Among the biggest challenges faced bythe psychedelics industry is the stigma that surrounds it.
"The anti-drug marketing of the past decades was highly effective, and so now when psychedelics are mentioned, visions of tie-dye come to mind," Timothy Ko told Benzinga.
The times are changing.
An uptickin "rigorous" academic studies is underway where drugs that werepreviously viewed as dangerousare now being considered by the Food and Drug Administrationas potential treatments for addiction.
Ko is one entrepreneur working in this space. As CEO of Entheon Biomedical, he overseesthe development of psychedelic medicines to help those dealing with substance use disorder. And he's not doing it alone.
What makes Entheon Biomedical different from other companies in the space is the expertise of those involved, Ko said.
We sought the advice of the leaders in the psychedelic space who are familiar not only with the pharmacological aspects of the science, but also the patient experience."
Another differentiator is that British Columbia-based Entheonfocuseson DMT, a hallucinogenic tryptamine drug and the main active ingredient in the plant medicine Ayahuasca.
Psilocybin and DMT are both tryptamines and work on many of the same receptors in the human body, as they are molecularly very similar," Ko explained. "Much of the visual and emotional components of the experiences are similar, and it is possible to create psilocybin-like experiences with the appropriate dosing of DMT."
DMT is widely found in many plant and animal species, and even in the human brain. This makes it a safer drug, Ko said.
The molecule is very well tolerated and metabolized in humans, he said.DMT is well-known to be short-actingand intense, but if properly harnessed and administered, the experience can be elongatedand smoothed out to be less jarring, and result in a therapeutically useful experience.
People typicallyassociate the word addiction with substance abuse. In reality, the problem is much more complex, as there are many types of addictions.
Aside from substance abuse, a person can be addicted to certain behaviors, like gambling.
I define addiction as any behavior that has negative consequences that one is compelled to persist in and relapse into and crave despite those negative consequences, saidaddiction expert Dr. Gabor Mat.
With this broader definition, it is easier to understand why addiction is such a massive problem across the globe.
Still, the statistics are more focused on those with substance abuse. TheWorld Health Organization estimatesthatthere are around 31 million people who currently struggle with these issues, and around 11 million people who inject drugs. On top of that, it is projected there are 3.3 million deaths a year from alcohol abuse.
Ko'sown personal experiences inspired him to explore addiction treatments.
Psychedelics, he sais, saved his life.
Ko said his brother struggled with substance use disorder and mental illness over the course of two decades.
Personally, psychedelics, and more specifically DMT, were instrumental in helping me to reconcile my life, and come to terms with the multitude of traumas, strained relationshipsand maladaptive beliefs and behaviors that a person amasses over a lifetime, Ko told Benzinga.
Other therapies didn't work, and Ko said he found himself on the brink of a spiritual, mental and emotional collapse.
When he was finally connected with DMT, Ko said ithelped him change not only his self-perception, but his perspective about his relationships and the world.
I was a changed man, and thus proceeded with the best years of my life.
Unfortunately, his brother didnt share the same fate, as he died in March 2019.Every conventional therapeutic intervention failed, Ko said.
Following my brothers passing and knowing the transformative potential of psychedelics, I set out to assemble a team that would include those already leading psychedelic research and consult with them to develop a product to help people like my brother."
Psilocybin researchhasalready shown promise in the treatment of addiction, he said.
Psilocybin and DMT affect the same neurotransmitters," Ko said. "DMT, when properly dosed, can recreate the effects of psilocybin.
The public perception of psychedelics runs the gamutfrom oblivious, to skeptical, to overly excited, Ko said. As a result, it is often challenging to makesure that the narrativeis presented to the general population in a way that doesn't discouragelegitimate science, businessesand benefits, the CEO said
"With investors becoming more discerning to hype, and implausible stories, I think that we will see a paring down of players in the space."
An increase in FDA research willhelp move the market in the right direction, he said.
The realities are changing as drugs like ketamine and MDMA, previously thought to be of no therapeutic benefit, are now being reclassified as potential cures to diseases, he said."As these findings prove usefulness and safety, the argument of good is backed by empiricism."
Photo courtesy of Entheon Biomedical.
