Category Archives: Psychedelics

A recent study disclosed how younger generations are experimenting with cannabis and hallucinogenic use at the highest levels according to data from previous years.

In a recent piece by NPR (1), it was reported that younger generations are experimenting with cannabis and hallucinogenic use more than ever before. In a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), participants between the ages of 19 to 30 reported using one or the other, which showed cannabis and hallucinogens at their highest rates since 1988 (2).

"Young adults are in a critical life stage and honing their ability to make informed choices," said Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a NIH subsidiary (2). "Understanding how substance use can impact the formative choices in young adulthood is critical to help position the new generations for success.

According to reports, the most recent data was collected from AprilOctober 2021, as outlined in more detail below.

Cannabis

Young adult users reported in 2021 that they used cannabis in the past month (29%), daily use (11%), or in the past year (43%), which were the uppermost levels ever to be recorded. The study defined daily use to be 20 or more times within 30 days, and this data was up from 8% in 2016. Cannabis vape users who had vaped in the past month reached pre-pandemic levels. In 2017, vaping was reported at 6% which then doubled to 12% in 2021.

Hallucinogens

Over the past few decades, hallucinogenic use for youths had been somewhat consistent. During the pandemic in 2020, those rates began to rise. In 2021, 8% of young adults reported having taken a hallucinogen in the past year. This was the largest spike seen since the survey was created in 1988.

The hallucinogens users reported were lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, peyote, mushrooms (shrooms), phencyclidine (PCP), and 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) which is also known as ecstasy or molly. MDMA use was the only hallucinogen to decrease, from 5% in 2020 to 3% in 2021.

Additional Substances

The most popular of substances mentioned in the survey was alcohol. Over the past decade, daily drinking rates have decreased. Binge drinking though (NIH describes binge drinking as consuming five or more drinks in a row in the past 2 weeks) is seeing levels rise despite reaching a historic low in 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2).

Another form of alcohol use is high-intensity drinking, which the NIH defines as having 10 or more drinks in a row within the past two weeks, has been steadily increasing over the last 10 years. In 2021, high-intensity drinking was at its highest level since 2005.

Although the dangers of vaping are becoming more well-known, nicotine vapes are still gaining popularity with todays youth. It was first measured in 2017 at 6% but has tripled in 2021 to 16%. Interestingly, opioids and nicotine cigarettes have been declining over the last decade (1,3).

Conclusion

Despite concerns, there is valid research going on for the benefits of using these substances, particularly related to mental health concerns brought on by the pandemic. There are many questions still to be addressed, making it clear that more research is needed. Please read our supplemental digital issue on psychedelics to learn more about some of the research efforts taking place: https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/journals/cannabis-science-and-technology/psychedelics-new-frontiers-in-alternative-medicine

If youd like to learn more about this study, please visit: https://www.npr.org/2022/08/24/1119191104/marijuana-hallucinogens-use-young-adults

References

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Cannabis and Hallucinogens Are Being Consumed at the Highest Rates on Record by Today's Young Adults - Cannabis Science and Technology

Since 500 BC, humans have been using psychedelics to explore the connection between nature and the divine, to deepen the connection with their community and as a celebration of the natural world.

In the late 1950s, scientists began conducting research on psychedelics for therapeutic use. By the 1960s, it was a burgeoning area of study with significant university-level research showing that psilocybin could address a range of mental health issues with minimal risk and complication, according to the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panels 2021 comprehensive report.

And by 1970, research on over 40,000 patients in clinical studies demonstrated that psilocybin is effective in treating psychosocial distress, anxiety and depression, improving quality of life, changing pain perception, improving plasma markers of stress and immune system functioning, reducing anxiety and fear of death in terminally-ill populations, and more. There are also studies showing non-clinical benefits such as openness, feeling connected to nature and spirituality, according to the Mushroom Panel report.

Just as psilocybin was gaining recognition as a valuable tool for addressing mental health issues in the late 60s, President Richard Nixon passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, bringing research to a grinding halt for decades.

In 2006, Roland Griffiths, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, published the first modern psilocybin research, ending a nearly 40-year-long drought of research on the subject. In recent years, the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research, New York University Langone Health and other institutions have poured more resources into conducting extensive research on the effects of psychedelics.

