Category Archives: Psychedelics

I wanted to make something with substance, a meaning, purpose, and cultural relevance.

James Drayton, the producer of Torontos first (and only) large-scale psychedelics-based art show, stands proudly in the front lobby of his creation, held in the beautiful and old Lithuanian House on Bloor Street West.

This is the true meaning of the psychedelic renaissance a loud and proud endorsement of learning about psychedelic substances, their history, their functions, how they work and how they make you feel.

We do not endorse using psychedelic substances, the website for the Psychedelics: The Experiential Exhibition states. We endorse learning about them.

The exhibit is larger than the ads and social media posts let on. An all-immersive experience starts in a clinic The new set and setting complete with a couch, two comfortable chairs, a plant, and an overall neutral, pleasant atmosphere. Walking through the exhibits first floor takes you on a maze of a journey. It starts at the very beginning, with psilocybin mushrooms and their ancient past, telling the viewer that, throughout history, humans have always wanted to tinker with consciousness.

The show introduces the Bee-Faced Mushroom Shaman, a mysterious figure found in Algerian cave paintings whose body is covered in what suspiciously look like mushrooms. Who was this man? Was he a guide? A vision? A costume? At this time, we can only guess and speculate, but this sets the tone of curiosity for the rest of the exhibit: How long have humans had a relationship with psychedelics? And how deep does the connection run?

From Toronto-based artist Casey Watsons Shroom Room (she says her favourite mushroom is the smallest one if youre in there, try to find it!) to The Clandestinos blacklight peyote experience hallway, the exhibit is definitely as immersive and experiential as it promises, with plenty of opportunity for both cool photos and learning.

The crux of the exhibit is GMUNKs massive light show sculpture installation, The Totem, truly bringing together the vision that James Drayon has for the show being at the intersection of art and technology. The Totem offers a nine-minute sequence of songs, sounds, and a mapped light and laser experience that can be experienced from the front and the back. California-based Robert Malone, the sound artist that GMUNK worked with for the piece, brought genuine field recordings of real birds and animals. The 25 artists featured in the show were selected and curated through Draytons own network and come from all over the world: I shared the idea and some people got it, and some people didnt, says, and clearly, the ones that got it were welcomed to be part of it.

A joyful offering for folks in all stages of their psychedelic journey, functioning as a both a museum and an exhibit as well as an adult playground (though kids are more than welcome), the Psychedelics Show is a pleasant introduction for folks curious about psychedelics and a somewhat new perspective to those who already know. For those who havent experienced DMT, for example, the simulated trip video offers a realistic experience. One can imagine themselves transported to a psychedelic new realm while still fully in control and with the opportunity to leave at any time.

A standout piece is a DMT-simulating video piece from California-based artist and motion designer Burt Vera Cruz.

The written content of the Psychedelics Show is Psychedelics 101, but that doesnt mean its not relevant to the experienced user. After all, few can say theyve really tried it all, and the exhibit works to introduce a multitude of the worlds psychedelics and their functions. Theres information on ayahuasca, peyote, LSD, and more, all accompanied with art to represent the substance of choice.

A section on psilocybin, perhaps the most commonly used and best-known psychedelic in the space, has the famous May 1957 Life magazine article and photo essay, Seeking The Magic Mushroom, written by R. Gordon Wasson about his trip and stay in Mexico in 1995, where he took psilocybin mushrooms for the first time in a Mazatec healing ritual, called a velada and previously only used to help find missing people and items.

The article describing the velada and the experience and hallucinations, as well as the bright, beautiful, and bold photographs that came with it, brought psilocybin mushrooms to a wider audience for the first time, and Wasson is often credited as being one of the first to popularize magic mushrooms in America. Wasson and New York photographer Allan Richardson became, according to Wasson, the first white men in recorded history to eat the divine mushrooms.

However, the article, and the accompanying written text at the exhibit, fails to mention the long-term effects of Wassons experience and his article, or Maria Sabina at all. So what really happened at the ceremony? And what happened to Maria Sabina after Wasson took the medicine of the mushrooms and brought it to the West? The truth? Wasson lied to gain access to the velada, claiming that he was worried about his son back home and wanted information on where he was; he later revealed the lie.

The velada took place in Oaxaca, Mexico, under the guidance of curandera (a female shaman or medicine woman) Maria Sabina in her hometown just outside of Huautla de Jimnez. The article describing the velada and the experience and hallucinations, as well as bright, beautiful, and bold photographs, brought psychoactive mushrooms to a wider audience for the first time, and Wasson is often credited as being one of the first to popularize magic mushrooms in America.

Wassons article reached millions, and, just under a week later, Wassons wife, Valentina Pavolva, published a first-person account of the research expedition in Mexico which was published on the cover of This Week, a Sunday magazine insert that reached almost 12 million readers.

These articles collectively gathered a lot of interest, especially in the hippie and beatnik movements that were blossoming at the time. Author Tom Robbins claims that Wassons article was directly responsible for turning himself and a lot of people on to the mushroom movement.

