A single dose of the psychedelic compound psilocybin, when paired with behavioral counseling, helped smokers quit at substantially higher rates than a standard nicotine patch paired with the same counseling. The results suggest that psychedelic treatments might offer a highly effective new approach for people struggling to overcome tobacco addiction. The findings were recently published in the journal JAMA Network Open. Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of preventable death worldwide, responsible for an estimated eight million deaths each year. Most people who smoke want to quit, but breaking the biological and psychological grip of addiction is notoriously difficult. Currently available cessation aids, such as nicotine replacement patches and prescription medications, provide modest benefits but often fail to help individuals maintain abstinence over the long term. The lack of highly effective, long-lasting treatments has prompted researchers to explore entirely new pharmacological strategies. Over the past decade, a growing body of evidence has hinted that psychedelic drugs might help reset established patterns of behavior in mental health conditions, including substance use disorders. Classic psychedelics like psilocybin, …