Charles (Chuck) Raison, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Ecology at UW Madison, among other roles at Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center and Usona Institute, gave a characteristically witty and insightful presentation on the ‘greatest hits’ of psychedelics clinical research originating outside of the UW system.

But, his presentation also offered a temperature check on the field. Indeed, in opening his presentation, he said, plainly: “This has not been a good year, overall.”

He discussed a debate at Psych Congress that took place a week or so prior, where he went toe-to-toe with prominent psychiatrist Steven Stahl (‘the most influential psychopharmacologist in the United States, and maybe the world’, Raison said) on the question: Are psychedelics a breakthrough or a foolish fad? The debate was well attended, with ‘well over a thousand people eagerly listening to every word’, according to the moderator, Rakesh Jain.

Stahl ‘put up a pretty good fight’, Raison said, ‘but I won!’ Cue the applause from the crowd in Madison. But it was close, Raison said, with around 43% of the audience landing on the class of drugs being a fad. The most prominent argument from his opponent was, ‘Why not wait a few years for these non-hallucinogenic psychedelics?’ That swayed a lot of people, Raison said, adding that he doesn’t think that would have swayed so many people a few years ago…