2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
View post:
Entheon Biomedical CEO Timothy Ko On The Potential Of Psychedelics In Addiction Treatment - Benzinga
- 8 Mystical Herbs and Legal Psychedelics For Lucid Dreaming [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2016]
- Psychedelics: LSD, Mushrooms, Salvia | Facts | Drug Policy ... [Last Updated On: December 10th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 10th, 2016]
- FS Book Company - Marijuana Books [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2016]
- Psychedelic - PsychonautWiki [Last Updated On: December 27th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 27th, 2016]
- From Alzheimer's To Psychedelics, 2016 Was A Good Year For ... [Last Updated On: January 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: January 3rd, 2017]
- LSD - Psychedelic Effects - The Good Drugs Guide [Last Updated On: January 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: January 5th, 2017]
- THC - Psychedelics [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2017]
- Psychedelics | Pharmacological Reviews [Last Updated On: January 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: January 30th, 2017]
- Dorian Yates reveals all on steroids, body dysmorphia, psychedelics, cannabis and yoga - Express.co.uk [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Psychedelic drug therapy including magic mushrooms, LSD and ... - CBS News [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Psychedelics Being Tested For Use In Treating Various Conditions - CBS Local [Last Updated On: February 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 8th, 2017]
- The psychedelic renaissance - Boulder Weekly [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- Buy psychedelics online : Chinglabs.com [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2017]
- Psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms and LSD have key ... - Yahoo Finance [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- Psychedelics a Viable Therapeutic Option for Depression - Psychiatry Advisor [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2017]
- Is Silicon Valley Onto Something With Its LSD Microdosing? - Newsweek [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- News Releases - Noozhawk [Last Updated On: February 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 16th, 2017]
- A Revolution in the Science of Psychedelics is Happening in Boulder - 303 Magazine [Last Updated On: February 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 16th, 2017]
- When Reality Is More Intense Than Psychedelics: Strand Of Oaks ... - NPR [Last Updated On: February 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 17th, 2017]
- Psychedelics Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According to New Study - AlterNet [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Psychedelics May Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According To ... - Huffington Post [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Psychedelics Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According to New Study - eNews Park Forest [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Psychedelics Could Play A Role In Tackling The Opioid Epidemic - Huffington Post [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Meet The People's Champion of Psychedelic Drugs - Narratively [Last Updated On: February 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 27th, 2017]
- How psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD actually change the way ... - Yahoo Finance [Last Updated On: February 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 27th, 2017]
- First U. student group on studying psychedelics holds open house - The Daily Princetonian [Last Updated On: February 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 27th, 2017]
- How psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD actually change the way people see the world - Businessinsider India [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Psychedelics Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According to New ... [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- WATCH: A Public Policy Expert Explains How to Safely Deregulate LSD and Other Psychedelics - AlterNet [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Quotes About Psychedelics (48 quotes) [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Inside the Psychedelic Underground - RollingStone.com [Last Updated On: March 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 9th, 2017]
- What Psychedelics Really Do to Your Brain - Rolling Stone - RollingStone.com [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2017]
- Hallucinogens Help, According to a Mom's Memoir and Son's Documentary - Bedford + Bowery [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Meditation and the psychedelic drug ayahuasca seem to change the brain in surprisingly similar ways - Businessinsider India [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Tripping out: the highs and lows of psychedelic therapy - Marie Claire UK [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Stop Policing Psychedelic Science - Motherboard [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2017]
- America's Trippiest Chemist: Making Psychedelics 'Was Fun' - Motherboard [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2017]
- The Three Types of Hallucinogens: Psychedelics ... [Last Updated On: June 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 7th, 2017]
- Cary Grant was one of the first to benefit from LSD therapy - Quartz [Last Updated On: June 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 11th, 2017]
- What it's like to take psychedelics in small doses at breakfast - New Scientist [Last Updated On: June 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 14th, 2017]
- 'Changing Our Minds' explores psychedelic drugs and spiritual healing - Religion News Service [Last Updated On: June 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 14th, 2017]
