The UFC wants to get involved in research into psychedelic drugs as a therapy for fighters’ brain health.
The promotion was in contact with Johns Hopkins University about its studies on psychedelics with a view to investigating whether the drugs could be useful for fighters dealing with brain issues, UFC President Dana White told MMA Junkie on Wednesday.
“We dive into it,” White said.
UFC senior vice president of health and performance Jeff Novitzky told ESPN that the interest came from a segment of HBO’s “Real Sports” last month. Novitzky said White had given him an “assignment” to look more into psychedelic research and he had been in contact with Johns Hopkins for the past few weeks.
The UFC was a major funder of a professional brain study by the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, which contributed another $ 1 million last week. Novitzky said the promotion could be a boon for a psychedelic study with the possibility of recruiting current or former UFC fighters to become part of the research.
“Dana said, ‘Hey, find out what this is all about,'” Novitzky said. “To see if it does help with traumatic brain injury, addiction, mental health issues. We want to be on board and we want to be first.”
Johns Hopkins is the country’s leader in research into the therapeutic effects of psychedelics such as psilocybin (mushrooms) and LSD. The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research received regulatory approval from the U.S. government in 2000 and produced more than 60 pieces of peer-reviewed research.
Currently, psilocybin and other psychedelics are classified by the U.S. government as illegal Schedule I drugs, defined as drugs with high potential for abuse or drugs that have no medical use.
Opinions on psychedelics change, however. Oregon legalized psilocybin in a vote last year.
“Our research has shown therapeutic effects in people with a variety of challenging conditions, including addiction (smoking, alcohol, other drugs), existential distress caused by life-threatening illnesses and treatment-resistant depression,” says the Johns Hopkins Center. for the Psychedelic & Consciousness Research website.
Former UFC weightlifter Ian McCall works with psilocybin and athletes and participated in a study with Johns Hopkins, he told Michael Rothstein, ESPN, last year. McCall said he has already had talks with the UFC.
‘When you go into a cage, when you go into a ring and you fight and even football, you give and receive [post-traumatic stress syndrome] and no one wants to talk about it, but that’s what’s happening, “McCall said. Your trauma is stored in your tissue, so you actually give and receive PTSD while you’re there, and that’s a big reason why I work in psychedelics, trying to fix those exact things. We need to take care of these athletes a little better, just like we have to do with vets. ‘
Novitzky said he had talked to athletes who had experimented with psychedelics like ayahuasca, and those who had struggled with addiction or mental health said the remedy was extremely helpful. The UFC executive said that at some point in time he is not sure when the promotion can do something in the psychedelic field, but that the desire is there.
“We want to do it the right way,” Novitzky said. “We want to get all the government approvals if we are going to do something. We want to find out how we are going to recruit fighters. Unfortunately this is not something that happens overnight. But Dana basically instructed me: ‘Hey I want to investigate this. Bring it to me. some possible ways we can get involved. “
White said, as with the UFC’s participation in the brain health study, there is a desire to look more closely at potential therapies for fighters with brain problems. UFC veteran Spencer Fisher opened up about his health problems, including injuries to his brain, in an interview with MMAFighting.com published Tuesday.
“He’s not the first and he’s definitely not going to be the last,” White said of Fisher. ‘It’s a contact sport. Anyone ever done that [when they were] younger – me included – is busy with brain issues. This is part of the concert. ‘