While the article was massively successful and sparked major curiosity and interest in the Mazatec ritual, culture, and psychedelic mushrooms as a whole, it ended up proving to be horrifically disastrous for the Mazatec community and Maria Sabina herself. The community was overwhelmed with visitors who wanted to try the mushrooms and experience the hallucinations Wasson talked about for themselves, and Sabina attracted the attention of the Mexican police, who thought that she was selling drugs to foreigners.

The social dynamics, infrastructure, and relations of the Mazatec community were altered significantly as a result of the unwanted (and unwelcome) bouts of massive attention, and threatened their sacred, and, for so long, secret ritual around the mushrooms. Sabina was blamed for wrecking the community and ostracized, becoming a social pariah in a society where she was once revered as a medicine woman. She was briefly jailed, her son was murdered, and she died in poverty and suffered from malnutrition in her later life, expressing regret over having introduced Wasson and his companions to the mushroom medicine.

The story is tragic, but unfortunately not unique stories of colonization and exploitation of different cultures from the Western world, repackaged and presented as discoveries are common from tea to spices to drugs. Its important to be aware of these histories when discussing psychedelics, especially now, as the psychedelic renaissance sees a high percentage of white folks with money at the top directly benefiting from the medicine that other cultures have spent centuries studying and cultivating. This is something lacking in the exhibit: No matter your journey with psychedelics, its important to acknowledge where they came from and who really initiated the discoveries, who studied them, who helped pioneer these medicines. While the show alludes to historical hallucinogenic use in the beginning with the Bee-Faced Mushroom Shaman, its not continued fully in the rest of the exhibit.

Now, its important to understand that not all information can be conveyed fully in limited text and space, and the Psychedelics Show is, of course, working with a limited canvas. Ultimately, the show is there to fulfill an ultimate goal: To educate and inspire, and it piques enough curiosity at the tip of the iceberg to encourage passionate learners to dig deeper after visiting.

Overall, the Psychedelics Show is a pleasant experience for visitors young and old. In town until at least December, but hopefully longer, it should be a necessary stop on any Toronto art-lovers list. It fills all of James Draytons wishes for it: Its timely, its necessary, and its relevant. Shows like this remind us of a time that we are lucky to be living in: The psychedelic renaissance is here and now.

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Toronto Psychedelic Exhibition features the Art and History of Psychedelics - Psychedelic Spotlight

Elon Musk has been forthcoming about psychedelic drugs and is not shy about discussing them and their benefits. Hes also been supportive of cannabis legalization.

The billionaire shared a chart with a friend,which showedMDMA and psychedelic mushrooms are healthier than alcohol use, according to the friendwho toldThe New York Times.

The Times, reportedThe Insider,then spoke with over 40 people who have spent time with Musk over the past 15 years, many of whom signed non-disclosure agreements or similarin order to attend parties with Musk. The Times also reported that for the past 20 years, Musk has attended nearly every Burning Man festival,usually with his younger brotherKimbal Musk and a friend he met there.

"I have been with him on mild exploratory journeys," said David Marglin, a Bay Area lawyer who met Musk at Burning Man where they struck up a 20-year friendship. "And he appreciates the value of those journeys. Nothing out of control or wild, but it's all night, and there's dancing and revelry."

In the past, theTeslaTSLACEOhas expressed supportfor psychedelics and ketamine. Earlier this year,he was part of aconversation between two Twitter users, one of whom, Netscape co-founderMarc Andreessenreferredto a2016 New York Times featureabout Adderall andwondered whether our present society was caused by social media. I'm wondering whether Adderall plus ubiquitous Google searches have bigger effects.

Musk responded, "I've talked to many more people who were helped by psychedelics & ketamine than SSRIs & amphetamines."

More recently, the billionaire said in aninterview with Full Send Podcastthat he thinks psychedelics can be "pretty helpful" for PTSD and depression. Musk alsonotedhe and the "whole of SpaceX" had been subjected to random drug tests for a year after he appeared on a podcast with Joe Rogan in which he smoked weed.

Musk is far not the only successfultech CEO who has showninterest in psychedelics. Apple founder Steve Jobs also talked aboutmicrodosingpsychedelics drugs, such as LSD or psilocybin mushrooms in order to promote creativity. Jobs also spent time inIndia seeking enlightenment and studying Zen Buddhism.

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Elon Musk's 'Exploratory Journeys' And Charts Explaining Benefits Of Psychedelics Over Alcohol - Tesla (N - Benzinga

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ALTRD.TV, the streaming network for progressive culture, released the trailer for its new upcoming series Open Minds: Exploring Psychedelic Medicine, coming in 2023. The series concentrates on the resurgence of psychedelic research for mental health treatments, with leading industry experts from The Chopra Foundation, MAPS, The McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy, Cybin Inc. (NYSE AMERICAN:CYBN) (NEO:CYBN) and others.

Open Minds is a six-part miniseries that explores the topics of consciousness, the experience of using psychedelic treatments, current research and what the future of mental healthcare can look like.

Open Minds explores many of the questions surrounding psychedelics as a treatment for mental health. We connected with industry leaders, researchers, and people who have used these treatments firsthand to find the answers. This collaboration allowed us to paint a picture of the future of psychedelic therapy while remembering where weve come from in the past, said Executive Producer Joshua Otten. When we first started this documentary, we didnt realize the profound impact this research could have on millions of people around the world in need of new and innovative treatment for their mental health.