Though some people have expressed concerns about the safety of hallucinogenic research with drugs such as psilocybin, hallucinogens are not physically toxic and are virtually non-addictive, according to research from Johns Hopkins University.

Currently, federal laws still prohibit scientific research on the social and therapeutic effects of psilocybin.

In May 2019, Denver became the first city in the United States to decriminalize psilocybin, passing Initiative 301 with 50.64% of the vote. Since then, several other municipalities and the state of Oregon have followed suit.

The Denver Psilocybin Initiative decriminalized personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms by prohibiting the city from spending resources to impose criminal penalties for anyone over the age of 21. The initiative also created the Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel to assess and report on the effects of the ordinance.

The 2021 report from the panel reviewed data pertaining to the decriminalization of psilocybin to present to Denver City Council.

According to the report, arrests related to psilocybin decreased by more than half since the passage of the initiative, with most of the arrests involving other illicit substances.

According to observational studies done by Unlimited Science in collaboration with Johns Hopkins, the primary reasons for Coloradans consuming psilocybin were for self exploration or mental health purposes. The observational study also found significant improvements in anxiety and depression among users who responded to the survey.

After reviewing data from the 17-month period between the passing of Initiative 301 and the release of the report, the mushroom panel recommended that the Denver City Council implement harm reduction training for first responders. They also recommended that the city produce educational public service announcements and programs, create a data collection system for public safety monitoring, make sharing and communal use of psilocybin a low priority and look into how psychedelic therapy can be used to address mental health issues.

The Right to Heal, Aspen initiative, headed by Martha Hammel, aims to bring the progress being made in Denver and across the nation to the city of Aspen. The initiatives goal is to ensure that Aspen residents have safe access to plant medicines for healing purposes.

Theres so much positive evidence about the efficacy of plant medicines, Hammel said. We want to increase accessibility for Aspenites to use them.

It would do so by preventing any resources from being spent on enforcement for adults over the age of 21 using plant medicines (excluding peyote due to its endangered status and the fact that it is already legal for ceremonial purposes) for therapeutic purposes, effectively decriminalizing plant medicines, and by creating an advisory board to develop educational strategies.

Hammel was inspired to start the initiative by her own experience with psychedelics, which helped her at a time when she was dealing with personal trauma.

Mushrooms saved my life. I feel a calling to give back, Hammel said. Psychedelics have given me the tools to be resilient when anything comes my way. I am more capable of dealing with adversity after doing psychedelics.

The combination of her personal positive experiences with psychedelics and the multitude of research on plant medicines has led Hammel to believe that they can have a positive impact on Aspen residents when used properly.

Safe access includes an emphasis on education, as well as being able to ask for help with the assurance that one will not be arrested. The latter goal would require that the city of Aspen decriminalize plant medicines.

Were shining light on it so people can do these things safely, Hammel said. Safety includes not getting arrested.

Since arrests for psychedelics are not a major concern for Aspenites there has only been one arrest in the past five years, according to City Council member Ward Hauenstein the initiative will devote the majority of its efforts to the education aspect.

To do so, the initiative proposes creating an advisory board to advise the city on how to facilitate education about the drugs and conduct first responder training. The group does not have the authority to make any direct changes to the city of Aspens legislation, since it is a citizen-led ballot initiative.

Hammel likens the education aspect for psychedelics to that of outdoor adventures such as kayaking or backcountry skiing.

We have that culture here of people respecting the mountains, respecting the rivers, getting the mentorship before venturing out into the wilderness, Hammel said. Were trying to create that same culture.

Similar to avalanche and river safety workshops, Hammel envisions a psychedelic citizens safety training led by members of the community who have expertise in how to conduct a safe and effective psychedelic experience.

Under city of Aspen law, plant medicines including psilocybin mushrooms have never been illegal, according to city of Aspen attorney Jim True. Yhe prohibition is specified by federal and state laws. The initiative put forth by Right to Heal would address enforcement rather than decriminalization.

Currently, Right to Heal is in the signature-gathering phase of the initiative. In order to land the initiative on the ballot, 925 valid signatures of support from registered city of Aspen voters must be collected.

In reality, that requires collecting around 1,500 signatures, according to Hammel, since many of them will likely be thrown out. Reasons for discarding signatures include a signature from someone who is not a registered voter in the city of Aspen, an invalid address or a signature that does not match voter registration records.

