Daily Archives: February 1, 2022

Recently, psychedelic drugs have once again taken popular culture by storm. From the psychedelic startup companies newly forming on Wall Street to a recent New York Timesarticle that claims "psychedelic drugs are closer to medicinal use," it seems that there is a renewed media and medical interest in acid (LSD), mushrooms (psilocybin), ecstasy (MDMA), ayahuasca, DMT (dimethyltryptamine), and ketamine.

As an authors disclaimer, my own life has long intersected with psychedelic drugs. In 1979 (at age 14), I remember reading my father Lester Grinspoons book Psychedelic Drugs Reconsidered, which urged, with his usual prescience, an open-minded reappraisal about the therapeutic potential of this class of drugs.

According to Michael Pollan, "for most of the 1950s and early 1960s, many in the psychiatric establishment regarded LSD and psilocybin as wonder drugs" for treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction, among other ailments. As these drugs came to be associated with the 1960s counterculture, and as stories began to surface about bad trips and psychotic breaks, "the exuberance surrounding these new drugs gave way to moral panic." Now the pendulum is swinging back, and the interest in their usefulness as a tool to help treat a variety of psychiatric conditions is rapidly growing.

Psychedelic drugs are a loosely grouped class of drugs that are able to induce altered thoughts and sensory perceptions. At high doses some of them, such as LSD, can cause visual hallucinations. Many people have heard of "magic mushrooms" which contain the active ingredient psilocybin. Psilocybin can also alter perceptions and cause hallucinations at high doses. Other drugs, such as ecstasy, primarily affect ones mood and sensation of closeness with others. Still others, such as ketamine, have traditionally been used as anesthetics, but also act as hallucinogens and can cause dreamlike states. Ayahuasca, which is found in the jungles of South America, has been used by traditional cultures for centuries. While these drugs and medicines are loosely described under a general rubric, there are big differences between them.

According to Dr. Jerrold Rosenbaum, the director of the newly created Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics at Massachusetts General Hospital and former psychiatrist-in-chief at MGH, the short answer is, "Psychedelics induce the brain to change transiently in ways that appear to allow a reset to take place and permit alterations in previously 'stuck' ways of feeling and thinking about things." There are likely several ways in which psychedelics can accomplish this: new connections are briefly made in neural networks while the resting state of the brain (or the "default mode network") loses connectivity then it restores itself. "Its like rebooting your computer." This is how stuck patterns of thinking are thought to shift. Also, new connections between neurons are formed, a process that is called neuroplasticity. Finally, the psychedelic drugs themselves can put patients into a transient state where they can better process memories, feelings, and past trauma, and can "reemerge with a new perspective on them that is freeing and healing" also called psychedelic-assisted therapy.

To the extent that research has been allowed on drugs and medicines that arent yet legal, the answer is an increasing and resounding yes. A 2021 study in JAMA Psychiatry concluded that "This randomized clinical trial found that psilocybin-assisted therapy was efficacious in producing large, rapid, and sustained antidepressant effects in patients with major depressive disorder." Another 2021 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that patients with moderate to severe major depressive disorder who received two doses of psilocybin did just as well if not better at six weeks than patients who received daily dosages of escitalopram (an antidepressant medication). A 2021 study from Nature, which was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (the gold standard for research), showed that "MDMA-assisted therapy is highly efficacious in individuals with severe PTSD, and treatment is safe and well-tolerated."

There have been many studies of ketamine as a treatment for depression that does not respond to other treatments. And it has been approved as an option for selected patients with treatment-resistant depression.

There is also great interest in the use of psychedelic medicines in hospice/end of life care. These medications can help people overcome their fear of death, and can help make the process of dying a more meaningful and spiritual experience.

Some of these drugs, such as MDMA, are considered to be potential drugs of misuse, given the euphoria they can cause. Possible adverse effects of some psychedelics could include dizziness, drowsiness, extreme dissociation from reality, panic attacks, and nausea. Their illegality makes them more dangerous, and people using street drugs can suffer medical complications from taking contaminated drugs.

Despite their burgeoning promise in the field of psychiatry, psychedelic drugs are not yet considered to be mainstream medicine, and their use is still largely condoned only in experimental or monitored settings. These substances can cause severe impairment and should not be used without a guide who is not under the influence, who can provide calming support and/or call for help if someone is having a bad trip or an adverse reaction.