The documentary features researcher Dennis McKenna, who has conducted interdisciplinary research on the ethnopharmacology of Amazonian traditional medicines for over 40 years, and Dr. Deepak Chopra, professor, author, and founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism. The series also features Doug Drysdale, CEO of Cybin Inc., Bryan Johnson, Founder and CEO of Kernel, Keith Ferrazzi, Founder and Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight, Adam Strauss, Comedian and Psychedelic advocate and Cristie Strongman, MDMA Psychotherapist and Trainer at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) on clinical trials for PTSD with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Through clinical trials we can now begin to see the impact of psychedelic medicine and the potential to help people who are suffering from mental health disorders such as PTSD, said Christie Strongman, who has firsthand experience working with patients in MAPS groundbreaking research. Its important to raise awareness for alternative healing modalities that have massive potential to shift our understanding of modern medicine and treatment of mental illness.

The world is changing so fast now, and psychedelics may become necessary to make sense of it all. We were able to learn from these bold pioneers of science and witness what we may be stepping into next, said Robert Schober, Director of Open Minds.

To view the trailer visit: thefutureofpsychedelictherapy.com

About ALTRD.TV

ALTRD.TV is the streaming network for progressive culture featuring content from top creators in web3, transformative wellness, NFTs and animation, and more. Audiences can watch thousands of free and unlimited features, docs, and series on smart devices and TVs in 65M+ homes, on networks including AppleTV/iOS, Android, Samsung+, Plex, Roku, LG, and Playstation.

Download ALTRD.TV on the app store for Apple and Android, download the app on your smart tv, or visit http://www.altrd.tv.

About the cast:

Doug DrysdaleDoug Drysdale is CEO of Cybin Inc. During Dougs 30+ years of experience in the healthcare sector, he has formed cohesive management teams, recruited board members, and has raised around $4 billion of both public and private capital. Previously, Doug was Head of M&A at Actavis Group, leading 15 corporate acquisitions across three continents, between 2004 and 2008. Over this period, Doug raised approximately $3 billion of capital and managed lending syndicates including over 25 banks, to fund the companys growth. Actavis was sold to Watson Pharmaceuticals in 2012 for EUR4.25 billion.

Deepak ChopraDeepak Chopra MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His 90th book and national bestseller, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential (Harmony Books), unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.

Bryan JohnsonBryan Johnson is founder & CEO of Kernel, working to make neuro measurement mainstream; OS Fund, where he invested $100M in the predictable engineering of atoms, molecules, and organisms; and Blueprint, an endeavor to neutralize aging. Previously, Johnson was the founder/CEO of Braintree Venmo, which PayPal acquired for $800M. He is an outdoor adventure enthusiast, pilot, and author of childrens books, Code 7 and The Proto Project.

Adam StraussAdam Strauss is a stand up comedian and monologist based in New York. The New York Times said The Mushroom Cure, Adam's monologue about treating his OCD with psychedelics, "mines a great deal of laughter from disabling pain," The Chicago Tribune called it "arrestingly honest and howlingly funny," and Michael Pollan called it "brilliant, hilarious and moving". Adam also speaks about OCD and psychedelics in articles, on podcasts, and at conferences.themushroomcure.com

Keith FerrazziKeith Ferrazzi is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, speaker, entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and executive team coach who helps executive teams harness Radical Adaptability and Co-Elevation to transform enterprises in an unpredictable work world. As Founder and Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight and its Go Forward to Work applied research institute, he works with top organizations to maximize team performance and achieve transformative outcomes. With over 20 years of experience coaching c-suite executive teams, Ferrazzi is recognized as one of the worlds most sought-after executive team coaches. He formerly served as CMO and Head of Sales at Deloitte and Starwood Hotels.

Dennis McKennaDennis McKenna has conducted interdisciplinary research on the ethnopharmacology of Amazonian traditional medicines for over 40 years and is the Principal Founder and President of The McKenna Academy. He is a founding Board member of the Heffter Research Institute (Heffter.org). He taught ethnopharmacology at the University of Minnesota from 2000 to 2017. In 2019, he founded The McKenna Academy of Natural Philosophy

Cristie StrongmanCristie Strongman, M.A., Ed.M, MHC-LP, is a multiracial Latina from Panama who works with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) as a trainer and therapist in clinical trials on PTSD with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. She is an educator and trainer to mental health professionals on psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration and has a therapy practice in New York City.

Robert SchoberRobert Schober is a director, writer, and visual effects artist based in Los Angeles, California. His career spans twenty years, creating commercials for tech giants like Google and Microsoft and 50+ music videos for such luminaries as Metallica, The Killers, Mastodon, Jennifer Hudson, and Demi Lovato. In 2010, he won the NME video of the year award for his work with My Chemical Romance. His proudest directing accomplishment to date is Cant Deny My Love, a musical film starring Evan Rachel Wood and Brandon Flowers, and written for M Night Shyamalan. Two of his screenplays Im Worried About You and Cram Session are currently in development.