The 180-day window to collect signatures began when the city of Aspen approved the petition for the initiative on April 11, making the deadline for collecting signatures Oct. 8.

Hammel expressed confidence that the initiative would be able to obtain the required number of signatures by the Oct. 8 deadline. Although it is too late to submit the petition for inclusion on the Nov. 8 ballot, the initiative may appear either on the March 7 ballot for the citys General Election or trigger a special election, depending on when the petition is submitted.

Aspen City Council could decide at any time to pass the ordinance without a ballot initiative, although they have not taken any measures to do so.

These steps can, and in my view, should still be taken locally to increase the upside of psychedelic healing which is profound, and limit the risks, especially for younger people, council member Skippy Mesirow wrote in an email. These guideposts can be adopted by a majority of City Council at anytime, which I would support.

However, Hauenstein disagreed, saying that a decriminalization effort is not needed if law enforcement is not currently pursuing prosecution. Although he supports the use of plant-based therapy in a clinical setting, he believes protocols should be thoroughly investigated and developed before decriminalization takes place.

I thought that the protocol should be in place before we decrim it, Hauenstein said. What their proposed ordinance was is that it would be decriminalized and then they would establish a working group and protocols and I just thought that those protocols should (already) be in place.

Aspen may be neglecting a powerful tool available for battling mental health issues: plant medicines.

As the nation reckons with restrictive legislation left over from the War on Drugs, significant progress is being made on the psychedelics front. The legalization of psychedelics in certain parts of the state and country has enabled research regarding the use of the drugs for therapeutic purposes.

Since modern psychedelic research has resumed, many studies have shown the ability of psychedelics to mitigate mental health issues ranging from substance abuse disorder to depression.

The crisis is so bad that prohibiting options for people to heal is reprehensible, Hammel said. The evidence is pretty clear that plant medicines when used safely and in ceremony and with respect to the medicine with set, setting and a sitter can be transformational in really positive ways.

Psilocybin can promote neurogenesis the growth and repair of brain cells in the hippocampus, according to a 2013 University of South Florida study. Research on the effects of psilocybin shows that it may be effective at treating patients with PTSD, major depressive disorder and addiction.

If you take a psychedelic and drop in and meet god, there might be something where it reprograms your nervous system in order to expect to see wonder and beauty and awe in all things, and that is powerful, Hammel said.

Although mushrooms are certainly not the only solution to mental health issues and plant medicines are not for everyone, Hammel said her experience equipped her with the ability to cope with the complexities of life.

I now look at things like grief as a psychedelic experience, where you have to just be OK with complex emotions and complex situations, Hammel said. It allows you to be more OK with complexity, and we live in a culture that doesnt, in my experience, train us to be present in the face of complexity, complex emotions. Psychedelics have prepared me better to just sit in complex emotions. The best way to get through them is just being and allowing yourself to fully experience the pain and the joy and the discomfort and the pleasure that happens simultaneously.

Aspen Hope Center Executive Director Michelle Muething believes that although psychedelics do have the potential to help treat mental health issues, there is too much that remains unknown. More research should be done before decriminalization happens on a local or state level, she said.

We just have to remember if were going to treat this as an alternative form of treatment for those with a mental illness, if we want to equate mental illness to physical illness and mental wellness to physical wellness, it should be treated in the same manner and done through a physicians office, done through a controlled environment, not in a boutique, Muething said.

In the same way that licensed physicians must go through a rigorous training process and are held to high standards for their practice, administrators of psychedelics should go through a similar process, according to Muething.

She is concerned that decriminalizing psychedelics would open the door to carelessness since there are no Food and Drug Association regulations and no mandates regarding who can administer the drugs.

We do know it is useful with screening, finding the appropriate people to be part of the treatment, doing therapy, following them after their treatments and making sure that theyre cared for in a controlled environment, Muething said. My biggest fear is that all of that will go away instantly.

With the legalization of marijuana, Muething said children started using at much higher rates. She worries that the same would happen with the decriminalization of psychedelics.

Were a town that screams we have addiction issues, Muething said. Every time we turn around, people are talking about the substance use issue in Pitkin County. It would behoove us to hold on, in my opinion, to those cries and screams and complaints and let a little bit more research be done.

Muething suggested that for people with serious, long-term mental health issues who feel strongly that they could be helped by psychedelics, they can enroll in a clinical trial without the need for decriminalization.

