Chicago Medical University Embarking On Magic Mushroom Trial

FILE – A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a cannabis marketplace on May 24, 2019 in Los Angeles. Lawmakers throughout the United States are weighing proposals to legalize psychedelic mushrooms for people. They say alarming suicide rates and a shortage of traditional mental health practitioners has led them to consider research into alternative treatments for depression and anxiety, including so-called magic mushrooms. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Illinois could be closer to legalizing psychedelic drugs for medical use. Chicago area doctors are among several medical professionals across the country taking part in clinical trials involving psilocybin and even LSD. Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center is about to start another trial investigating the psychological benefits of controlled doses of psilocybin. Patients taking part in the trial have been diagnosed with previously untreatable depression.