Enduring changes in personality/attitudes , depression , spirituality , anxiety , wellbeing , substance misuse , meditative practice s , and mindfulness were documented .
Mystical experiences , connectedness , emotional breakthrough , and increased neural entropy were related to these long-term changes in psychological functioning .
Finally , with proper screening , preparation , supervision , and integration , limited aversive side effects were noted by study participants .
Research into the basic effects and therapeutic applications of  psychedelic drugs  has grown considerably in recent years .
Yet , pressing questions remain regarding the substances ' lasting effects .
Although individual studies have begun monitoring sustained changes , no study to- date has synthesized this information .
Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction
Despite suggestive early findings on the therapeutic use of hallucinogens in the treatment of substance use disorders , rigorous follow-up has not been conducted . To determine the safety and feasibility of psilocybin as an adjunct to tobacco smoking cessation treatment we conducted an open-label pilot study administering moderate ( 20 mg/70 kg ) and high ( 30 mg/70 kg ) doses of psilocybin within a structured 15-week smoking cessation treatment protocol . Participants were 15 psychiatrically healthy nicotine-dependent smokers ( 10 males ; mean age of 51 years ) , with a mean of six previous lifetime quit attempts , and smoking a mean of 19 cigarettes per day for a mean of 31 years at intake . Biomarkers assessing smoking status , and self-report measures of smoking behavior demonstrated that 12 of 15 participants ( 80 % ) showed seven-day point prevalence abstinence at 6-month follow-up . The observed smoking cessation rate substantially exceeds rates commonly reported for other behavioral and /or pharmacological therapies ( typically < 35 % ) . Although the open-label design does not allow for definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of psilocybin , these findings suggest psilocybin may be a potentially efficacious adjunct to current smoking cessation treatment models . The present study illustrates a framework for future research on the efficacy and mechanisms of hallucinogen-facilitated treatment of addiction
Enduring changes in personality/attitudes , depression , spirituality , anxiety , wellbeing , substance misuse , meditative practice s , and mindfulness were documented .
Mystical experiences , connectedness , emotional breakthrough , and increased neural entropy were related to these long-term changes in psychological functioning .
Finally , with proper screening , preparation , supervision , and integration , limited aversive side effects were noted by study participants .
Research into the basic effects and therapeutic applications of  psychedelic drugs  has grown considerably in recent years .
Yet , pressing questions remain regarding the substances ' lasting effects .
Although individual studies have begun monitoring sustained changes , no study to- date has synthesized this information .