To the Point

Syrian Influence in Lebanon; Psychedelic Therapy for PTSD

Segment #1: The Struggle over Syria's Influence in Lebanon Former President Clinton will go back to the hospital Thursday, so doctors can remove fluid and scar tissue that resulted from his recent arterial bypass operation. Doctors call it -relatively routine, and aids say it won-t stop him from today's White House meeting about tsunami relief. Meantime, as President Bush spoke at the National Defense University, saying that Syrian soldiers must leave Lebanon so that -free and fair- elections can be held in May, pro-Syrian demonstrators in Beirut vastly outnumbered crowds demanding that Syria leave their country. We hear more about the President-s speech, a report from Beirut, and analysis of what the outcome of free and fair elections might be. Segment #2: Psychedelic Therapy for Suffers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In Word War I, it was -shell shock;- in World War II and Korea, it was -combat fatigue.- In the aftermath of Vietnam, it got the name -Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,- and it-s become one of the most difficult problems for veterans of the war in Iraq. Although regulations implementing the war on drugs declare Ecstasy a substance with no medical purpose, the Food and Drug Administration has approved trials of the psychedelic drug on veterans with PTSD. Do such hallucinogens have medical uses? We hear from those who've investigated PTSD and treated its sufferers, as well as a former director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse.