(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said during a Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that psychedelics should be used as a form of therapy to address post-traumatic stress disorder, and would be a significant economic “boom” while revolutionizing mental health, the Gateway Pundit reported.
It is unclear whether Fetterman, who is still dealing with the cognitive side-effects of a debilitating stroke last year and spent several weeks this year seeking in-patient treatment for depression, had attempted to self-medicate using psilocybin mushrooms or other hallucinogens.
According to Tripsitter.com, so-called magic mushrooms have been decriminialized in the District of Columbia since December 2020.
Fetterman said during the hearing that he has “been an advocate of psychedelics in terms of magic mushrooms for PTSD and for veterans especially.”
He then asked Chris Alonzo, owner of Pennsylvania-based Pietro Farms, which grows white and portobello mushrooms, whether Alonzo was “open to thinking of that” with respect to the cultivation of psychedelic mushrooms, which are currently illegal in the state.
Alonzo testified that he was “absolutely open” to adding the trippy truffles to his repertory.
“We’re entrepreneurs, but more importantly, we’re trying to create healthy food for the community, for the U.S.,” he said.
“Anything that ties in health benefits, medical benefits, we’re open to looking at,” he added. “Obviously you have to do it within parameters of being secure and safe and and responsible, but we’re open to it.”
Fetterman’s advocacy of psychedelics drugs was met with mixed emotions on social media.
“What a dope. Literally. I have known brilliant people in my life who have completely ruined their minds by overindulging in this stuff,” one Twitter user posted.
What a dope. Literally.
I have known brilliant people in my life who have completely ruined their minds by overindulging in this stuff. #Fetterman https://t.co/Oir6hOOx3v— MƈLιႦҽɾTҽα (@McLiberTea) June 9, 2023
“Fetterman is the worst possible spokesperson for this,” said another. “Recent studies say in micro doses this is a great for some depression. My only question is what is a micro dose?”
Gisele Barreto Fetterman praised her husband’s efforts.
“Yay to supporting mushroom farmers and their crops. Psilocybin mushrooms next, please?” she wrote.
Fetterman, the former lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, has been a vocal advocate for marijuana legalization and wants more research into psilocybin, the chemical that causes hallucinations in certain types of mushrooms.
According to Fetterman, the mushroom industry in Pennsylvania is a significant contributor to the local economy and adding around $2.7 billion to the state’s financial output. However, “magic mushrooms” are not a part of this thriving industry, the Daily Item reported.