- Q&A With Psychedelic Stand-Up and LaughFest Headliner Shane Mauss - Flagpole Magazine [Last Updated On: June 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 20th, 2017]
- Q&A: LaughFest comedian talks science and psychedelics - Red and Black [Last Updated On: June 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 20th, 2017]
- 'Changing Our Minds' explores psychedelic drugs and spiritual healing - The Daily Tribune [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2017]
- Shane Mauss brings Good Trip Comedy Tour to town - Chattanooga Times Free Press [Last Updated On: June 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 22nd, 2017]
- 'Changing Our Minds' explores psychedelic drugs and spiritual healing - The Oakland Press [Last Updated On: June 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 22nd, 2017]
- Director Ana Lily Amirpour on Cannibalism, Psychedelics, and 'Horrifying' Racism Allegations - Jezebel [Last Updated On: June 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 23rd, 2017]
- Majority of Americans ready to embrace psychedelic therapy - YouGov US [Last Updated On: June 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 24th, 2017]
- The Refugee Funding America's Psychedelic Renaissance - VICE [Last Updated On: June 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 24th, 2017]
- Open Your Mind This Weekend at Europe's Largest Psychedelic Conference - VolteFace Magazine (blog) [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2017]
- Psychedelics and Virtual Reality Make a Trendy but Illegal Therapy - Inverse [Last Updated On: June 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 27th, 2017]
- The war on drugs is back. Will psychedelic drug research survive? - The Verge [Last Updated On: June 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 29th, 2017]
- Tune in, Turn on, Stay in School - Study Breaks [Last Updated On: July 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 2nd, 2017]
- Cannabist Show: He's psychedelic comedian Shane Mauss - The Cannabist [Last Updated On: July 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 2nd, 2017]
- The brain on DMT: mapping the psychedelic drug's effects - Wired.co.uk [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2017]
- Psychedelics Could Help Asia's Mental Health Care, But Stigma Remains Roadblock - TheFix.com [Last Updated On: July 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 3rd, 2017]
- Is LSD the new coffee? - FactorDaily [Last Updated On: July 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 4th, 2017]
- My grandfather was a death row doctor. He tested psychedelic drugs on Texas inmates. - Texas Tribune [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2017]
- About Us | Trusted News Source for Psychedelic Research ... [Last Updated On: July 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 6th, 2017]
- Do Psychedelic Drugs Cause the 'Prophetic Effect'? - Breaking Israel News [Last Updated On: July 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 11th, 2017]
- Are psychedelics the new medical marijuana? - WTSP 10 News [Last Updated On: July 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 14th, 2017]
- Psychiatrists Say Cannabis Medicine Has Psychedelic Properties - The Marijuana Times [Last Updated On: July 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 15th, 2017]
- Can Psychedelics Be Therapy? Allow Research to Find Out - New York Times [Last Updated On: July 17th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 17th, 2017]
- Countdown To (Legalized) Ecstasy! Rick Doblin, MAPS, & the Psychedelic Renaissance [Podcast] - Reason (blog) [Last Updated On: July 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 20th, 2017]
- Should We Reclassify Marijuana as a Hallucinogen? - Big Think [Last Updated On: July 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 20th, 2017]
- Do You Take Drugs at Festivals? This Initiative is Working on Keeping You Safe - PoliticalCritique.org [Last Updated On: July 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 20th, 2017]
- Psychedelic drugs could tackle depression in a way that antidepressants can't - INSIDER [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2017]
- Psychedelic Shine takes a trip to the skies in Boulder - Boulder Daily Camera [Last Updated On: July 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 22nd, 2017]
- Reasons to Consider Trying Psychedelics - FoxWeekly [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2017]
- Psychedelics and Normality - HuffPost [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2017]
- New book about psychedelics and weird human experiences - Boing Boing [Last Updated On: July 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 27th, 2017]
- Scientists Want You to Give Them Money to Study ... [Last Updated On: July 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 29th, 2017]
- What Has Awe Done for Me Lately? - HuffPost [Last Updated On: August 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 1st, 2017]
- For children, it's beyond psychedelics - The Hans India - The Hans India [Last Updated On: August 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 1st, 2017]
- Expanding consciousness - 48 Hills [Last Updated On: August 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 2nd, 2017]
- THE FUTURE OF PSYCHEDELICS: Are LSD and Mushrooms The New Prozac? - Dope Magazine [Last Updated On: August 5th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 5th, 2017]
- Psychedelic drugs saved my life. So why aren't they prescribed? - Wired.co.uk [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2017]
- LSD as therapy: How scientists are reclaiming psychedelics ... [Last Updated On: August 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 9th, 2017]
- The foundation of Western philosophy is probably rooted in psychedelics - Quartz [Last Updated On: August 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 12th, 2017]
- Crazy Enough to be Correct - HuffPost [Last Updated On: August 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 15th, 2017]