On a statewide level, Initiative 58 will be on the ballot in November with a similar goal to the Right to Heal initiative. The measure would create a new licensing pathway for treatment centers where people can consume plant medicines with a licensed practitioner and would prevent municipalities from prohibiting healing centers.

The measure would also create a framework for regulating the growth, distribution and sale of plant medicines and create an advisory board to work with legislators on rules related to the regulated access program.

While Initiative 58 would set up a regulated market for plant medicines, the Right to Heal initiative is only focused on decriminalization and community education.

The Fireside Project provides a psychedelic peer support line staffed by trained volunteers offering active listening, support during psychedelic experiences, integration and support by text message. It can be accessed by calling or texting 62-FIRESIDE.

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Aspen considers the value of psychedelics for mental wellness - The Aspen Times

Measure 109 is Oregons 2020 statewide ballot that provides the framework for the rollout of psilocybin services. While they are set to commence in January 2023, the measure also gives counties the possibility to opt-out of the initiative.

The measure had the initial support of 56% of total state voters. Cities and counties had until Aug. 19 to back out of the psilocybin services act by voting on a straight-out local ban or a two-year moratorium.

Despite statewide support ciphers, several counties over the last couple of months have decided to place that option for their voters to decide in Novembers general ballot.

Since then, a considerable number of localities have recently taken that step as well. Now, it is up to Oregonians in 57 cities and 26 counties to decide if they will allow psilocybin treatment centers in their areas, as the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported.

Meanwhile, at least 27 cities said yes to psilocybin therapy. That list includes 17 of Oregons most populous cities.

Among those supporting the implementation of measure 109 are psilocybin advocates and companies. The medical centers set to offer this psychedelic therapy will be regulated by the Oregon Health Authority, and will be able to apply as of Jan. 2, 2023.

Sam Chapman, the executive director of nonprofit Healing Advocacy Fund, believes more than two million people might seek psilocybin therapy if the bill gets implemented statewide.

Oregon will become a destination of sorts for people who dont want to leave the country for this treatment, which is currently the only option, he said.

The counties voting on banning or postponing psilocybin treatment and production in November are: Clackamas, Deschutes, Jackson, Marion, Linn, Coos, Malheur, Morrow, Baker, Douglas, Grant, Clatsop, Crook, Gilliam, Harney, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler.

The cities voting for it are: Coos Bay, Pendleton, Roseburg, Winston, Seaside, Prineville, Newberg, Sandy, Nyssa, Vale, Jordan Valley, Philomath, Toledo, St. Helens, Lebanon, La Grande, Cove City, Keizer, McMinnville, Redmond, Newberg, Prineville, Pendleton, Roseburg, Sheridan, Stayton, Silverton, Scotts Mills, Falls City, Cornelius, Metolius, Madras, Culver, Coquille, North Bend, Lakeside, La Pine, Canyonville, Oakland, Glendale, Eagle Point, Dunes City, Junction City, Harrisburg, Millersburg, Tangent, City of Umatilla, Myrtle Creek, Drain, Reedsport, Cascade Locks, Cottage Grove, Brownsville, Lyons, Irrigon, and Boardman.

Photo courtesy of Geralt onPixabay.

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Oregon's Psychedelics Law Comes Down To Individuals: Which Counties Will Ban Them? - Benzinga

Enter a room and notice the scent of wood. Palo santo, a unique bark that stems from the tropical forest of Ecuador, burns brightly. A statue of a dark-skinned African woman sits in the center, sea shells dangling from her body. A facilitator begins the psychedelic mushroom ceremony with music and prayer.

Amanda De Luz, a vice-president of operations at an automotive company by day, is wearing a white shawl and loose-fitting dress. Shes here at a healing center in the heart of Los Angeles with about 10 other Black mothers and women of color, who regularly gather together to take psilocybin mushrooms.

While it may seem unconventional, the mothers believe taking mushrooms has helped them become better parents, deal with stress and anxiety and heal from racial trauma.

I think Black people need psychedelics. Being a Black person, Ive realized a lot of the traumas I have are intergenerational, said Destiny Rok, a 27-year-old stay-at-home mom. This community is really important because these are women who are not afraid to push the boundaries that have been set in place by non-Black people.

The group originally connected through the Instagram account The Ancestor Project, a Bipoc-run account that encourages holistic healing, and met in person at the California Psychedelic Conference in May. The community began with 15 and has grown to nearly 45 members, and their first ceremony took place in late June this year.

Rok was introduced to the community at the conference. The following month, the women participated in a 24-hour ceremony at a healing center in Los Angeles. Participants brought journals, crystals, feathers, family photos, and flowers. The ceremony took place in one large room, but separate rooms with mats and pillows were available. The ceremony began with prayer and intention setting. Most ceremonies last over six hours and end with a plant-based meal. After participants sleep, breakfast is offered in the morning, and the ceremony is closed with prayer and any final thoughts.

Rok said she had been taking psychedelic mushrooms for 10 years. The mother of four described how her own mom had been short tempered and impatient. Rok said her mother had given up on her easily and yelled at her frequently. She had started to behave similarly when her first child arrived. Mushrooms had become her saving grace after her second child was born, but not everyone was supportive of her microdosing.

In some Black communities, using mushrooms and other psychedelics can be frowned upon, experts say. But this group of mothers sees themselves as bucking a trend.

Drugs have been racialized in the US since the early 20th century. Cocaine was an over-the-counter medicine for 50 or 60 years then it became racialized when Black people started using it, said Dr Jason Ruiz, an American studies associate professor and department chair at the University of Notre Dame. When white people use drugs, those media forms tend to frame white people as the victims of the drug rather than the perpetrators of the drug. Black and brown people get framed as the villains in how we narrate the war on drugs.

Sunumi Jackson, an entheogen educator, wants to change the thinking: Mushrooms have no race, she said.

Jackson, 25, is a member of Village of Mothers, an organization dedicated to birth education. On a typical day, she said, she consumes .1 to .2 grams of mushrooms. She primarily uses mushrooms to decrease symptoms of depression. Jackson believes that microdosing should be used to address intergenerational trauma.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found that 5.3 million African Americans above the age of 18 had a mental illness in 2020.

Were experiencing this differently than a white woman would because we have a different set of traumas, Jackson said. The war on drugs caused the Black community to have a fear towards substances. Because of that fear, we have avoided potential things that could help us, like mushrooms.

Like many women in the Los Angeles-based microdosing community, Mikaela De la myco, 27, initially thought that mushrooms were for white hippies. The mother of a two-and-a-half-year-old first tried mushrooms when a roommate offered some to her in college. She ate 2 grams and knew she had discovered a new way of living.

De la myco started regularly microdosing mushrooms seven years ago. Her first mushroom trip inspired her to look into the positive effects of using mushrooms. De la myco is not on a strict microdosing regimen, and usually participates during celebrations and gatherings with other parents. The more time she spent with what she calls the mushroom, the less shame she felt for microdosing as a Black mother. De la myco believes taking mushrooms has helped her connect with her roots.

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Having a relationship with mushrooms contributes to Black joy, she said. It breaks chains of systemic trauma. There is happiness to be found when you know who you are. Especially with Black people who have been so divorced from where we are from.

Psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical found in psychedelic mushrooms, has been found to produce feelings of euphoria and serenity. For example, last year a study in the New England Journal of Medicine compared the effects of escitalopram (Lexapro) to those of psychedelic mushrooms. Although escitalopram is an antidepressant with no psychedelic properties, the trial did not show a major difference between psilocybin and escitalopram in terms of antidepressant effects.

Studies have shown that microdosing can contribute to better overall mental health and help people struggling with alcohol. In 2020, an international survey in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that 79% of participants felt improvements in their mental health after microdosing.

According to a study in Frontiers of Epidemiology on racial trends in hallucinogen consumption, African Americans are less likely to use psychedelics compared with other racial groups. Many African Americans fear western medicine due to the history of experimentation on Black people.

African Americans are a part of the patient population in mental health that have concerns about being experimented on, said Thomas Hughes, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and founder of the Cube mental health services. People still have this concern that they are being studied. The American government pumped a lot of drugs into communities and used the money to fund a war. Having knowledge of our government doing things like that is not something a group of people forgets. He believes trauma from instances like the Tuskegee experiment has passed down from generation to generation.

Despite the fact that mushrooms are being used to decrease symptoms of depression, its easy to forget that there are risks that come with consuming psychedelic mushrooms.

