COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- As more people experiment with psychedelic drugs, researchers say that without clear dosage guidelines, users can find themselves in dangerous or overwhelming situations.
Now, Ohio State is stepping up with a new training program to help first responders and health care workers handle those emergencies.
The Ohio State University's Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (CPDRE) just received a $400,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health to launch the PEACE Program. It's designed to help professionals support psychedelic users experiencing adverse reactions.
"Because they're highly regulated and not easily accessible, they're finding ways to get access to them and using them on their own," CPDRE associate director Stacey Armstrong said.
According to researchers, growing media attention on the potential mental health benefits of psychedelics has fueled curiosity.
"As more people use them, especially in uncontrolled settings, it's important that if and when they have challenges or difficulties that come up, that professionals are ready to help them with those difficulties, especially our medical first responders and other behavioral health care workers," CPDRE director Dr. Alan Davis said.
The PEACE program is short for psychedelic education, acute and continuing care education. It will provide free, evidence-based training to more than 127,000 professionals in Ohio, giving them tools to respond safely in times of crisis with understanding and compassion.
"If we can help our workforce understand how to show up in a supportive way, then we're hoping that can lead to fewer challenges, problems or long-term consequences from the use of a psychedelic," Armstrong said.
According to researchers, that kind of support can make all the difference.
"If they're in a setting where they're not receiving support, it could actually turn into a very challenging and potentially problematic situation for somebody," Armstrong said.
The program is designed to reach as many of the allied health professionals in Ohio as possible.
"In each of those trainings, we're going to dive into with national experts, how do you actually plan to interact with people?" Davis said. "How can you manage those cases when and if they come up?"
Ohio State researchers hope the PEACE program becomes a model for other states.
"It's important that we see that Ohio is leading the way in promoting and paying for this type of curriculum and wanting to make sure that we're leading the pack in the United States ahead of the curve, to educate our workforce," Davis said.
Davis said that under the right conditions, psychedelics can be safe and effective in helping people with various mental health conditions.
"But at a time where they're not regulated and we don't have FDA approval, we really need to make sure that we're making, that people are equipped with the information they need to do that safely, and if they have problems, they know there's people they can turn to for help," Davis said.
In-person seminars will be held in January, March, and July of 2026. Free online modules will also become available for all healthcare professionals in the state by next summer.
CPDRE has developed an online certificate program for anybody interested in learning more about psychedelics. For more information, visit this link.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – If a car tells the story of the person driving it, Ohio State center Carson Hinzman's car tells you exactly who he is.
Hinzman, a senior all-Big Ten candidate from Wisconsin, is a throwback. No flash or glitz.
"I drive an '01 Impala,” Hinzman said. The colors of the car are... varied. "Burnt sun and maroon,” he said.
He nicknamed the car Brenda, which he bought for $1,500 from a woman in eastern Ohio. The car has limited features.
"There is no radio or AC," Carson's girlfriend Leah Zenk said. "I think it's great. I think it builds character. It shows character.”
Carson's father Jon has helped his son fix the car several times, including earlier this season on the morning of a game.
"Not flashy, just gets you from point A to point B,” Jon Hinzman said. "And people are like, ‘How do you drive that thing?’”
Hinzman's family in Wisconsin runs a farm in an unincorporated town. It's a place where less is more.
"We have nice things, we have good things, but we get the things that get us by,” Jon Hinzman said.
From his small wardrobe to his throwback helmet facemask, Carson Hinzman has adopted a frugal nature in life. He's clearly not afraid of work or tough times. In 2023, he took over as the Buckeyes’ starting center, but for the Cotton Bowl vs. Missouri, Hinzman was benched. In that offseason, he considered several options, including transferring.
But Hinzman did the unusual thing in modern college football. He stayed.
"I took that as a learning opportunity at the time,” Carson Hinzman said. "I just want to be the best center I possibly can be. Yeah, it was hard, but I thought, you know, I became ten times player for it."
After Seth McLaughlin's season-ending injury last year, Hinzman returned to the center spot and anchored the Buckeyes' national championship offensive line. This year, he's among the most consistent players for a line aiming for another national crown.
"I truly kind of understand, you know, what I'm doing now, to fully understand and, you know, play as fast as you can,” he said.
His play has elevated him to a potential NFL future. But for now, Carson Hinzman's thrifty lifestyle suits him best.
"I'm not really in it for, like, the glitz and glam, you know?” he said. “I don't need to be seen. As long as I'm making Jewels (Julian Sayin) and J.J. (Jeremiah Smith) and all those guys look really, really good, I'm really happy. That's all I need."
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new mobile lung cancer screening unit from Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - The James aims to meet patients where they are, bringing critical screenings to communities across Ohio.
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer remains one of the deadliest forms of cancer, yet many people who qualify for screenings never get them. Experts said that limited access and the cost of care are two of the biggest barriers keeping people from getting tested; now, the James team hopes the new mobile unit will change that and ultimately save lives.
For Lourdes Castillo, a former smoker, the clinic provided peace of mind. She started smoking at 13 years old and continued for nearly four decades before quitting seven years ago. After losing a close friend to lung cancer, she decided to get screened through the mobile unit after learning about it in a work newsletter.
“Being free, I figured I better take advantage of it,” Castillo said. “But I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since she was diagnosed.”
Dr. Jasleen Pannu, medical director of lung cancer early detection at The James, said that because lung cancer often doesn’t show symptoms until it has advanced, early detection is key.
“Cancer does not have any symptoms,” Pannu said. “If you wait for the cancer to progress, patients will have further progressed disease, and the survival is quite low.”
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer screenings are recommended for adults ages 50 to 80 who currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years and who have a history of smoking at least one pack a day for 20 years.
Pannu said the mobile clinic offers the same level of care and accuracy as screenings performed in a hospital or doctor’s office. The mobility of the unit allows the team to bring services directly to communities that lack access, including rural regions.
“They can be timed and scheduled visits out in these communities,” Pannu said. “Everyone interested can get scheduled.”
The program’s first clinic offered free screenings, with additional low-cost events planned for the future. The goal, organizers said, is to make potentially life-saving care available to more Ohioans no matter where they live.
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