President Trump's pick for Surgeon General endorsed controversial psychedelic therapy in her book, urging others to consider magic mushrooms for personal healing.
A proponent of alternative medicine, Casey Means is a leading influence in the "Make America Healthy Again" movement led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In her 2024 book Good Energy, Casey Means recounted a transformative experience with psilocybin, or magic mushrooms.
“If you feel called, I also encourage you to explore intentional, guided psilocybin therapy,” she wrote. “Strong scientific evidence suggests that this psychedelic therapy can be one of the most meaningful experiences of life for some people, as they have been for me.”
Psilocybin is illegal under federal law, although some Democratic states and cities have taken steps to legalize it. Some cities in Oregon walked back the trend in November, voting to ban the Schedule 1 drug, which has "no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," according to the federal government.
Despite its serious health risks, some claim psilocybin has legitimate benefits when used in a guided setting. Some veterans have credited the drug with healing their PTSD.
In her book on metabolic health, co-written with her brother Calley, Casey Means refers to psychedelics as "plant medicine" with an almost magical power. She described psilocybin as a "doorway to a different reality that is free from the limiting beliefs of my ego, feelings, and personal history."
"I felt myself as part of an infinite and unbroken series of cosmic nesting dolls of millions of mothers and babies before me from the beginning of life," she wrote.
Means also credited psychedelics with helping her "create space to find love at 35" in her newsletter.
The Stanford graduate dropped out of her medical residency after becoming disillusioned with the health care industry, going on to become a prominent wellness influencer. She became widely known after an appearance on Tucker Carlson's show with her brother Calley Means.
Calley also supports psilocybin, describing his first trip as "the single most meaningful experience of my life," and he invests in companies that are researching psychedelics. He is working as an adviser to Kennedy, who runs the Health and Human Services Department.
Trump withdrew his initial pick for surgeon general, former Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat, after her resume fell under scrutiny and some Trump supporters criticized her favorable comments about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Means has also faced backlash from some "MAHA" supporters who say she isn't critical enough of vaccines, while others have cited her inactive medical license as a concern. Trump, after nominating her, said he does not know Means personally but hired her on Kennedy's advice.
Her views on psychedelic therapy are likely to come up during her Senate confirmation hearing, which has not been scheduled.