On the plus side, for the conditions described above, they present a novel and incredibly promising treatment avenue for some of the most difficult-to-treat psychiatric conditions, such as PTSD or treatment-resistant depression. With proper supervision, they are relatively safe. Some patients say the experience of psychedelics can truly be life-altering. This is thought to be in part because the use of psychedelics frequently helps people to experience what is best described as mystical experiences, and that these experiences have been associated with improved outcomes.

As my father said in a 1986 paper, referring to psychedelic drugs, "The problem is not so much how to get these drugs off the streets, but how to get them back in the laboratories, hospitals, and other supervised settings." Just because a drug can be enjoyed or misused, or has been associated with a counterculture or a particular set of political values, that shouldnt mean that it ought to be locked away forever especially when there is promising evidence of potential benefit for some of the cruelest conditions that affect humanity.

As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Back to the future: Psychedelic drugs in ... - Harvard Health

Proponents of the legalization of psychedelics has won a victory. Seattles City Council approved a resolution Monday to decriminalize a wide range of activities around psychedelic drugs, including the cultivation and sharing of psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, ibogaine and non-peyote-derived mescaline. The landmark measure extends what is already Seattle city policy not to arrest or prosecute people for personal drug possession to further protect the cultivation and sharing of psychedelic plants and fungi for religious, spiritual, healing, or personal growth practices.

State Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, says to change that in Washington, not just decriminalizes the drug but makes the active ingredient in the mushrooms available for therapeutic and creative purposes.

Enacted, the Psilocybin Wellness and Opportunity Act would allow individuals to consume products containing psilocybin and psilocin, the two main active ingredients in psychedelic mushrooms, under the support of a trained and state-licensed psilocybin service administrator. Mason Marks, a senior fellow and project lead on the Project at Psychedelics Law and Regulation at Harvard Law School who helped to draft some sections of the bill, told Marijuana Moment that it builds on the momentum of previous psilocybin policy reform efforts in Seattle and across the country. Voters in neighboring Oregon passed an initiative in 2020.

Under supported adult use, psilocybin services are made available to people 21 and older for nearly any purpose, Mason Marks, a senior fellow and project lead on the Project at Psychedelics Law and Regulation at Harvard Law School, who helped author the bill. Psilocybe azurescens and Psilocybe cyanescens are two psychedelic varieties that grow in damp, wooded areas in Washington and Oregon and produce visual hallucinations when ingested. These mushrooms while freely growing and with a centurieslong record of use among Indigenous people are also Schedule I controlled substances: illegal drugs up there with heroin and marijuana, according to the federal government.

Jesse Salomon, This is a practice as old as humanity itself and it is time to incorporate this opportunity to heal into our toolbox here in Washington state, he said. We should not deny ourselves the benefits of these services when there is so much suffering in our communities.

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Seattle Legalizes Psychedelics - The Seattle Medium

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence

First edition cover

Publication date

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence is a 2018 book by Michael Pollan. It became a No. 1 New York Times best-seller.[3]

How to Change Your Mind chronicles the long and storied history of psychedelic drugs, from their turbulent 1960s heyday to the resulting countermovement and backlash. Through his coverage of the recent resurgence in this field of research, as well as his own personal use of psychedelics via a "mental travelogue", Pollan seeks to illuminate not only the mechanics of the drugs themselves, but also the inner workings of the human mind and consciousness.

The book received many positive reviews, and a documentary is expected in 2022.

The book is organized into six chapters with an epilogue:

Pollan has been interviewed concerning the book on popular podcasts such as The Tim Ferriss Show,[4] The Kevin Rose Show[5] and The Joe Rogan Experience.

How to Change Your Mind received many positive reviews.

The New York Times Book Review named How to Change Your Mind one of the best books of 2018.[6][7]

Kevin Canfield of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "In 'How to Change Your Mind', Pollan explores the circuitous history of these often-misunderstood substances, and reports on the clinical trials that suggest psychedelics can help with depression, addiction and the angst that accompanies terminal illnesses. He does so in the breezy prose that has turned his previous books these include The Omnivore's Dilemma and Cooked, the inspiration for his winning Netflix documentaries of the same name into bestsellers."[8]

Jacob Sullum of the libertarian magazine Reason gave the book a generally positive review, but faulted Pollan for criticizing Timothy Leary's self-promotion without allocating blame to the politicians and journalists who shut down the promising scientific study of psychedelics.[9]

Writing in New York magazine, conservative journalist Andrew Sullivan praised How to Change Your Mind as "astounding."[10]