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ALTRD.TV's Open Minds Documentary Explores the Promising Future of Psychedelic Medicine - Business Wire

IntelGenx Technologies Corp.

SAINT LAURENT, Quebec, Oct. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IntelGenx Corp.(TSX:IGX) (OTCQB:IGXT) (the "Company" or "IntelGenx") today provided an update on its collaboration with its strategic partner, atai Life Sciences (NASDAQ:ATAI) (atai), for the development of novel formulations of pharmaceutical-grade psychedelics based on IntelGenx's polymeric film technologies.

Pursuant to the first of two current feasibility agreements between the companies, IntelGenx conducted pre-development, formulation development work and clinical supply manufacturing to provide a product prototype to atai for further clinical investigation. That previously undisclosed candidate, buccal VLS-01, is a buccal film containing a synthetic form of N,N-dimethyltryptamine. atai is developing the product as a novel therapy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) in combination with atais digital therapeutic designed to provide contextual (mind)set-and-setting support to patients prior to dosing.

We were very pleased with atais recent announcement that it had dosed the first subject in its Phase 1 clinical trial of buccal VLS-01, with topline results expected in H1 2023, commented Dr. Horst G. Zerbe, CEO of IntelGenx. The initiation of this first-in-human study of a pharmaceutical-grade psychedelic buccal film drug candidate represents the achievement of another major milestone for IntelGenx, and what we expect will be the first of many for our strategic partnership with atai.

Exploring novel approaches to drug delivery can potentially simplify in-clinic administration and allow greater pharmacokinetic control of the psychedelic experience and its overall duration of hallucinogenic effects, said Dr. Srinivas Rao, Chief Scientific Officer of atai Life Sciences, said in a recent statement. Were pleased to see this trial move forward as we establish the safety and tolerability of our compound.

An estimated 100 million people live with TRD globally or a third of people with depression who are undertreated or unresponsive to available treatment options. In addition to its impact on patients, families, and caregivers, TRD significantly burdens healthcare systems and payers. Direct medical costs for TRD patients are estimated to be two times higher than for non-TRD major depressive disorder patients, with an average of twice the number of inpatient visits and hospital stays that are over one-third longer.

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About IntelGenx

IntelGenx is a leading drug delivery company focused on the development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical films.

IntelGenxs superior film technologies, including VersaFilm, DisinteQ, VetaFilm and transdermal VevaDerm, allow for next generation pharmaceutical products that address unmet medical needs. IntelGenxs innovative product pipeline offers significant benefits to patients and physicians for many therapeutic conditions.

IntelGenx's highly skilled team provides comprehensive pharmaceuticals services to pharmaceutical partners, including R&D, analytical method development, clinical monitoring, IP and regulatory services. IntelGenx's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility offers full service by providing lab-scale to pilot- and commercial-scale production. For more information, visit http://www.intelgenx.com.

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This document may contain forward-looking information about IntelGenx's operating results and business prospects that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Statements that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about IntelGenx's plans, objectives, expectations, strategies, intentions or other characterizations of future events or circumstances and are generally identified by the words "may," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "could," "would," and similar expressions. All forward looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Because these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, IntelGenx's actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in IntelGenx's annual report on Form 10-K, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at http://www.sec.gov, and also filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at http://www.sedar.com. IntelGenx assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

Source: IntelGenx Technologies Corp.

For IntelGenx:

Stephen KilmerInvestor Relations(647) 872-4849stephen@kilmerlucas.com

Or

Andre Godin, CPA, CAPresident and CFOIntelGenx Corp.(514) 331-7440 ext 203andre@intelgenx.com

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IntelGenxs Collaboration with atai Life Sciences Culminates in the Initiation of First-in-Human Clinical Study of an Oral Thin Film Psychedelic Drug...

In parallel with working towards discovering and advancing therapeutic psychedelics, biopharma companies are continuously protecting their findings. Theemerging biotech BetterLife Pharma Inc. BETRF has filed an international PCT along with a U.S. patent applicationfor the composition and use within the treatment of LSD derivatives for mental health conditions such as depression, PTSD, anxiety, cluster headaches and pain.

One of BetterLifes main compounds under development, BETR-001, will be covered by these patent filings. The proprietary drug is a new composition of 2-bromo-LSD and a second-gen LSD derivative molecule that does not cause hallucinations and therefore is not subject to global controlled substance regulations.

BETR-001s synthesis is done through non-controlled substance synthetic routes, which also makes it not subject to controlled substance regulatory restrictions and therefore plausible for self-administration.

The company is at advanced stages of GMP-manufacturing and completion of preclinical IND-enabling studies for BETR-001, expecting to file the IND and begin Phase 1 clinical studiesin the first half of 2023.

CEO Dr. Ahmad Doroudian explained that the inventions covered by the patent filings are comprehensive and involve a significant body of data including composition of matter, preclinical in-vitro and in-vivo characterization of BETR-001, which the company expects to soon submit for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Considering the data generated to date, the company believes its proprietary drug holds great promise in becoming a major treatment for a range of mental health and neurological conditions, including depression, anxiety, pain and related disorders.

