Episode 422: Psychedelic drugs and the future of psychiatry

Meet the researchers and patients whose lives have been transformed by psychedelic drug research

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Caption: The Big Trip is a special Day 6 series about psychedelic drugs. (Ben Shannon/CBC)

Welcome back to The Big Trip, our series on psychedelic drugs and the future of psychiatry.
A renaissance in psychedelic drug research is underway.
Around the world, researchers are studying psychedelic drug therapy as a treatment for everything from PTSD and treatment-resistant depression to cigarette addiction.
To date, many of the studies have been preliminary, with small sample sizes.
But experts say MDMA and psilocybin — better known as ecstasy and the key ingredient in magic mushrooms — could be available for prescription use within the next five years.
And mental health advocates and industry players alike are taking notice.
Listen to the radio show above — and check out our special online feature to meet some of the people whose lives have already been transformed by psychedelic drug therapy.