U.S. military seeks to create non-hallucinogenic psychedelics

The U.S. military's cutting-edge research agency, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), announced the launch of a new project. Called Focused Pharma, its goal is to study how to maintain the psychologically beneficial effects of psychedelic drugs without the «undesirable side effects,» such as hallucinations.

Many substances that are currently banned are also proving, in clinical trials, to have promising medical effects.

MDMA (the active ingredient in ecstasy), LSD, or psilocybin, which is found in magic mushrooms, and currently being studied in the United States, could potentially treat conditions such as chronic depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and even the fear of death. The U.S. government has already acknowledged that psychedelics could form the basis of the next generation of psychiatric drugs, but the military seems more interested in the end results offered by psychedelics than in the experiences themselves.

«DARPA reviewed evidence from privately funded clinical studies in humans, which showed that certain drugs listed inin Appendix 1 that target serotonin receptors showed promise for rapid and lasting therapeutic effects in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders such as chronic alcohol dependence, post-traumatic stress disorder, and treatment of treatment-resistant depression, following limited doses,», written the DARPA website.

But getting high on the battlefield does not promote effective military strategy. «These [side] effects, combined with their unpredictable consequences, make these drugs unusable in a military medical facility.»

For this reason, DARPA is asking researchers to develop new drugs that act on the same neurochemical channels as LSD, MDMA, or psilocybin, but do not cause visual, auditory, or delusional hallucinations. In addition to proposing innovative new drugs, researchers participating in the program will be required to validate the product’s efficacy.

Assuming DARPA does not terminate the program—which could happen if there are indications that it will not be possible to maintain the benefits without the undesirable side effects—the study will last four years. Human trials will not be part of Focused Pharma. Instead, the drugs will be tested on animals. The press release does not specify whether they will be tested on the Pentagon's goats.