Experimenting with psychedelics poses major risks including hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, in which an individual has prolonged visual hallucinations after previous psychedelic use. Psychedelic use can also cause panic attacks, increased anxiety and nausea.

Despite the risks, these mothers hope to use mushrooms to combat deep-seated trauma.

I think its really important that Black mothers do this healing work because they can find liberation, and a freedom that is not allowed to us in our day-to-day lives. It gives Black women their power back. It reminded me that Im allowed to be seen and heard, said De Luz.

Jackson expressed similar sentiments.

When we make one change in the direction to heal ourselves, we can shift the direction that our legacy is going in, she said.

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The Black mothers finding freedom in mushrooms: They give us our power back - The Guardian

Psychedelic Water is paving the way for a more accessible psychedelic experience. The drink will not make you hallucinate but it does contain psychoactive substances like kava, damiana, and green tea extract that have mood-boosting benefits. Many individuals and organizations are working to educate the public and destigmatizepsychedelics. "We want to contribute to this normalization with a unique approach. We feel that having a psychedelic-branded product on the shelves of your local convenience store between cans of Red Bull and jugs of milk could have a significant impact on the public perception and normalization of psychedelics," saysGogia.

Psychedelic Water aims to be approachable to people who are interested in psychedelics, but maybe are hesitant or unfamiliar with them. The drink hassimilareffects of psychedelics but with FDA-compliant ingredients. "We want to act as an entry point for people into the wider world of these substances and their many benefits," shares Gogia. And the benefits are immense.Psychedelic Water helps boost your mood and promotes stress relief. "People have described themselves as feeling giggly, bubbly, serene, and content after trying our blend. Basically, it gets you feeling good and puts a smile on your face while keeping your head clear and your cognition intact."

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Psychedelic Water CEO Pankaj Gogia Talks About The Future Of Psychedelics - Exclusive - Health Digest

This story originally appeared on Benzinga

A letter on behalf of the federal Health and Human Services (HHS) department acknowledges that the ongoing mental health and substance use crises require for the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapies to be further explored. The department would establish a task-force to do so, first reported by Mattha Busby in The Intercept.

The document, written in May 2022 and signed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on behalf of the HHS secretary Xavier Becerra, constitutes the federal response to a February letter signed by five Congress members proposing a task force towards addressing the issues associated with the expected FDA approval of MDMA for PTSD treatment and psilocybin for depression treatment within the next two years.

RELATED: Are Psychedelics a Good Investment? What You Need to Know

According to the reply letter, Biden's administration is "exploring the prospect" of establishing the suggested federal task force to monitor the emerging psychedelic treatment ecosystem, which could involve collaboration with the private sector as well as across federal agencies.

Joining the bipartisan Congressional lawmakers, other state legislators and military veterans had sent a companion letter to the HHS urging the agency to decide on a course of action, considering that "people are going to use them (the psychedelics) regardless of whether regulators act."

The battle towards federal legalization of psychedelic medicine is up and running. Besides the potential federal taskforce, two bipartisan bills co-sponsored by Senators Cory Booker and Rand Paul along with Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Nancy Mace have recently been introduced against the DEA's denial to allow terminally-ill patients from accessing controlled substances.

Accordingly, the federal agency is currently facing another lawsuit regarding access to psilocybin for oncology patients backed by Right To Try laws.

So far, the DEA has responded positively to a separate claim: following a significant pushback from research and advocacy groups, it revoked its proposal to ban five potentially very therapeutic tryptamines.

More legislation to widen access to psychedelics is soon to be discussed, including one regarding research and pilot programs within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Biden Administration Says Task Force Is Needed to Advance Psychedelics Research - Green Entrepreneur

And a lot of people here are availing themselves of D.C.s unique decriminalization rules. Microdosing mushrooms as a kind of performance-enhancing brain boost already wildly popular among the California tech set is now fairly common in Washington, especially in media circles. Recreational use macrodosing? isnt all that uncommon either. If you want a fully legal psychedelic experience, you can stop by Field Trip, on 15th St. NW, where licensed therapists treat PTSD, depression and other mental health issues with psychedelic-assisted therapy using ketamine.