How to Change Your Mind received two positive reviews from Vox. Ezra Klein described it as "one of the most mind-expanding books I have read this year."[11] Sean Illing said that Pollan "describe[s] what it's like to take psychedelics. But beyond that, he also walks the reader through the history of these drugs and surveys the latest research into their therapeutic potential. It's a sprawling book that is likely to change how you think not just about psychedelic drugs but also about the human mind."[12]

Mark Rozzo reviewed How to Change Your Mind in Columbia magazine. He writes that the book "offers a convincingly grown-up case for the potential of drugs that, having survived decades of vilification, now seem poised to revolutionize several fields, from mental health to neuroscience."[13]

Oliver Burkeman wrote of the book in The Guardian: "How to Change Your Mind is Pollans sweeping and often thrilling chronicle of the history of psychedelics, their brief modern ascendancy and suppression, their renaissance and possible future, all interwoven with a self-deprecating travelogue of his own cautious but ultimately transformative adventures as a middle-aged psychedelic novice."[14]

Drew Gwilliams wrote a review of the book for the scientific journal Chemistry World. He called it "a fascinating history of psychedelic drugs" and said "Pollan approaches the topic with a combination of intelligent curiosity and skepticism, deftly avoiding controversial debates while seeking clarity and comprehension."[15]

In 2021, Pollan began working on a four-part documentary film adaptation of the book for Netflix. It will be released in late 2021 or early 2022.[16]

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How to Change Your Mind - Wikipedia

A massive multinational drug specialist is making waves in the psychedelic drug industry, writing checks to finance the development of new psychedelic drugs. Though the stock markets decline has somewhat overshadowed this story, it is worth noting. This breakthrough drug develop partnership has significant commercial potential for the company as well as the industry as a whole.

The company in question is Mindset Pharma. Psychedelics investors are wise to take note of this company as it is publicly owned. Shares of Mindset Pharma are traded under the symbols of MSET on the CAN and MSSTF in the United States.

Mindset Pharma has announced a new drug development partnership. The company will ally with McQuades Center for Strategic Research and Development. The partnership is considered prospective at the current moment. Mindset will receive a payment of $5 million upfront. Expenses will be paid to take two of the companys novel molecule families through the initial phase of the clinical trial process.

The announcement is important as Phase I symbolizes a significant accomplishment for Mindset. The novel molecule developers molecules will be tested for both tolerance and safety yet those products will soon be available to pharmaceutical businesses that will develop the drugs through continued research and development.

Reaching the drug development finish line without shareholder dilution is of the utmost importance for the company as well as its public owners. Mindset retains the right of first refusal to partner on results stemming from the pipeline.

The expenses referred to above have the potential to surpass the $30 million CAD mark. This level of funding is a massive financial contribution to a business that as of the current moment has a market cap below $60 million CAD. In plain terms, this deal provides a windfall of cash that will help Mindset capture additional market share.

Those who delve deeper into Mindsets research and development partner in the drug development effort will find the alliance is likely to prove quite meaningful for the entire industry. The McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development (MSRD) is a key component of the worldwide Otsuka group of pharmaceutical companies.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical is a big pharma business based in Japan. Otsuka recorded revenues in excess of $12 billion across the first two quarters of 21,. In other words, McQuade is financed by a massive drug development specialist with a considerable amount of cash to spend.

Indeed, Otsuka might qualify as a legitimate industry sugar daddy in the psychedelics space. If everything goes as planned, Otsukas financing will propel the likes of Mindset to new heights. Otsukas deep cash reserves have the potential to transform the investment of millions of dollars into billions across posterity. It is particularly important to point out the fact that the mental health industry has not progressed as most assumed. The industry has stalled yet psychedelics provide intriguing promise. If Otsukas brass is right, psychedelics are the future of mental health.

In excess of $300 billion is spent on mental health every single year in the United States. The majority of this money is wasted. However, the market cap of the psychedelic drug industry is less than $3 billion. There is clear upside to this growing industry, especially with the impending infusion of cash provided by the likes of Otsuka.

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The Psychedelic Drug Industry Appears To Have A New Sugar Daddy - The Dales Report

Denise Vidot, a University of Miami epidemiologist who has studied the impact of cannabis on well-being for a decade, has broadened her laboratorys research to include psilocybin, aiming to explain a surge in use of both substances during the pandemic.

Denise Vidot, who began researching the impact of cannabis on health and well-being long before the stigma against its medicinal use had diminished, has earned a new designation for her lab that incorporates the study of psychedelics, which she defines as psilocybin, ketamine (a legalized synthetic variation), and ayahuasca (a plant-based psychedelic).

