His younger brother, Joe Biden, says that the president is “very open minded” when it comes to using psychedelic drugs for addiction treatment.
Frank Biden, a recovering alcoholic who was researching the root causes for addiction, spoke on “The Michael Smerconish Program”, SiriusXM, on Wednesday about his interest in psychedelics. He said that substances such as ketamine and LSD have “magnificent” results in treating mental conditions, like depression, which can lead to drinking.
He said that there is a lot of evidence to support the idea that trauma is at the core of addiction. “Let’s distinguish between using drugs and taking recreational substances.” The psychedelic drug can be considered medicine.
Following a conversation with @KirstenGrind on psychedelics and micro-dosing today @SIRIUSXM – Frank Biden brother of @JoeBiden @POTUS called into the show to weigh in – listen: https://t.co/HitDTAvJtB
Michael Smerconish 28 June 2023 HTML0
It is because of “an innate prejudice” that was foisted on us, especially after the Nixon administration began a war against drugs that demonized psychedelics.
The host stated that the younger Biden has “skin” in this game, without clarifying his meaning. The host then asked if the younger Biden “ever told your brother what I just said to my audience?”
Smerconish asked, “Doesn’t he know your worldview on this issue?”
The younger Biden replied, “Yes.”
Smerconish asked, “And what did he say?”
“He’s very open-minded.” Put it that way,” Biden said, adding that he didn’t want to get into the specifics of their conversations because they were “brother-to-brother.” But he went on to say that “the question is, is the world, is the U.S., ready for this?”
Biden stated, “I believe that we are at the beginning of a new consciousness, which will help us solve many of the addiction problems, but, more importantly, it will make us realize that we are all one human family and that we must come together.”
The global consciousness shift may not be a factor, but it appears that the U.S. could be on the verge of a psychedelics revolution. First states are preparing to regulate access to natural plants like ibogaine and psilocybin while bipartisan congressmen are leading the way to promote research in psychedelics. Food and Drug Administration has also designated MDMA and psilocybin as “breakthrough treatments,” which may pave a path for medicalized access.
Last week, the FDA also released a draft of its first-of-its kind guidance on “unique” factors that researchers must consider when examining psychedelics. The agency claims these drugs show “initial potential” as possible therapies.
The president has not publicly commented on this issue. His drug reform agenda so far has focused on granting clemency for people who have prior marijuana convictions, directing an administration review of the federal scheduling cannabis and adopting certain harm reduction strategies in relation to other drugs.
Marijuana Moment asked a senior Biden official recently, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about his department’s current policy on psychedelics. He said he had to “defer to” the expertise of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which actively promotes funding opportunities for studying the science and laws surrounding psychedelics.
In May, NIDA director Nora Volkow said that new evidence is emerging that psychedelics have “significant potential” to treat certain mental conditions. This topic is of “great interest” to researchers.
In recent months, several psychedelic policy changes have been made in Congress.
A powerful U.S. Senate committee has asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate the therapeutic potential of psychoedelics.
A congressional committee on the House side recently approved a massive defense bill, which includes GOP-led provisions for creating a “pilot program” to test medical marijuana and requiring a study of the therapeutic potential of psychoedelics among active duty military personnel under the U.S. Department of Defense.
According to a recent national survey , nearly half of American voters believe that possession for personal use should not be criminalized.
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Image courtesy of Flickr/Marc Nozell.
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