Atlanta, GA
New proposal considering magic mushrooms use as mental health treatment for Atlanta first responders
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The City of Atlanta is exploring new alternatives to address mental health among first responders.
A new proposal by Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhatiari looks to add psilocybin and ketamine as mental health treatments.
Psilocybin is the active compound found in some mushrooms that causes a psychedelic effect, also known as “magic mushrooms.”
Ketamine is a synthetic pharmaceutical originally developed as an aesthetic. Ketamine is legal in Georgia under the supervision of a licensed professional. Psilocybin, which is illegal, is making similar strides in the medical setting.
Dr. Bradley Cooke, a former Georgia Tech professor of neuroscience, said clinical trials have proven the drugs are effective in treating severe PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
“There is considerable evidence especially from placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials that drugs like psilocybin and ketamine are quite effective at treating people with depression and anxiety and PTSD,” Cooke said.
It’s something police, fire and EMS departments across the nation are exploring across as suicide rates continue to rise.
Bakhtiari said she was at an out-of-state event with first responders who praised how the drugs helped with trauma experienced on the job. She said the resolution directs the human resources department to research the positives and negatives.
Bakhtiari said the goal is to see if they can be added as mental health treatments under the city’s healthcare plan.
“We have a higher case of suicide rates and suicide ideation. If we expect people to be here in our city on the front lines protecting folks, we need to expand what mental health services, look like,” she said.
The human resources department is set to bring those findings back to the city council at the end of this year.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
Buckhead apartment building evacuated due to dangerous carbon monoxide levels
ATLANTA – A Buckhead apartment building was evacuated for a time late Tuesday night due to a carbon monoxide alarm.
What we know:
The incident occurred at an apartment complex in the 2900 block of Pharr Court South.
According to Atlanta Fire Rescue, firefighters are investigating elevated carbon monoxide levels.
The entire building was evacuated as a precaution.
One person was evaluated at the scene for possible carbon monoxide exposure.
Crews ventilated the building while they looked for the source.
Firefighters say they were able to finally locate the source and contain it.
Once readings were back to a safe level, residents were allowed back inside the apartments.
What we don’t know:
It remains unclear how many residents were displaced by the evacuation.
The Source: The details in this article come from the Atlanta Fire Rescue.
Atlanta, GA
2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say
Two suspects in a shooting that left a 7-year-old Atlanta girl dead and her mother injured are now in custody nearly a week after the violence, police say.
The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 at a home on the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW.
Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between one of the victim’s family members and the gunman over the phone. Thirty minutes after the argument, the suspect came back and fired shots into the home, police said.
Officers responding to the scene found a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, identified as 7-year-old Zoe Price, shot. Medics rushed the pair to a local hospital, but Price died from her injuries.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s homicide unit secured an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Preston Smith two days after the shooting. Smith turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on March 2.
Schierbaum said officers executed a search warrant on Feb. 27 at a home on McDaniel Street. On that day, 17-year-old Steven Richardson, who police described as an “accomplice,” turned himself in to authorities.
Both men are charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and four counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Richardson is also charged with possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18.
At a press conference to announce the arrests, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Price as a bright and compassionate little girl who was “full of energy and full of joy.”
“Her life was cut short in an act of senseless violence, and that loss is not abstract. It is a chair that is going to be missing at the dinner table each night. It is an empty classroom seat next to her friends,” Dickens said.
The mayor called the arrests “a step forward towards justice” for Price’s family and families across the city.
Dickens said that violence, like the act that took Price’s life, would not be tolerated in Atlanta.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More
On Monday, the Braves were able to earn another Spring Training victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was a game where the starting pitching depth of the Braves was on full display, as Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and Owen Murphy all threw multiple innings. While it is likely unwise to expect big things from any of these three arms this season, they are a part of the “next man up” group for the Braves if injury again impacts the rotation. Each had a solid effort today, a trend that will hopefully continue.
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