Office of Primary Care and Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program

Bob Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., professor of family medicine and Holly and Bob Miller Chair in Palliative Medicine

(OCTOBER 2, 2024) Bob Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., professor of family medicine and Holly and Bob Miller Chair in Palliative Medicine, commented to Seven Days about the potential of psychedelic therapy in Vermont.

Psychedelic mushrooms, including several species of fungi that contain psilocybin, have been used for centuries in therapy and recreation. Over the past few decades, they’ve drawn the attention of mainstream health care providers and patients seeking relief from anxiety, depression, and other conditions.

Gramling has been studying psychedelic therapy for years. He is a member of a legislative advisory group that is considering whether Vermont should allow supervised medical use of psilocybin, a hallucinogenic substance found in mushrooms that is illegal in Vermont. The group will submit its recommendations to lawmakers in November.

“As a palliative care physician, I’ve been paying attention to the growing science and have an expectation that this can have a profound impact in my field and for people who are seriously ill and dying,” Gramling said. “I come to this with humility,” he said. “My agenda is to understand its strengths and weaknesses and when it can be applied, in whom, and how.”