THE WEEKLY REVEAL

Hello! In this issue:

• What a rise in psychedelic treatments means for the future of medicine.
• We’ve got new Reveal T-shirts!
• A woman who reported a sexual assault and ended up arrested gets a long-awaited apology.
• The big business of warehousing foster kids.
• Our documentary “The Grab” has racked up some new honors.

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST

America Goes Psychedelic, Again

Psychedelic drugs were studied in the 1950s and ’60s as mental health treatments, but the war on drugs put a quick stop to research.

But psychedelics are coming back. Today, these drugs are gaining bipartisan support from politicians looking for solutions for the mental health crisis among veterans. Research shows that therapy assisted by MDMA (also known as ecstasy or molly) can help treat depression and PTSD, and it’s moving toward approval by the FDA.

This week on Reveal, we go inside the largest-ever conference on psychedelic drugs. We spend time with a group of veterans who have decided not to wait for psychedelic-assisted therapy to be approved by the federal government – and have created their own church. And we join a woman in Oakland, California, as she goes through therapy with the one psychedelic drug that can be legally prescribed currently in the U.S.: ketamine.

NEW

Reveal Has New T-shirts!

Impact Update

You first met Nicole Chase in our investigation into how police turn victims into suspects. This month, Reveal reporter Rachel de Leon joined Chase at the Connecticut statehouse. There, after a screening of our documentary “Victim/Suspect,” Chase shared her experience – reporting a sexual assault and ending up arrested for false reporting – with legislators and other public officials.

Democratic Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, who represents Chase’s hometown of Canton, thanked Chase for being there and apologized to her, acknowledging that no one in her position had done that yet. “We believe you, and you should have always been believed,” she told Chase.

READ: ‘If the Police Don’t Believe You, They Might Prosecute You’: How Officers Turn Victims of Sexual Assault Into Suspects

LISTEN: From Victim to Suspect

WATCH: ”Victim/Suspect,” streaming on Netflix

One Number to Know

Universal Health Services is the largest psychiatric hospital chain in the United States that you’ve probably never heard of. It keeps its branding off its facilities, but UHS operates 1 in 6 inpatient psychiatric beds across the country – and last year, it brought in $13.4 billion. Our investigation with Mother Jones found that warehousing foster kids is big business for UHS.

Listen: Cashing in on Troubled Teens

In Case You Missed It

Ending on a Good Note

🏆 This month, our documentary “The Grab” took top honors at two film festivals: It won the grand jury award for best documentary at the San Diego International Film Festival, as well as best outdoor/environmental feature film and the audience award for best feature at the Bend Film Festival.