The overarching focus of the psychedelic branch of her International Cannabis and Psychedelic Research Lab is to assess how psilocybin is independently affecting mental health amid the pandemic and how psilocybin in conjunction with cannabis affects mental health symptoms and cardiovascular disease risk, said Vidot, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

What were trying to do is study mental health and cardiovascular health through the use of plants and fungi psychedelics, she explained, noting that most existing studies on these substances focus solely on psychological health, including depression, anxiety, and trauma.

Our approach uniquely seeks to add understanding of the impact on the brain, heart, and gutthe three are interconnected, she said. When the brain is stressed, the heart rate increases and hormones are secreted into the microbiome (gut/stomach), which prompts negative implications for health, Vidot noted. The consequences for the heart and gut are much less known.

The idea for her new research focus sparked on March 11, 2020the day the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. She started working nonstop to design the COVID-19 Cannabis Health Study, as it was unclear if the cannabis dispensaries were going to stay open to serve medical cannabis consumers.

Luckily, a few months later, the dispensaries were designated an essential business, she said, noting the irony of the transformation. How did cannabis go from being an illegal substance with a stigma to an essential business that stayed open during the pandemic?

To that study, for the first time, she added questions about the co-use of cannabis with other substances, one of which was psilocybin. I didnt realize that Id be stumbling on such important findings, she said.

While she was pleased with the initial batch of 17 survey responses, she sought to broaden its outreach and turned to her many contacts within the field. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws proved especially helpful.

Collaborator support in circulating the survey garnered 3,000 respondents from around the globe.

It was such a shock, but it shows the importance of the question to the general public: What can cannabis and psilocybin actually do? she said.

Vidot noted that the responses were self-reportedvoluntary and anonymous and therefore less prone to biasand that respondents received no compensation, contrary to what many suggest about surveys relating to substance use, she said. Respondents were motivated to know the true benefits or possible harmful effects of the substances.

The findings showed that a significant number of patients eligible for medicinal cannabis started or increased use of psilocybin during the pandemic and that a portion who were co-using with cannabis also increased their use without physician oversight.

While the results are preliminary, Vidot believes those using the substances are seeking to manage pain and to cope with mental health symptoms. Early data indicates that those consuming psilocybin exhibited lower evidence of severe depression and anxiety compared with the other groupsa finding that has prompted Vidot and her research team to dig deeper.

Her lab is conducting five ongoing studies of psychedelics. Two are related to the pandemic scenario and the co-use of cannabis and psilocybin; a third explores the health effects of psilocybin used together with poly-substancesalcohol, tobacco, and cocaine, among others; and the other two examine the use of ketamine, the synthetic version of psychedelics.

Vidot noted that psilocybin remains illegal, and that ketamine [legalized] is therefore easier to study.

Her current lab includes student researchers, ranging from first-semester undergraduates to postdoctoral fellows.

Cannabis, psychedelics, and other types of alternative medicine approaches are the future, Vidot said. Being able to train this next generation of scientists or health care professionals, even if they dont move into this field, is vital. Just the awareness of replacing the stigma with knowledge is extremely important.

Vidot said she aims to be the mentor that I wish that I had as an undergraduate on my first day, and is grateful for the opportunity to advance a research field that is gaining traction, especially during the pandemic.

A lot of media outlets have started highlighting psilocybin as a mental health treatment option, and the stigma of the two substances [cannabis and psychedelics] has lessened, thus prompting more people to respond to a survey like ours, she said. I think my lab had the right timing.

At the Miller School of Medicine, Dr. Michael E. Hoffer, professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery, has been studying mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) for the past 15 plus years. Last year, his laboratorywas funded to study if the useof a pill form of cannabidiol (CBD) in combination with microdoses of psilocybin would effectively treat and possibly prevent symptoms of conditions relating to concussions and other similar mTBI injuries.

Hoffers research has documented that60 to 70 percent of those with concussive type injuries generally suffer no lingering effects beyond 7 to 10 days, yet 30 to 40 percent suffer side effects that may persist for weeks or months, or even longer.

Absent a crystal ball to know which are the 30 to 40 percent, weve been researching something to treat everyone that is innocuous for the 60 to 70 percent, but effective for the 30 to 40 percent, Hoffer explained.

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Increased psychedelic use during pandemic prompts new research - University of Miami

Microdosing psychedelics like psilocybin may enhance your mental health and overall well-being. Heres how.

