Why is the DEA trying to add these five psychedelic drugs to Schedule 1 controlled substances?

Despite recent discoveries of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for human well-being, the Drug Enforcement Agency announced that it would add five variants of these drugs to the most stringent drug classification – Schedule 1. This latest move will discourage the growing support for psychedelics research in Germany the country.

A few months ago, some state legislatures decided to allow research on psychedelic drugs, only for the DEA to announce its move to reclassify some of these drugs into its most restrictive controlled substance category. Planning a class consists of drugs that are claimed to have the highest potential for addiction with very little medical value. Scientists are prohibited from researching most drugs in this category, which is one of the reasons cannabis legislation has dragged on for so long.

The five psychedelic drugs to be included in this category include 5-Methoxy-alpha-Methyltryptamine (5-MeO-AMT), N,N-Diisopropyltryptamine (DiPT), N-Isopropyl-5-Methoxy-N-Methyltryptamine ( 5-MeO-MiPT), 4-hydroxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (4-OH-DiPT) and N,N-diethyl-5-methoxytryptamine (5-MeO-DET).

Psychedelic research in recent years

Tryptamine or psychedelics like psilocybin have been scientifically studied in recent months. The results of these studies suggest that the drug could be a potential treatment or therapy to treat mental disorders, particularly major depression in adults. Information on these drugs is limited due to the over-restrictions of their research.

In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration admitted that psilocybin therapies have medicinal value. Many expected this confirmation to be followed by an easing of current restrictions on the drug for further investigation. Instead, in a more or less mysterious move, the DEA has followed suit.

The move of the DEA

The Drug Enforcement Agency announced its proposal in a published document in the Federal Register. The agency says a 2012 study by the Department of Health and Human Services into the relationship between hospital emergency room visits and abuse of 5-Meo-AMT and 5-MeO-MiPT discovered that the tryptamine drugs played a role in inmate deaths played patients. According to the study, the cause of death of one patient who died in the emergency room was due to 5-MeO-AMT abuse. The deceased is said to have taken the drug along with the antidepressant bupropion and alcohol. The treating physicians could not clarify what role the psychedelics played in death.

What the DEA has just done is effectively impede scientific study of these five substances. The use, sale and manufacture of the drugs are prohibited. And all research on the related compounds will be banned. Scientists fear that this proposal will affect not only the five tryptamines, but other psychedelics in circulation as well. It could also give lawmakers enough reason to halt ongoing research into important psychoactive compounds.

license to research

Tactogen CEO Matthew Baggot described the move as “outrageous” for scientists working in institutions across the country. The co-founder of the pharmatech startup explained that the five compounds listed in the proposal are currently bound by the Federal Analogue Act; This law prohibits consumers from taking the drug but leaves a gray area for possession. The DEA’s proposal would not only ban the use of the drug, but also criminalize its possession. Researchers can research these compounds because their possession is legal, but that seems to be ending soon. Once the new proposal is approved, scientists like Baggot will need to obtain approval from the Drug Enforcement Agency to own the compounds for research purposes.

Neuroscientist Baggott and his team at Tactogen are working to create the next level of MDMA-like drugs with less addictive effects. He explained that including these compounds in the Schedule 1 category would severely limit researchers. Under the existing Schedule 1 drug regulations, the compounds and all structurally related compounds that are positional isomers are affected. That means hundreds of potentially useful drugs go unstudied. Tactogen’s CEO further explained that the positional isomers of a compound could effectively entangle at least a hundred chemically adjacent compounds.

Matthew Baggott indicated that his team’s work would be affected by the proposal as they use one of the listed compounds in their current project. The tryptamine 5-MeO-MiPT is used as a comparison substance in his laboratory. “When a new compound is synthesized, it must first be compared to a compound with a known effect,” he clarified. He added that tryptamine is a scientifically exciting drug because of the unique psychedelic effects seen at higher doses. At low doses, the drug has MDMA-like effects.

This suggestion could potentially undo progress made by the Tactogen team. Their goal of developing a more sustainable variant of MDMA compounds will be slowed down until they can get licenses from the agency to move on. Baggott stressed that the 5-MeO-MIPT provides valuable clues to the project. There is a strong possibility that other studies across the country will need one or more of these listed compounds to proceed.

Available reports indicate that obtaining research permits for the DEA is a very complex process. Baggott supported the claims, stating that every time a drug is added to Schedule 1, teams go through arduous hoops to get licensed to do the research. It is especially difficult when the entity is trying to obtain licensing for multiple projects.

Conclusion

Approval of this proposed move could end many ongoing trials of tryptamine drugs. Not all researchers will be willing to take on the stress of obtaining multiple permits to study these compounds in different institutions or laboratories. Current biotech projects are, for example, collaborations between modern biotech companies, with each member organization carrying out specialized analyzes at their research sites. The proposed move could mean that each member would need to apply for individual approval to study all listed drugs and their positional isomers. Experience has shown that many research sites would start over with a different preparation instead of going through the bureaucratic hurdles for small projects.

Startups like Tactogen could even lose employees as a result, which could result in a lag time that could potentially destroy available research. Nobody would blame these budding startups if they choose not to explore the possibilities further.

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