Desperate patients turn to illegal psychedelics, bypassing the formal health system, a UK study reveals.
Millions of vulnerable people suffering from severe mental health crises, trauma, and debilitating neurological conditions are bypassing the formal medical system to treat themselves with illegal psychedelic drugs, a major new investigation has revealed.
Driven by a lack of mainstream clinical options and a growing global interest in the therapeutic potential of banned substances, patients are increasingly sourcing psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA through unregulated networks.
The escalating phenomenon has prompted a landmark £2.5 million study by the University of Leicester and the University of Exeter to investigate the hidden realities, risks, and grassroots safety measures emerging within these underground communities.
Dubbed PATHS (Psychedelics as Therapeutics: Harm Reduction and Safety), the five-year project funded by Wellcome represents one of the world's first comprehensive attempts to examine real-world psychedelic use entirely outside of clinical trials.
