Creating access to whole plant medicines through clinical research
Patients deserve treatment options
SRI Foundation is committed to bringing more rigorous and inclusive research forward to not only better understand whole plant/fungal medicines, but to advocate for patients’ access to natural treatments as an alternative to costly synthetic pharmaceuticals.
Our FOCUS AREAS
CULTIVATION
As a DEA-licensed laboratory, SRI Foundation is legally permitted to cultivate whole plant & fruiting body medicines for studies focused on the healing potential of the plants and fungi. On a limited basis, we’re proud to supply these medicines, compliantly, to our research partners throughout the country.
RESEARCH
Joining a growing movement for more knowledge on plant medicines, SRI Foundation studies naturally-occurring compounds in plants–such as cannabis and psilocybin–and advocates for more comprehensive policy that allows researchers to understand controlled plant substances so they may one day be applied as safe alternatives to synthetic drugs.
AdvOCACY
Without adequate research, Schedule 1 remains a barrier for people who may benefit from the use of plant medicines. Working with researchers, community stakeholders, and the government, we offer a path for a data-driven future that shows compassion toward people struggling with their health and deconstructs harmful barriers to plant-based care.
Join the movement for quality research: donate to SRI Foundation and further groundbreaking science on whole plant/fungal therapies.
our purpose: SERVING VETERANS
Our president and principal investigator Sue Sisley MD has worked with veterans for over 20 years and has dedicated her career to groundbreaking research on plant medicines and untangling the government’s web of barriers to such research.
In 2019, she served as the principal investigator on the first clinical trial for cannabis as a PTSD treatment for veterans. In 2017, Rolling Stone named Dr. Sue as one of the top 25 people in tech and research that year for her cannabis research, alongside Elon Musk and Kamala Harris.
OUR FOUNDER: SUE SISLEY, MD
When Sue Sisley MD heard from patients that they were experiencing benefits from plant medicines, she wanted to know more. But there was a lack of clinical research available and a wall of federal prohibitions that kept both patients and providers in the dark. SRI foundation founder Dr. Sue has taken on the Attorney General, Department of Justice, and the Drug Enforcement Administration–successfully–to open pathways for legal scientific research on psychoactive plants and the promotion of patient access.
Our strategy: Right to Try
Photo courtesy of Amy Donahue
According to the FDA:
“Right to Try is one pathway for patients diagnosed with life-threatening diseases or conditions who have exhausted all approved treatment options and are unable to participate in a clinical trial to access certain drugs that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.”
With SRI’s Phase 1 whole-mushroom psilocybin trial now complete, the investigational product has met multiple requirements relevant to eligibility under the federal Right to Try Act. SRI is continuing the research and regulatory work needed to satisfy the remaining requirements. A specific federal pathway for Right to Try access involving Schedule I psychedelic drugs has not yet been publicly established.
To learn more about the Right to Try and eligibility, read the FDA’s Fact Sheet.