President Trump's newly appointed Surgeon General penned in a recent book that individuals ought to contemplate the therapeutic potential of unproven psychedelic substances, and furthermore alluded in a newsletter to utilizing psilocybin mushrooms to facilitate her finding a romantic partner.

The suggestion by Dr. Casey Means to consider guided psilocybin-assisted therapy warrants careful consideration, particularly given that psilocybin remains illegal under federal law, classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, defined as a substance with "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse"; while Oregon and Colorado have legalized psychedelic therapy, several cities in Oregon have subsequently banned the practice.

The Surgeon General's mandate is to furnish the American populace with cutting-edge, scientifically sound guidance on optimizing health outcomes, mitigating disease prevalence, and minimizing injury risks. Historically, Surgeons General have leveraged this influential platform to enlighten the public on pressing health crises, such as AIDS awareness and suicide prevention strategies. Notably, the 1964 Surgeon General's advisory concerning the perils of smoking proved instrumental in reshaping the trajectory of public health in the United States.

While some individuals, such as Surgeon General C. Everett Koop during the Reagan administration, achieved widespread recognition and exerted considerable influence on policy due to their significant public profile, others rapidly faded into obscurity.

Means's nomination adheres to a pattern consistently employed by Trump, that of favouring individuals renowned more for their public persona than their policy advocacy. In Means's particular instance, the Republican President openly stated that her selection was based entirely on the endorsement of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump commented, "Bobby thinks she’s terrific," further adding that he had no prior acquaintance with her.

Means holds both a bachelor's degree and a medical degree from Stanford University. Although she initiated her medical residency in Oregon, she did not complete it. Her medical license is currently inactive. Reached by telephone, Means declined to comment on the record.

In her 2024 co-authored book, "Good Energy," penned with her brother Calley Means, she advanced recommendations regarding psychedelic substances; Calley Means, an entrepreneur with prior experience as a health advisor in the Trump administration, has also disclosed investments in biopharmaceutical firms specializing in the research and development of psychedelic therapies.

本书的核心在于探讨代谢健康，正如凯西·米恩斯所定义的“能量充足”状态。她提倡多管齐下的方法，旨在帮助人们“控制并疗愈那些束缚我们、损害代谢健康、阻碍个人发展的压力源、心理创伤以及固有的思维模式”。

One potential avenue, she argues, is to explore the therapeutic possibilities of psilocybin-assisted treatment, referring to the psychoactive compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, a point she elaborates on at length in a 750-word exposition.

She penned, "Should you feel a profound calling, I would also encourage you to explore intentional and guided psilocybin therapy. Compelling scientific evidence suggests that, for certain individuals, this psychedelic modality can represent a deeply meaningful, even transformative, experience, as it has been for me."

尽管初步研究显示迷幻药可能存在潜在益处，但尚无确凿证据表明这些益处能够完全抵消其固有的风险。以裸盖菇素为例，它可能诱发长达数小时的幻觉体验，而这种体验既可能令人愉悦，也可能使人极度恐惧。目前，有研究尝试将其与心理治疗相结合，用于治疗精神疾病和酒精依赖，但针对健康人群的研究仍然十分有限。潜在的副作用包括心率加速、恶心和头痛等。在缺乏专业指导的情况下使用此类药物，可能具有高度危险性，幻觉作用可能导致使用者做出诸如误入车流或进行其他高风险行为等危及自身安全的举动。

Means, in her book, contends that psilocybin, along with other psychedelic substances, are frequently stigmatized. She advocates strongly for the benefits of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy or molly, in assisting individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The FDA, however, declined to approve MDMA as a PTSD treatment the previous year, citing concerns from a panel of advisors who identified flaws in the relevant studies and pointed to significant risks associated with MDMA usage.

In her book, Means refers to psychedelics as "plant medicine." She recounts her initial experience with psilocybin mushrooms around January 1, 2021, driven by what she describes as "the whisper of an inner voice: It's time to prepare."

She penned, "In that instant, I perceived myself as a component of an infinite, unbroken Matryoshka doll of the cosmos, encompassing millions of mothers and infants stretching back to the genesis of life." She added that, in her experience, "psilocybin can function as a portal to an alternate reality, wherein I am liberated from the restrictive confines of ego, emotions, and personal narrative."

In a dispatch issued last October, Means disclosed her experimentation with psychedelics to cultivate emotional availability for romance at the age of 35, specifying that she partook in a "plant medicine experience with trusted guides" to prime herself for partnership, an assertion she playfully punctuated with a mushroom emoji, whilst explicitly refraining from endorsing the practice for others.

In her recent commentary on the White House's projected health policies, Means articulated a desire for improved nutritional offerings in schools, advocating for cautionary labels on heavily processed foods and calling for rigorous investigations into vaccine safety, alongside the mitigation of conflicts of interest. While not explicitly addressing psychedelics, she highlighted a systemic lack of incentives for researchers to investigate "off-patent, natural, and non-commercialized medicines and therapies," suggesting that a portion of research budgets be allocated to exploring alternative approaches to healthcare.

Calley Means也提倡使用迷幻药。他在2021年的一篇博文中叙述了自己初次体验裸盖菇素的经历，正值其人生的低谷时期，并称之为“一生中最具变革意义的体验，无论从个人、职业还是精神层面而言”。2022年，他声称已“清仓所有401k账户”，转而购买了两家从事迷幻药开发与研究公司的股票。对于媒体的置评请求，他保持缄默。

Casey Means's confirmation hearing remains unscheduled, her nomination having been triggered by Trump's reservations regarding the credentials of his initial pick for Surgeon General, former Fox News medical commentator Janette Nesheiwat, whose nomination was subsequently rescinded.