José Carlos Bouso

A meta-analysis published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry showed that psychedelic-assisted therapy is no more effective against depression than traditional antidepressants in clinical trials. The research found differences in the use of double-blind methods—that is, when neither the participants nor the researchers know which treatment each group is receiving—which minimises subjective influences on the results. Double-blinding made a difference in the case of traditional drugs, but not in the case of psychedelics, confirming that these trials are, in practice, always open-label.

The study of psychedelic drugs in pharmacological treatments had its eureka moment with chemist Albert Hofmann's famous bike ride under the influence of LSD in 1938 and then developed over decades, but with Richard Nixon it was shelved. In recent years, it has resurfaced in hospitals and laboratories around the world. Last week, the Congress of Deputies hosted a conference on these substances. We explain what they are, what they are used for, the current state of research, and their risks, with the help of expert sources.

This week, Spain’s Ministry of Health launched a process to develop a Royal Decree on the medical use of cannabis, assuring that it will be "a rigorous measure based on the best scientific evidence available.” The goverment is conducting a public consultation until 4 March to gather the opinions of citizens, civil society organisations, professional associations and scientific societies. In this explainer, we attempt to answer the main questions that arise regarding the medical use of cannabis.