Dr. Matthew Hicks: Making the Case for Low-Income Access
Most of the research done on psilocybin has happened at elite institutions with carefully selected participants. Dr. Matthew Hicks did something different.
He ran the first clinical trial ever conducted inside a state-regulated psychedelic program. He focused on a low-income population that clinical trials have systematically failed to reach and that public payers have systematically failed to serve. And he did it for a fraction of the cost and timeline of a typical federal trial.
The findings are striking. A group treatment format that cut the cost of care by more than half. Meaningful drops in severe depression scores across the cohort. And one of the strongest measured outcomes was something the team didn't expect going in: participants' ability to function socially.
In this episode, Matt and Sam dig into the design choices behind the study, what surprised them most, the follow-up study Matt wants to fund next, and why this work is exactly the kind of evidence that could move the needle on Medicaid coverage for psilocybin therapy.
This is the kind of research that's not just asking "does this work." It's asking "does this work for the people who actually need it most, in a system that could actually pay for it." That's the question that defines the next phase of psychedelic policy.
About the Guest
Dr. Matthew Hicks is a naturopathic doctor, an Oregon-licensed psilocybin facilitator, and a member of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board. He's the founder of Synaptic Institute, one of Oregon's leading facilitator training programs, and was the lead investigator on the first clinical trial of psilocybin therapy conducted within Oregon's state-regulated program.
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