Betterlifes other main drug development, BETR-002, is currently in preclinical and IND-enabling studies. This proprietary compound is based on honokiol, the active anxiolytic ingredient of magnolia bark, and its pending method of use and formulations patent covers the treatment of anxiety-related disorders, including benzodiazepine dependence.

Photo courtesy ofOlia Danilevich onPexels.

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Psychedelics Companies And IPs: An Extended Patent Application To Protect Multiple LSD Derivatives - Bett - Benzinga

As a House committee takes steps to broadly improve patient access to healthcare, one congressman is taking the opportunity to call for a conversation about the therapeutic role of psychedelics like psilocybin, which he says have real potential as alternative mental health therapies with less impact than traditional pharmaceuticals.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) spoke about the therapeutic potential of psychedelics on Wednesday during a House Ways & Means Committee markup of several bills related to worker and family health support that arent directly related to drug policy reform.

The congressman, who has long championed marijuana legalization and become one of the most outspoken members on Capitol Hill advocating for psychedelics reform, said hes encouraged with the spirit with which were moving forward being able to integrate a variety of areas for reform as the panel works to address issues like outpatient care.

Were overwhelmed, in community after community, with the stresses that weve seen, particularly amid the coronavirus pandemic, Blumenauer said, adding that we need to continue moving forward.

He suggested that psychedelics policy should be part of the larger conversation about health care improvements, noting his interest in giving terminally ill patients access to investigative drugs like psilocybin, for example.

Oregon is involved in an experiment with therapeutic psilocybin that is indicating that theres some real potential to be able to deal with addiction, to deal with some of the end-of-life care in ways that have less impact than some other traditional therapies that I think have a lot to commend them, the congressman said, referencing his states historic 2020 vote to legalize psilocybin healing centers.

While those facilities havent opened yetand officials in a number of Oregon localities have moved to put measures opting out of allowing the services in their jurisdictions on the November ballotthe states vote has contributed to the burgeoning conversation about psychedelics policy in Congress.

I appreciate our colleagues being interested in the elements [of improving health care] here to try and broaden flexibility now, and committed to the future, but I think that this is an area that the committee is going to have to spend a lot of time on going forward, the congressman said.

At the beginning of this year, Blumenauer led a bipartisan letter requesting that DEA allow terminally ill patients to use psilocybin as an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution under federal Right to Try (RTT) law.

Bipartisan and bicameral congressional lawmakers then filed companion bills in July to clarify that RTT statute enacted under the Trump administration is meant to give those seriously ill patients access to Schedule I drugs, including marijuana and psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA.

Meanwhile, congressional appropriations leaders have included language in recent spending legislation that urges federal agencies to continue supporting research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.

In July, the House voted in favor oftwo psychedelics-related amendments to a defense bill, including one that would require a study to investigate psilocybin and MDMA as alternatives to opioids for military service members and another that would authorize the defense secretary to provide grants for studies into several psychedelics for active duty service members with PTSD.

Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they dont miss any developments.Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

But while advocates are encouraged by these incremental developments amid the national psychedelics decriminalization movement, some lawmakers feel that Congress isnt keeping pace with the public and the science.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) told Marijuana Moment earlier this month that hes done his research and believes that natural plants and fungi like psilocybin can be a therapeutic game changer, but he said that its embarrassing how slow other federal lawmakers have been to evolve on the issue.

Federal health officials have taken note of the increased adult use of certain entheogenic substances. As National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow put it earlier this year, the train has left the station on psychedelics.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently said that it is actively exploring the possibility of creating a task force toinvestigate the therapeutic of certain psychedelicslike psilocybin and MDMA in anticipation of federal approval of the substances for prescription use.

That came in response to letters from bipartisan congressional lawmakers, state legislators and military veterans, who implored the HHS secretary to to consider establishing an interagency taskforce on the proper use and deployment of psychedelic medicine and therapy.

As the psychedelics conversation picks up in Congress, local and state lawmakers from across the political spectrum have showed significant interest in the issue in recent years.

Last week, for example, the Hazel Park, Michigan City Council approved a resolution designating September as a month of awareness of the therapeutic potential of psychedelicsmaking it the second city to take the symbolic additional step after locally decriminalizing natural plants and fungi.

Also this month, Atlanta lawmakers met to discuss a proposed resolutionin support of locally decriminalizing psychedelics, hearing testimony on the therapeutic benefits of entheogenic substances and discussing a plan to further consider the reform in a work session.

The hearing happened just weeks after a Georgia House committee met at the state level to separatelytalk about the therapeutic potential of psychedelicslike psilocybin to treat serious mental health conditions that commonly afflict military veterans.

Lawmakers in Missouri recently met to discuss possible solutions to the military veterans mental health and suicide crisis, with several people testifying aboutthe possible therapeutic potential of psychedelicsfor the at-risk population.

And this month, local San Francisco lawmakers unanimously approved a measure calling for the decriminalization of psychedelicslike ibogaine and ayahuascalocally, in the state and federally.