When you think of magic mushrooms, you might think of vibrant colors, hippies, and trippy visuals. But recent research (and centuries of anecdotal evidence) indicates that psychedelics may have greater potential to help improve mental health.

Whats more, you may not have to take high doses of psychedelics to tap into their perks. Microdosing substances like psilocybin can offer mental health benefits without experiencing hallucinations. However, it still may be possible to experience hallucinations or even negative side effects like a bad trip while microdosing.

Psych Central interviewed Oregon-based psychotherapist and co-founder of Yale Psychedelic Science Group Peter H. Addy, PhD, LPC, LMHC, who specializes in psychedelic harm reduction and integration work. Addy discussed how microdosing psilocybin can impact your mental well-being.

Microdosing describes using a psychoactive substance at a dose lower than whats needed for recreational use. With such low amounts, the substances effects arent felt strongly enough to impair your senses.

With microdosing, approximately 1/10th to 1/20th of a recreational dose is taken, usually with the intention of improving your well-being and enhancing cognitive and emotional processes.

For dried, well-preserved Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, a recreational dose might be 1 to 5 grams. So, a microdose might be 1/20th to 1/10th of 1 gram, Addy explains. Its very small, and you need a scale accurate to 0.001 g to measure such a small amount of material.

Microdosing can also involve participating in multiple dosing sessions.

In addition to psilocybin, you can microdose LSD, MDMA, and other psychedelics, as well.

According to Addy, microdosing doesnt actually feel like anything which is ultimately the point.

On the off days day 2 and 3 when you arent taking a microdose, you might feel more focused and productive, he adds.

On the other hand, higher doses of psilocybin may induce the following experiences:

The most common way is to microdose every third day for 30 days. You take a dose in the morning on day 1, nothing for day 2 and 3, and microdose again on day 4, Addy explains. This is also known as the Fadiman protocol.

Another strategy is the Stamets protocol, named after the famous mycologist Paul Stamets. [Youd] microdose 4 days in a row then take 3 days off (microdose Monday through Thursday then take a break Friday through Sunday, for example), says Addy.

With microdosing, the substance youre using is typically taken in the morning on an empty stomach or with a light snack.

Addy notes that possessing and using psilocybin mushrooms in the United States is illegal (yes, even in Oregon where its recently been decriminalized).

To take psychedelics as safely and legally as possible, you can consider:

There may be many potential short- and long-term benefits of taking low doses of psychedelics like psilocybin.

A 2020 study suggests that less than 1 to 3 milligrams (mg) of LSD and psilocybin can subtly improve cognitive processes, like:

Another 2020 survey conducted with people who have had psychedelic experiences as a form of self-therapy suggests the following short-term benefits of microdosing:

A 2020 analysis compiling anecdotal evidence from a subreddit on self-reported experiences of microdosing psychedelics shares similar benefits:

Addy adds that long-term benefits at the end of a 30-day microdosing procedure might include:

Microdosing studies are limited at this time. But the research we do have suggests that it may offer relief for people who live with anxiety and depression.

A common question is whether mushrooms have placebo effects. Addy highlights the following three studies that do a good job of examining this concept:

We dont know very much about microdosing, but at least some of the time it might be expectation and intention that leads to change, not microdosing, he explains.

Whether it is a placebo effect at play, people have been known to report relief after microdosing psilocybin.

According to Addy, those who may be best suited to try microdosing psilocybin include people:

A 2020 study suggests that small doses of psychedelics are generally well tolerated and have none-to-minimal effects on your body. But there are still potential risks that you may want to be aware of before you try microdosing.

According to the same study, some participants also experienced negative side effects, like increased anxiety and a cycling pattern between depressive and euphoric moods.

If youve never tried microdosing before, considering some safety reminders and harm reduction strategies may be helpful as a precaution.

First and foremost, psychedelics arent totally legal yet.

The main risk is that psilocybin is illegal to have and use, despite having a low potential for abuse and currently accepted as medical use, says Addy. Being arrested, fined, imprisoned, or losing work arent conducive to mental health or personal growth.

Its important to be careful of your set, setting, and dosage. Plant medicines arent like taking Tylenol, reminds Addy. Each dose is a little different, and you might accidentally take a little too much and then have to go to work or interact with your family.

In terms of the potentially negative side effects of microdosing, Addy says people sometimes report experiencing:

He notes that moving, stretching, or exercising right after microdosing can help reduce anxiety and physical discomfort. Meditating afterward can also help with focus and creativity, too.

One survey asked people who have microdosed if they talked about it with their doctors or therapists, and only 18% had done so, says Addy.

