It probably won’t surprise you to learn that Washington state and the city of Seattle sit on the cutting edge of using hallucinogenics to treat mental health.

Several stories in the July/August issue of Seattle magazine examine the mental-health landscape across the state, including the increasing use and/or study of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and others in a controlled therapeutic setting. So far, ketamine is the only psychedelic on the market approved for treatment, but the University of Washington is in the midst of a major clinical trial examining the use of psilocybin. As reporter Nat Rubio-Licht writes, Seattle three years ago decriminalized non-commercial activity around psychedelics, and many adults now “micro-dose” psilocybin on their own.

She also points out that many of these studies are in their infancy, and several medical professionals and groups remain wary.

Mental health advocacy organization Inseparable reports that “critical gaps” remain in both the state and national mental health crisis response systems, noting that July 16 is the two-year anniversary of the launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline.

The pandemic created mental health issues many of us are still grappling with. This focus on mental health aligns with our annual Top Docs issue, which recognizes the best doctors throughout the Puget Sound region.

If you want to jump in now, grab a copy from the newsstand. We’ll be rolling out these and other stories slowly online over the next two months. In the meantime, subscribe here and get the magazine delivered straight to your door.