That resolution pointed out that the state legislature has already started the conversation around the decriminalization of personal possession of small amounts of seven psychedelic substances, in the form of a bill from California Sen. Scott Wiener (D) that passed the Senate and several Assembly committees before being significantly scaled back in a final paneland ultimately pulled by the sponsor.

Local psychedelics decriminalization has been enacted in several major cities in recent years, including Oakland, Santa Cruz and Seattle. A slew of Massachusetts cities have taken similar steps. Voters in the nations capital of Washington, D.C. also decriminalized.

This November, Colorado voters will get the chance to make history once again, with an initiative to legalize psychedelics possession for adults and create psilocybin healing centers in the state.

A top Canadian health official who heads up the countrys efforts to combat addiction recently visited Colorado, Oregon and Washington State last week to learn about their experiences implementing drug policy reform like broad decriminalization and harm reductionmeeting with the governor of Oregon and psychedelics activists, among others, on a week-long tour.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Says Marijuana Legalization Wont Be On November Ballot, But Will Be Voted On In Future Election

Image courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.

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Congressman Says Psychedelics Show 'Real Promise' As Alternative Therapies At Committee Hearing - Marijuana Moment

Theres a lot of excitement around the potential for psychedelics to treat a host of psychiatric problems. Drugs like ketamine, MDMA (often known as Molly or Ecstasy), and psilocybin, the hallucinogenic substance in magic mushrooms, are being studied to treat depression, anxiety, substance disorders and PTSD.

An increasing body of research shows these plant-based compounds have promise. For example, a recent small study found psilocybin dramatically reduced excessive drinking in people with alcohol use disorder. This is good news for people suffering from mood or substance use disorders who havent found relief through other therapeutics. Theres also a lot of hype surrounding these compounds, and many businesses trying to cash in on the psychedelic boom by offering therapy, products, retreats and more.

Today, a conversation about psychedelics in mental health treatment, their potential, and risks. Well talk about how these drugs affect the brain, altered states of consciousness and the stigma still associated with them.

Guests

David Yaden, Assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine working in the Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness research. Hes the co-author, with Andrew Newberg, of the new book, The Varieties of Spiritual Experience: 21st Century Research and Perspectives. @existwell

Ron Millward, an Air Force combat veteran andFounder and President of Balanced Veterans Network, an organization that provides education and advocacy of alternative therapies for veterans and their families.

The New York Times, The Promises and Perils of Psychedelic Health Care Many recreational drugs known for mind-altering trips are being studied to treat depression, substance use and other disorders. Heres what you need to know.

Wired, Is the Psychedelic Therapy Bubble About to Burst? A new paper argues that excitement has veered into misinformationand scientists should be the ones to set things straight.

Bloomberg, Get Ready for the Magic Mushroom Pill The medical benefits of psychedelic drugs have gone from Age of Aquarius punchline to solid science, but the startups racing to market might still be getting ahead of themselves.

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Psychedelics and mental health: the potential, risks and hype - WHYY

As strange as it might sound, there's reason to believe that companies developing mental health therapies based on psychedelic chemicals will make it big someday. With a drumbeat of impressive clinical trial results for using drugs like psilocybin in indications like treatment-resistant depression (TRD) building by the quarter, it's likely a matter of time until psychedelic medicines are commercially available.

Nonetheless, nobody's done it yet, meaning investors will need to be comfortable with significant risks if they choose to invest. There are a few compelling arguments in favor of buying shares of these companies now -- but there are also compelling arguments in opposition, so let's dive in.

One reason why now's a decent time to buy psychedelics stocks is that there's an ongoing fire sale across the entire industry, thanks to the bear market.

Leaders like COMPASS Pathways (CMPS -2.46%) and Atai Life Sciences (ATAI -2.48%) have seen better days. Shares of Atai are down by around 79.6% in the last 12 months, and shares of COMPASS are down by more than 61.3%. What's more, they might get even cheaper over the coming months if the market continues to fall.

And since both companies are still developing their first psychedelic therapy, buying shares in the near term will give investors the benefit of price appreciation if they report positive clinical trial results or favorable regulatory outcomes. As it's likely to take years before either of the pair has a chance to generate revenue, there isn't exactly a time pressure for investors to buy shares now, though.

Another reason why psychedelics stocks are attractive at the moment is that the legality of psychedelic compounds in the U.S. is slowly starting to shift in a direction that favors the industry. Right now, psychedelics are illegal federally. But, as of late 2020, the active component of psychedelic mushrooms, psilocybin, has been decriminalized in the state of Oregon. And a handful of municipalities, including well-known cities like Washington D.C., Ann Arbor, Maryland, and Oakland, California, have followed suit.

As if that weren't enough, this summer, Congress saw bipartisan efforts to amend this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to enable the Department of Defense (DOD) to spend money to study psychedelics for their utility in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If the NDAA passes as it is and it gets signed into law, it's plausible that psychedelics stocks will get a bump, but the far more important takeaway will be getting another piece of evidence that prohibition is finally starting to thaw slowly.

For most investors, lower-priced shares and some marginal progress with the legal situation aren't exactly the most compelling reasons to buy psychedelics stocks. More importantly, the level of risk associated with the industry is still sky-high, and that won't be changing anytime soon.