A lot of the new curiosity about psychedelics was sparked by Michael Pollans 2018 book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. (The book has now been turned into a show on Netflix.) In other circles, Joe Rogans podcasts about mushrooms created a flurry of interest.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is now conducting clinical trials with psilocybin, the drug in psychedelic mushrooms, to treat mental health issues. And The Intercept reported this week that in a recent letter to Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), the Biden administration revealed that the FDA is likely to approve the use of psilocybin to treat depression sometime in the next two years.

But cities and states are way ahead of the federal government. There are movements in more than two dozen states to either study, decriminalize or outright legalize mushrooms and other psychedelics. With many veterans as the face of the movement, its happening in blue states like California, New York and Vermont, as well as in red states like Utah, Kansas and Florida.

The epicenter of this movement, as was the case with cannabis legalization, is Colorado, where voters in November will decide whether to approve the Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022, which would create state-regulated healing centers where anyone over 21 could receive psilocybin-assisted therapy.

Its safe to say we are on the cusp of a new frontier in drug legalization, and in the next few years psychedelics are going to be as easily obtainable in cities and states across the country, as they are right now in D.C. And most politicians havent even started to think through what their position on this issue should be.

On this weeks episode of Playbook Deep Dive, Ryan traveled to Littleton, Colo.,and sat down with Veronica Lightning Horse Perez, the co-leader of the Colorado mushroom campaign. They talked about how psychedelics helped treat her mental health issues, what its like to undergo psychedelic therapy with mushrooms and ayahuasca, and her own journey to becoming the unlikely political activist at the forefront of mushroom legalization.

CORRECTION: The story has been updated to correct the spelling of Littleton, Colorado.

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Legalizing the trip: One 'shroom advocate's playbook - POLITICO

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'The result was a rebirth. I finally got where I wanted to go': Celebs who have tried psychedelics - The Daily Post-Athenian

"WITHIN is creating an environment that aims to address the root causes of [addiction] by enabling people to come together in community to heal." - Dr. Molly Maloof

AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB) August 01, 2022

WITHIN, a first-of-its-kind psychedelic medical clinic, retreat center and integration program offering cutting-edge treatment services through the use of ceremonial psychedelics hosted a Grand Opening event Friday, July 22, 2022 at its inaugural facility located in Austin, TX. WITHIN opened its doors on May 1, 2022, in the heart of the city and has been successfully guiding individuals through ceremonial psychedelic treatments over the past two months. The sold-out event included live music, educational talks from leaders in the psychedelic space and interactive wellness experiences including live painting, massage, sound, light and wave therapy.

A series of talks from psychedelic industry leaders kicked off the evening, with a keynote presentation by Greg Fonzo, Ph. D., Co-Director, Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy and Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at UT Health. Other speakers included Dr. Molly Maloof, Founder and CEO of Adamo Bioscience, Deanne Adamson, CEO of Being True to You, Mary Olivar from the Center for Shamanic Education and Exchange, and Dr. Mike North, CEO/Founder of Slow Wave.

Founder and CEO of WITHIN, David Naylor, a veteran of the mental health industry, shared his vision in opening this type of facility. Working in the mental health and addiction field for close to a decade, owning 4 treatment centers and 10 aftercare sober living properties, I saw the revolving door and 85% relapse rate, said Naylor. I watched too many of my friends and clients bounce from center to center, and I watched too many parents grieve losing their children. Psychedelic therapy changed my life four years ago after I, myself, was suffering from a lifelong battle with anxiety and fear. It was like doing 10 years of therapy in one session. I confronted and healed my fear of death and an anxiety thats been with me most of my life. I finally experienced what Johns Hopkins, MAPS, UT and others have been showing us for years with their data and research on psychedelic medicine and it gave me a whole new perspective and understanding for my life and why I am here. Today, we get to see these kinds of transformations and miracles every day in our clinic through individuals overcoming their biggest fears, sabotaging behaviors and addictions and finding a deep belonging, safety and connection within themselves.

According to Maloof, One of the biggest problems in society today is a lack of social connection due to social isolation and loneliness. Psychedelics administered in a healing context with proper preparation, set, setting, safety and integration, can be enormously helpful for helping people suffering from mental illness and diseases of despair. We need to consider that disconnection from oneself, ones life, and ones social environment contributes to the development of maladaptive coping habits such as addiction. WITHIN is creating an environment that aims to address the root causes of this condition by enabling people to come together in community to heal.

