Dr. Casey Means, magic mushrooms, and YOU!
This is entirely in response to this video here, it started as a comment but then I just plain had so much to say. I am very passionate about this topic as you can see! Being honest, I do not know anything else about this woman, but I am in support of what she has said in the video and how she's said it.
EDIT: Here is a video that may give better insight to her broader views. It's hard to separate this; she is trump's pick. That's always going to be a factor. However, it's hard to know for sure if that means she's actually much like his other picks or not, simply because I know a lot of people are saying he's floundering to get support from any group he can due to his intense unpopularity. That being said, I hate that she can't just say healthcare is a human right and that vaccines do not cause autism, because both are true statements with little to no nuance (and in the case of vaccines, overwhelming evidence points to none of them lead to autism).
EDIT AGAIN LOL Here is another video about her thoughts on birth control which is somewhat concerning, given the language of "disrespect of life" that gives way to thinking she's likely anti-choice. However, giving the most generous interpretation of her words with the context, I hope that it's more likely she's trying to assert that there is need for a more thorough understanding of the risks of these methods by women who are at higher risk, who may want to consider alternatives to the pill. I actually will attest that in my experience the pill for birth control was not helpful and did cause me issues, so I'm a little biased in how I interpret her response.
Shrooms are something I suggest every smart woman take at some point in their life. You connect with the person you are, and you connect with what you want from your life. You see how beautiful and amazing this world is, and how valuable certain people in your life are, and more importantly you understand that you should quickly and respectfully cut out people and things that are dragging your life down. The clarity that comes from the huge wave of serotonin that psilocybin gives you is UNMATCHED and almost always evoking positive change. Not to mention magic mushrooms are as close to HARMLESS as you can get; keep in mind some people die from being crushed by vending machines, from plastic bag suffocation, and from tripping over their own feet and yet none of these things encounter the INTENSE regulation and legal classification that these natural mushrooms do. You don't need a permit or have your id checked to do or interact with any of these things. Psilocybin is likely, as the small amount of research seems to show, a powerful tool for psychological issues (depression, PTSD, anxiety, etc) that we've often used medications with harmful side effects to treat. It's no wonder there's a campaign to smear the reputation of mushrooms knowing how much money is riding on them being (seen as) useless and hard to access. You're welcome to be skeptical, but always fear feeding the beast that is the pharmaceutical industry's greed: the future of your peers, and even yourself could greatly depend on it. Advocate for more unbiased research as much as possible, this is your responsibility no matter what side of politics you lie on!
And furthermore, I am extremely concerned with the underhanded merging of psilocybin with other outlawed substances as "illicit drugs", as seen in this case. How easy it is, to make it seem that something as harmless and beneficial as magic mushrooms is anywhere close to the dangers, death, and damage that has been done from opiates and amphetamines. Shockingly, both parties of chemicals you're often given in regards to neurological conditions and pain, while psilocybin is a class outside of that. To put mushrooms in this same class is as insulting as it is senseless. I will concede that they're all illegal in some way, if that's the goal here; to just tell people to do legal things only and assure no one does things outside of the law, but I'm pressed to think differently. As Dr. Means has said, there has been growing evidence that is showing the practical applications of psilocybin in clinical settings. While I am fully against the advocacy of spirituality and religion in nearly all contexts of being encouraged by the state, I am open to her interpretation as I see she's likely just trying to assert she is open to spiritual experiences (like that which psilocybin is known to give) as part of someone's psychologically healing journey because she sees evidence suggest that can be done. She's willing to give these ideas a chance because she knows they can objectively help people.
The American government has been and continues to be reckless in it's classification of what they call "drugs". Despite the exposure of their very obvious financial incentives to continue their failing approach to the substances we grow addicted to, overdose from, and also use as valuable tools to heal ourselves, the American people are still subjected to the worship of myths long been busted. This type of recklessness isn't one we can ignore; it costs human lives daily. Psilocybin is one of many threats to this house of cards: And at this moment, likely one of the most potent. How can they retract their statements without admitting wrongdoing? How can they quiet the growing movement of people with real evidence on their side and keep these companies running our healthcare for profit happy? It's no wonder nearly every person in charge wants us to stop talking about it. We have to make sure they never stop hearing about it until every last card falls, and we can make a system based on what best serves the American people.