Psychedelics companies face three serious risks. The first is that their therapies will fail to be proven safe and effective at treating mental illnesses in clinical trials. That risk is largely shared with other biotech stocks, but it's actually elevated in this context because even basic details about best practices for treatment protocols are still undetermined.

For example, COMPASS' lead program, COMP360, is a combination of psychological support from trained therapists and administration of a stabilized version of the drug psilocybin. Formulating a therapeutic molecule is a problem that many other biotechs have successfully navigated in the past, but developing an in-clinic psychedelic treatment protocol and a training regimen for the clinicians who will administer it is entirely new ground.

The second risk is that whatever psychedelic treatments companies devise will fail to be commercially viable even if regulators agree that they're safe and effective. COMPASS' model for COMP360 requires patients to visit specialized clinics that are staffed by highly paid professionals. It's unclear how much a course of COMP360 might cost, and it's also unclear whether public and private insurers would be willing to help patients.

And with that, we've arrived at the third major risk: Psychedelic therapies are still illegal for medicinal use in the U.S., as well as in much of the Western world. There's simply no way for any business to commercialize a psychedelic medicine until that changes, even if clinical trial results are favorable and the expected economic returns are massive. The recent progress on this front is nice, but it's so preliminary that it isn't enough to invest on.

So, at the moment, psychedelics stocks are highly speculative and will probably continue to be for at least a few more years. If the thoughts of losing all your money or needing to wait for years before your investment breaks don't scare you, invest away to take advantage of low prices. On the other hand, for most investors, it's probably a smarter move to invest where you can have a little bit more certainty of a positive return.

More here:

Is Now a Good Time to Invest In Psychedelics Stocks? - The Motley Fool

A Chinese woman of about sixty years old entered the shop, approached the counter fast without hesitating to check out the trippy posters that decorated the walls nor the far-out substances on display behind glass next to the register, and launched right into it.

I dont know anything about mushrooms. My friend gave me a mushroom pill and said that it would make me happy again, and it worked, she said. Now her posture shrank a little and her voice became quiet. I just want to be happy again.

Of course you do! The woman seated behind the counter smiled and then delivered a cursory explanation of how research showed that psilocybinthe psychotropic compound in so-called magic mushroomscould be a highly effective treatment for depression and other mood disorders. Then she launched into an overview of the different mushrooms they had for sale, ultimately recommending that the woman start out by trying microdosing. She set a little box on the counter, and the customer (or patient, perhaps) eyed it warily.

This isnt going to turn me into a crying mess, will it?

Not these. The cashier shook her head, then gestured to a different product. These will.

Located in Vancouver, BCs troubled downtown junkie district of East Hastings, the Medicinal Mushroom Dispensary is a truly one-of-a-kind establishment. In this humble shop, one can buy various forms of mushrooms, LSD, DMT, peyote, and a range of other substances. Theres also an onsite cafe where you can buy drinks made with coca leafthe plant that can be processed into cocaineas well as the cheapest sandwiches in town.

While shifting attitudes toward psychedelics have resulted in the gradual introduction of a range of psychedelic businessesor at least psychedelic-adjacent businessesacross Canada and the U.S. (Mexico has long turned a blind eye to cafes selling psychedelic mushrooms in a handful of remote villages in the mountains of Oaxaca, though these have always struck me less as proper businesses than straight up witches huts), this is the only dispensary on the continent to go all-in in terms of selling the strangest of the strange. Psychedelics are illegal in Canada, so how does the Medicinal Mushroom Dispensary operate legally?

Simply put, it doesnt. When asked, a member of the staff told me something about operating in a legal grey area, but it turns out that theres nothing legal or grey about it. Its outright illegal. Butperhaps by the grace of the DMT elvesthe Fuzz has elected to look the other way.

When pressed on why the police nor the city have moved to shut the business downlet alone make any arrestsrepresentatives of both have expressed that theyre more concerned with addressing the opioid crisis rather than wrestling with the increasingly embraced psychedelic scene. It probably isnt a stretch to guess that they see the writing on the wall. Psilocybin mushrooms and ketamine are already allowed in Canada for patients with certain health conditions, and it likely wont be long before natural substances like mushrooms and peyote gain fully decriminalized if not legal status. Synthetic substances like MDMA and LSD might be slower to the decrim/legalization party, but theyre on the horizon.

Just because the shop flaunts the law doesnt mean that they dont have a mind for safety considerations. Beside the register are several stacks of educational material explaining the benefits and risks associated with each substance. And new initiates to the clubfor customers must become card-carrying members before they can buy any of the stronger substances (a policy that is almost certainly intended to ward off certain legal challenges)receive detailed guidance on how to safely use the drugs.

Having spent a good amount of time hanging around the store sipping cocaccinos and taking in the vibe, I can report that its owner and staff are benevolently dedicated to the psychedelic cause. This is no cynical venture attempting to capitalize on a fast-rising trendthese people are out to help those in need.