If youre microdosing or thinking about microdosing in the future, it can be beneficial to find a doctor or therapist you trust enough to discuss your intentions and use. However, its important to understand that these substances are still illegal in most countries and remain unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Studies on the therapeutic benefits of microdosing psychedelics are limited and in progress. But research suggests that microdosing psilocybin may help improve mental health and help treat some mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression.

There are still potential benefits and risks to be aware of before microdosing, though.

Firstly, its important to remember that psychedelics like psilocybin are not legal in the United States just yet, even in places like Oregon where the substance has been decriminalized.

If youre considering microdosing psilocybin, talking with a doctor or therapist about whether microdosing or psychedelic therapy may be right for you can be a good starting point.

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What Is Microdosing and Can It Help Mental Health? - PsychCentral.com

There are thousands of ways in which one could describe Zappy Zapolin. Boring is not one of them.

Mike Zappy Zapolin is an award-winning filmmaker, entrepreneur and investor in the expanding psychedelic space. But while the man they call Zappy has managed to involve himself in almost every area of the industry, it is perhaps his role of psychedelic concierge to the stars that has amplified his voice in the push to expand human consciousness through the use of psychoactive chemicals.

With interest in experimenting with psychedelics at an all-time high, Zappy has become the go-to resource for celebrities seeking their first experience. His knowledge and insight into the space has seen him work with everyone from Deepak Chopra to Joel Osteen as he aims to further introduce the world to the hidden potential of psychedelics.

Today Zappy joined The Dales Report to discuss the space and the current outlook for psychedelic investors. The financial world is nothing new to the psychedelic guru, as Zapolin spent years holding down a prominent role with one of Wall Streets most reputable investment banking firms.

While his Wall Street ventures and marketing endeavors made him millions, it was the emptiness he felt inside that ultimately led him down the path of psychedelic therapeutics.

Seeking a spiritual and personal breakthrough, Zapolin hopped on the next plane to Peru to participate in an ayahuasca ritual. The ancient psychoactive plant ceremony was a life-changing experience for the former Wall Street banker, and his experience was so profound that it led him down the same path he continues to walk today.

The Dales Report is happy to bring you this interview with one of the most interesting voices in the space, and while he might be most recognisable for his celebrity interactions, this conversation focuses on his thoughts in regards to investing in psychedelics and the outlook of the industry.

Watch our inaugural interview with Lamar Odom, former NBA Star, and Zappy Zapolin, award-winning filmmaker, by clicking here

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Investing In Psychedelics In 2022 With Zappy Zapolin - The Dales Report

According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter, a combination of ketamine and psychological therapy could help those with severe alcohol use disorder stay on the wagon.

The project is named Ketamine for Reduction of Alcohol Relapse (KARE), and it determined that former drinkers were more two-and-a-half-times more likely to remain abstinent over a six-month period after taking small doses of ketamine compared to the placebo control group.

Even at low doses, the studys volunteers experienced psychedelic effects from ketamine. They talked with their future selves, jumped down the hole into Wonderland, met God, etc. But those ludicrous, dreamlike situations can have a profound impact on patients, essentially rewiring ones relationship to alcohol.

When administered by an expert (and accompanied by psychotherapy) ketamine acts on the lateral habenula, a part of the brain that often contributes to anxiety, fear and depression. The drug might be able to reset this disappointment center, by minimizing the stress and damage of previous or ongoing trauma.

One patient said in a statement: The sense of oneness that I felt and the sense of moving away from focusing on the worries and the small stuff is helpful in terms of improving my relationship with alcohol I think I used alcohol as a self-medication and as a blocking and avoiding mechanism. And I think feeling that those issues are less prevalent or at least less important means I feel less motivated to drink.

The KARE study is coming at a time where attitudes around psychedelics are changing, and practical application of them for clinical therapy has been fast-tracked.

Over the last two years, treatment (administered via ayahuasca, psilocybin, or ibogaine, in addition to ketamine) has helped combat veteransgrapple with PTSDand retired football playersconfront CTE. A recent report promised thefirst ever studyof psilocybin-assisted therapy for clinicians.

Meanwhile, the buzzy Field Trip Health now offers ketamine-enhanced therapy in eight locations throughout the United States. (Prospective patients can find out if theyre eligible for treatment after filling out a simplequestionnaire.) And the FDA recently stamped a ketamine-infused nasal spray, meant to treat severe depression.

