Seattle Doctor Petitions DEA to Reschedule Psilocybin
Last week, Seattle doctor Sunil Aggarwal filed a petition with the Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”) challenging its Schedule I classification of psilocybin, which is the primary psychoactive component of hallucinogenic mushrooms. The federal petition filed by the doctor, who specializes in end-of-life care, requests that the DEA reschedule psilocybin as a Schedule II drug given the potential it has shown in relieving symptoms of various ailments including depression and anxiety caused by a terminal disease diagnosis. The petition also highlights how decades of research have shown that psilocybin has a low potential for abuse in comparison with other substances under…