And there is no greater reminder of the importance of that help than the neighborhood in which the dispensary operates. The ravages of the opioid crisis are all-too-obvious on the sidewalks of East Hastings, and studies have repeatedly shown that psychedelics can be a powerful tool for treating addictionfar more effective, statistically, than any other treatment we have at our disposal. Beyond addiction, depression and anxiety have reached epidemic proportions, and here again, science has shown that psychedelics can be a highly effective solution.

So while the existence of the Medicinal Mushroom Dispensary is awesome (or perhaps radicalin the 1990s sense of the wordis a more accurate descriptor), its also important to the community it serves.

Read more here:

I went to the only psychedelic dispensary in North Americaheres how they do it - The Manual

Research with psychedelic drugs has made a dramatic comeback amid a heady mix of softening societal attitudes, the lure of commercial opportunity, misgivings about the war on drugs, and the desire to develop new ways to treat mental health conditions.

So you might have read in the media that theres a new study which shows that ketamine can banish depression, or psilocybin is effective at treating post-traumatic stress disorder, or microdosing LSD makes you more creative.

In this fervour, which research is worth your time and, more importantly, your trust? Of course, whats worth your time depends on what you want.

Im a doctor, a drug researcher and a clinical trialist. As such, Im interested in whether psychedelic therapy can be a new form of medicine. That question needs clinical trial evidence. Thats what Ill be concentrating on here, although some of the principles apply to medical research more broadly.

First, your source. Good scientific research is published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Peer reviewed means that independent experts have read and anonymously criticised the paper. This is an important form of scrutiny. If the journal youre looking at does not support peer reviewing, move on.

Some journals claim to be high-quality enterprises, publishing peer-reviewed articles but are actually pop-up money-making schemes that publish anything.

Spotting these is a bit like spotting a spam email or social media post. Poor grammar, spelling and formatting mistakes, substandard websites and too-good-to-be-true statements are all telltale signs of a journal that wouldnt let the truth get in the way of a good publishing fee.

In contrast, good quality journals are generally long established, are indexed in scientific databases such as PubMed, and usually have good impact factors (a measure of how often the journals papers are cited). While this isnt a perfect metric, it is useful as a guide, and it will be stated on the journals homepage. A higher number is more reassuring.

With a good quality journal, youre halfway there.

Before you read anything about the paper, look to see who the authors are, where they work and what their disclosures and funding sources are (this is usually stated at the end of an article). Authors who are top of their field often have great reputations.

But they also have more to lose by results that dont fit their theories. They are more likely to be paid consultants for companies seeking to commercialise new treatments, too.

Similarly, just because a study comes from a pioneering, high-quality institution doesnt mean you should blindly trust it. In fact, those very teams that were the pioneers are precisely the ones who might also be heavily biased. Put another way, why would we have got into such a stigmatised field if we didnt hold a strongly positive preconception?

That said, institutions and research teams with good reputations earn them because their peers respect their methods and believe their results. So, overall, go for the most well-respected authors, but have in the back of your mind the other factors at play.

Now take a look at the paper itself. For clinical research, the multi-centre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial is king. Almost all psychedelic research is not this (yet).

Initial trials take place in one institution. Thats fine, but it doesnt say anything about whether the treatment works beyond that institution. For that, you need a multi-centre trial. The more centres, the better.

If it works in lots of centres, theres more reason to believe itll work in the real world. This is called generalisation, and its an unanswered question for psychedelics.

Randomised and placebo-controlled refer to the participants being randomly allocated to two or more groups, one of which is treated with a placebo (dummy pill). Unless you have a placebo control group to compare with, you dont know if the effect you observe in the treatment group might not have happened anyway.

Similarly, if there is no randomisation, then any effect you observe might be due to something else common to one of the groups.

Early psychedelics trials were often not randomised or controlled. Thats fine, but you cant conclude much from these pilot studies. They just show that the research can be done.

The more participants a trial has, the more statistical power it has to detect a true effect (or a true absence of an effect). This often needs hundreds, even thousands, of participants.

These trials cost a lot, which is why many large-scale clinical trials are funded by companies - its the only way to raise the money to get the trial done. But dont dismiss commercial trials.

Yes, profit and healthcare arent easy bedfellows. But commercial trials are far more heavily regulated than non-commercial trials. Almost all the medicines we have today were licensed based on commercial trials.

All clinical trials should have a pre-registered primary outcome. The primary outcome can be anything: a blood test result, a neuroimaging finding, or a measure of depression. It is that outcome that the trial is designed around.

Pre-registering happens on websites like clinicaltrials.gov before the trial starts. If the researchers havent pre-registered their hypothesis, their primary outcome measure and their methods of analysis, then they could have cherrypicked the results youre reading.

Put another way, if you torture your data hard enough, it will tell you whatever you want. This is one of the great research sins.

If I flip a coin ten times, then keep doing that again and again, at some point Ill get ten heads, just by chance. Its the same principle here. The more measures I put in a trial, and the more ways I choose to analyse the data, the more likely Ill get a significant result.

A final thought before you go. No one clinical trial or piece of research can tell you anything for certain. The more a result is replicated, the more believable it becomes.

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Psychedelic drugs: how to tell good research from bad - The Conversation Indonesia