While this study was a success for the patients involved those that got ketamine stayed sober 162 out of 180 days, on average there are still some concerns. Namely, is it smart to cure ones addiction to a drug with another addictive drug? Freethink reached out to Dr. John Krystal at Yale, a ketamine expert, for comment.

Heres what he had to say: I think that this is an exciting study that highlights a novel potential therapeutic action of ketamine for the treatment of addiction, which is somewhat paradoxical, given the significant abuse liability associated with recreational use of ketamine We will need to see this work replicated and extended to fully understand the clinical impact of this intervention.

In other words its a promising start, and that question (including how ketamine may interact with people already on antidepressants), will need to be fully examined in later studies. For now, though, we can celebrate the open minds and pioneering research of those working to help treat alcohol addiction.

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Could Psychedelic Ketamine Therapy Cure Alcohol Addiction? - InsideHook

Vancouver TheNewswire - British Columbia, January 31, 2022. Lexston Life Sciences Corp. (the Company or Lexston) (CSE:LEXT) (CNSX:LEXT.CN) (OTCQB:LEXTF) a biotechnology company focused on the development of analytical services and production of botanically derived psychedelics, is pleased to announce that, on January 17, 2022, its wholly-owned subsidiary, Egret Bioscience Ltd., was granted a two year long Section 56 exemption by Health Canada, pursuant to which the company can now possess up to 100 grams of psilocybin mushrooms for scientific purposes for their project entitled Establishing best practices and analytical methods for the rapid detection, quantification and traceability of botanically derived classical psychedelics.

Egret scientists will leverage their expertise in High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and will collaborate with NIRLab AG (www.nirlab.com) in the development of a rapid and portable Near Infrared Spectroscopic tool for the identification and quantification of naturally derived tryptamines found in Psilocybe mushroom such as Psilocin, Psilocybin, Baeocystin, Norbaeocystin and Aeruginascin. The team will also implement large scale genotyping-by-sequencing to validate a 100000 marker assay that will be used to uncover the genetic basis of different tryptamine profiles from a varied list of accession supplied by participating Licensed Dealers.

We are excited to add Psilocin and Psilocybin to our existing tryptamine analytics platform which currently includes the uncontrolled compounds bufotenine, 5-Meo-DMT and 4-Aco-DMT. Our ability to collect chemical and genetic profiles from a suite of psychedelic mushrooms with unique attribute will enable our team to discover the genetic basis underlying particular chemical profiles. This information will be invaluable for future developments of biosynthetic production pipelines for botanically derived psychedelics Stated Philippe Henry PhD, Director and Chief Science Officer of Lexston.

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Near infrared Spectrometer used for the rapid detection and quantification of mushroom compounds.

About Lexston Life Sciences Corp.

Lexston Life Sciences Corp. is a Canadian biotechnology company providing cannabis testing and research services. Lexston has recently secured licensing under the exemptions prescribed by section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada) to enable the expansion of its services into the psychedelic industry with an initial focus on the detection and quantification of psychedelic molecules in the lab and point of care. Lexston intends to develop and validate methods for standardized manufacturing of plant derived psychedelics in support of burgeoning trials in the field of mental health and wellness.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

LEXSTON LIFE SCIENCES CORP.

Jagdip Bal Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (604) 928-8913

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of LEXT to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release.

Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

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Lexston Life Sciences is Granted Section 56 Exemption from Health Canada and embarks on the development of portable technology for quantification and...

About a week after Colorado activists filed revised versions of 2022 ballot initiatives to legalize psilocybin and create healing centers in the state, a second campaign has submitted their own competing proposal to legalize psychedelics.

Activists with Decriminalize Nature Boulder County filed the new, one-page initiative on Friday. It would allow adults 21 and older to possess, cultivate, gift and deliver psilocybin, psilocyn, ibogaine, mescaline and DMT.

Further, the measure says that it would be lawful to conduct psychedelics services for guidance, therapy and harm reduction and spiritual purposes with or without accepting payment. It would not be legal to sell any of the psychedelics, however.

The campaign is being headed by activists Nicole Foerster and Melanie Rodgers, a proponent of Denvers 2019 psilocybin decriminalization initiative who also petitioned for a successful Washington, D.C. decriminalization measure.

Without decriminalization and the security it allows for affected communities to more effectively organize, regulatory models will make it difficult for the most disadvantaged groups of our population to continue to access the natural medicines they safely use to heal, Foerster said in a press release. To address this we are advocating for a simple change to existing laws around these controlled substances.

