Spearheaded by burgeoning scientific and clinical research literature, psychedelics have reached a level of media coverage and popular interest that has not been seen for over half a century. By “psychedelics,” we are referring to the unique class of substances that includes psilocybin (the active compound found in so-called “magic mushrooms”), LSD, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ayahuasca, 5-MeO-DMT, and mescaline – each of which occurs in the natural world (except for LSD, which is a semi-synthetic compound).
AHCPR on the Internet
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) has established a World Wide Web site ([url=http://www.ahcpr.gov/]http://www.ahcpr.gov/[/url]) which features information to help consumers and health care practitioners "make informed health care decisions; research on what works best in health care; and other information and data central to AHCPR's mission to enhance the quality, cost-effectiveness and delivery of health care services."
When you access the AHCPR home page, you can get an overview of the web site by clicking on "welcome." Six additional categories are available:
Offices/Centers
News & Resources
Research Portfolio
Data & Methods
Guidelines & Medical Outcomes
Consumer Health
There is also an electronic catalog to the more than 450 information products generated by the AHCPR, with information on how to obtain these resources, such as the 17 clinical practice guidelines developed by the agency. The AHCPR web site is averaging some 100,000 electronic inquiries each month about the guidelines, including inquiries from 50 foreign countries.