Clients from WITHINs first two months boast its success:Psychedelic therapy released attachments, blocks, and got me out of behaviors I had tried to break my entire life, says Luke Carver.

I got more out of one blindfold Therapy session Within using transformative psychedelic medicine than 20 years in therapy, boasts Misty Squires.

As the country experiences a growing interest in the use of psychedelics as therapyas evidenced by the popularity of Netflixs new smash hit, How to Change Your Mind, which explores the history of the use of psychedelics in a clinical settingWITHIN is leading the way by offering those seeking a reprieve from psychological strife or deep-rooted traumas with an alternative treatment option. WITHIN not only treats those in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, but also those battling depression, anxiety, traumas, PTSD, chronic pain and those navigating life transitions. Unlike clinics that tend to be sterile and cold, WITHIN offers a warm ceremonial approach, merging ancient traditions with modern medicine. There is a retreat center with a focus on integration and community along with four conscious living homes. To date, WITHIN has raised $600,000 to launch the flagship Ausin location and is currently raising a $1.5 million seed round with plans to expand to three more states by the end of 2023.

For information about available treatments or investment opportunities, contact: info@within.center.

ABOUT WITHIN:WITHIN is a psychedelic medical clinic, retreat center and integration program based in Austin, Texas, that provides safe, transformational healing modalities for those looking to release trauma, to combat stress, anxiety, addiction, and depression and to regain their mental health and well-being. WITHIN is pioneering the future of health and is revolutionizing the current healthcare model, offering breakthrough psychedelic therapy merging the ancient traditions with western medicine. A medical clinic with a medical license and staff, WITHIN has a unique model of therapy, shifting the paradigm around how we collectively view ourselves and our lives; our wholeness, our wellness, and our quality of life.

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Texas' first Ceremonial Psychedelic Treatment Center WITHIN opens in Austin - PR Web

About the opportunity

The Drug Discovery Initiative and the School of Chemistry is seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow with prior experience in behavioural and molecular neuroscience. This exciting opportunity involves investigating how psychedelic molecules impact the neurodevelopment in preclinical models of disease. The successful applicant will work under the supervision of Professor Michael Kassiou, and Dr Eryn Werry from the Drug Discovery Initiative in the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

The Drug Discovery Initiative aspires to enable improved health outcomes through innovative drug discovery. Its mission is to design and develop innovative tools and techniques for identifying novel therapeutic targets, delivery mechanisms and bioactive molecules with high potential for industry uptake and clinical translation. By providing an overarching framework that links aligned areas of research strength from across the University, the Initiative will accelerate impactful research and enhance multi-disciplinary collaboration both within the University community and with broader health industry partners.

The School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney is a leading Chemistry department in the country, with outstanding staff and students undertaking world-leading teaching and research. With more than 30 academic staff, 100 research staff, and 100 research students we conduct research across the full spectrum of pure and applied chemistry. Our research excellence is recognised by numerous prizes and awards to individual staff members and the award of almost $10 million in research funding each year. With the support of over 30 professional, technical and administrative staff, the School of Chemistry administers and delivers undergraduate teaching for more than 3 000 students. We are committed to creating a diverse workplace by improving equity, access and opportunity, and we are continuously working to identify and remove biases and barriers in an effort to make our workplace open, supportive and safe for everyone.

To learn more about the Drug Discovery Initiative, click here

About you

The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for a

Postdoctoral Research Fellow who has:

Essential Experience:

Preferred Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

To keep our community safe, please be aware of our COVID safety precautions which form our conditions of entry for all staff, students and visitors coming to campus.

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

Please note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Australian Temporary Residents currently employed at the University of Sydney may be considered for a fixed term contract for the length of their visa, depending on the requirements of the hiring area and the position.

Pre-employment checks

Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement

At the University of Sydney, our shared values include diversity and inclusion and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community which reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this commitment through our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTIQ. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard. Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or support filling out this application, please contact Helen Efstathiou, Recruitment Consultant. Recruitment Operations, Human Resources on +61 2 8627 7137 or by emailrecruitment.sea@sydney.edu.au

The University of Sydney

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

Click to view the Position Description for this role.

Applications Close

Wednesday 17 August 2022 11:59 PM

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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychedelics, Neurodevelopment and Electrophysiology job with UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY | 303322 - Times Higher Education