The new filing is a sign of splintering between Colorado advocates who share the objective of ending psychedelics criminalization and ensuring access but who apparently disagree about the regulatory approach.

The separate, recently revised initiatives filed by the well-funded national New Approach PAC and supported by people like philanthropist David Bronner of the soap company Dr. Bronners is much more thorough and contains key differences from the simple adult-use legalization proposal that have now been introduced.

Under the revised measures, which are titled the Natural Medicine Health Act, there would be a two-tiered regulatory model, where only psilocybin would be legalized and regulated for therapeutic use until June 2026, after which point regulators could expand the policy change to include other psychedelics that are listed in the proposal like ibogaine, DMT and mescaline thats not derived from peyote.

The decision to add additional psychedelics to the program would be made by the Department of Regulatory Agencies in consultation with a Natural Medicine Advisory Board that would be established. The board would be comprised of 15 members, including people who have experience with psychedelic medicine in a scientific and religious context.

There would be no possession limits for the entheogenic substances, unlike the initial measures that were filed by the campaign last month.

These latest filing comes more than two years after Denver became the first city in the U.S. to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms. Kevin Matthews, who served as campaign director of that local push, is now a chief petitioner for the wider ranging statewide ballot effort. Various activists involved in the 2019 campaign have signaled interest in building upon the reform.

The initiatives must still be assigned an official ballot title and summary from the state before theyre approved to begin signature gathering. The broader measures are scheduled to receive a review and comment hearing on February 3, whereas the new initiative filed on Friday is set to be heard on February 11.

If approved by state officials, activists will need to collect 124,632 valid signatures from registered voters to achieve ballot access.

The Colorado ballot initiatives seek to accomplish something similar to what California activists are actively pursuing. California advocates are in the process of collecting signatures for aballot initiative to legalize psilocybin mushroomsin the state.

Meanwhile in Colorado, Sen. Joann Ginal (D) and Rep. Alex Valdez (D) filed a modest bill this month to create a one-year plant-based medicine policy review panel that would be tasked with studying the use of plant-based medicines to support mental health, according to a summary. The ballot campaign is not affiliated with that legislative effort.

The policy review panel shall submit a report on its findings and policy recommendations to the House of Representatives Public and Behavioral Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, or any successor committees; the governor; and the Department of Human Services, it says.

Meanwhile, legislative efforts to enact psychedelics reform are also underway in other states across the country.

For example, a bill to decriminalize a wide array of psychedelics in Virginia was taken up by a House of Delegates panel on Monday,only to be pushed off until 2023. A separate Senate proposal to decriminalize psilocybin alone was defeated in a key committee on Monday.

In Oregon, where voters approved a historic 2020 initiative to legalize therapeutic psilocybin program, as well as another to broadly decriminalize currently illicit drugs, lawmakers introduced a bill last week meant to promote equity into the program.

Two Republican Oklahoma lawmakers recently filed bills meant to promote research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin, and one of the measures would furtherdecriminalize low-level possession of the psychedelic.

A GOP Utah lawmaker also introduced a bill this month that would set up a task force to study and make recommendations on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugsand possible regulations for their lawful use.

In Kansas, A lawmaker also recently filed a bill tolegalize the low-level possession and cultivationof psilocybin mushrooms.

A Republican Missouri lawmaker introduced a bill this month to give residents with serious illnesses legalaccess to a range of psychedelic drugslike psilocybin, ibogaine and LSD through an expanded version of the states existing right-to-try law.

California Sen. Scott Wiener (D) told Marijuana Moment in a recent interview that his bill tolegalize psychedelics possessionstands a 50/50 chance of reaching the governors desk this year. It already cleared the full Senate and two Assembly committees during the first half of the two-year session.

In Michigan, a pair of state senators introduced a bill in September tolegalize the possession, cultivation and deliveryof various plant- and fungi-derived psychedelics like psilocybin and mescaline.

Washington State lawmakersalso introduced legislation this monththat would legalize what the bill calls supported psilocybin experiences by adults 21 and older.

In Vermont, a broad coalition of lawmakers representing nearly a third of the House introduced a bill todecriminalize drug possession.

New Hampshire lawmakers filed measures todecriminalize psilocybin and all drugs.

Last year, the governor of Connecticut signed legislation that includes language requiring the state tocarry out a study into the therapeutic potentialof psilocybin mushrooms.

At the congressional level, bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) this month, urging that the agencyallow terminally ill patients to use psilocybinas an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution.

Schumer Gives Update On Federal Marijuana Legalization And Banking In Meeting With Equity Advocates

Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.

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