more commonly found: “Those include cough medicines, sleeping medications, anxiety medications, diet medications.”

The administration inspects all controlled substances outside of their legitimate medical use. McMurry said physicians and pharmacists in the Borderland are able to track medication misuse through a drug monitoring program.

“That will indicate to them if they have doctor or pharmacy shopper patient,” said McMurry.

Penalties for Schedules 1 through 5 drug violations carry a lengthy prison sentence, and can be more harsh.

“Seizures of assets, like cars or homes, depending on if those were used in crimes to take those drugs,” said McMurry.