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Post Tag: Regulations

Posted on August 25, 2023August 25, 2023

PT435 – The Federal Right to Try Act, The Farm Bill, and the Constant Balance Between Risk and Regulation

In this episode, Joe interviews Satya Thallam: Policy Advisor at the international law firm, Arnold & Porter; and longtime policy expert based in Washington, D.C. who previously served in senior roles at both the White House and the U.S. Senate.

Thallam was the lead author and negotiator of the Federal Right to Try Act, which grants terminally ill patients access to experimental therapies and substances that have completed Phase I testing but have not yet been approved by the FDA. He discusses its intricacies and benefits, how psychedelics were not a focus but were always obvious, whether or not it allows people to grow their own mushrooms, and more. He talks abut the implementation of the first Federal legalization of hemp under the Farm Bill in 2018, breaking down the history and detail of how it came to be, and why a difference of .3% in weight truly matters when establishing law.

He discusses the changing landscape of politicians and psychedelics; how local action creates a culture of inspiring Washington; the internal fight between different agencies and the endless lobbying it takes to get things done; how one needs to cater their argument by who is listening; risk assessment and judgment-proof operations; the concern over whether or not we got everything wrong with cannabis; and why we will likely begin seeing a lot of coalitions popping up in the psychedelic space.

Notable Quotes

“All of this, even just the traditional FDA regulatory rubric, is about a trade-off between type one and type two errors. And you can set policy in such a way that there’s 0% chance of any harm, but then you forgo any possible benefits from that. There is no drug anywhere that has 0% risk. Even Advil has risk, right? It’s all about dosage, it’s all about use, it’s about other conditions that you may have, it’s about tailoring it to the appropriate indication. …We make these trade-offs all the time, and I just happen to fall more in the camp that a greater degree of those trade-offs should be at an individual level to the degree possible than establishing a macro floor or ceiling that people have to respond to, because you may forego some incredible benefits like we’re seeing – especially in some of the psychedelics here.”

“I’m reminded of that Simpsons episode where Homer just says: ‘When will people learn democracy just doesn’t work?’ Like, this is the necessary mess of democratic institutions, right? They’re not structured to listen to the single smartest person in the room. That’s by design. That’s a feature, not a bug. But it also means progress can be slow, slower than we want it to be. …I’m newish. I’m sort of a noob to the psychedelics community, but I’m not new to policy. I think the folks that you talk to that are in your circle, that listen to this show, should be pretty encouraged. I think overwhelmingly, things are going in the direction that you would want them to.”

Links

Arnoldporter.com: Satya Thallam

Psychedelics Today: PT405 – The Psychedelic Medicine PAC: The Push for Federal Funding and Politicians Who Will Fight for Us, featuring Melissa Lavasani

Politico.com: K Street warms up to psychedelics

Join us in the Netherlands for the Kiyumí Psilocybin Retreat & Vital Training: September 6-11, 2023. Click here to learn more and apply!
Posted on August 18, 2023August 18, 2023

PT433 – From Personal Healing to Public Policy: The Path to Psychedelic Decriminalization in Mexico

In this episode, recorded in-person at Psychedelic Science 2023, Kyle interviews Senator for the Mexican Green Party, Alejandra Lagunes.

Lagunes is the first Senator in Mexico to promote the use of psychedelics, and has been organizing open parliaments to foster collaboration between researchers, scientists, politicians, and Indigenous people, culminating in a groundbreaking decriminalization initiative to decriminalize psilocybin and psilocin from list 1 to list 3 (meaning they could be prescribed), create a new chapter for entheogens (and move mushrooms there), build an economically beneficial framework for Indigenous people, protect ancestor knowledge by law, and make big bioconservation moves with changes to environmental laws. 

She discusses her personal journey with depression, anxiety, and a life-saving ayahuasca journey; how Covid uncovered a crisis in meaning and an openness to talk about mental health; the need for accessibility and safety in psychedelics against challenges in politics and policy implementation; our mental health crisis and the need for innovation, education, and overcoming stigma; the influence of US drug control policies on international regulations; the power of storytelling; and why we need to go back to our origins.

Notable Quotes

“The world means to go back to the beginning, to the point of beginning. And I like to think that this psychedelic revolution or renaissance is actually going back to the beginning, to the essence. And that space: you have to talk about environment, you have to talk about the planet, you have to talk about ancestors and their relationship with the planet and with the community. …The revolution is going back to that space, outside and inside. It’s like going back to the origin.”

“The medicine is as important as the places they grow in. The medicine is in the ecosystem. You have heard about the mycelium. You can grow a mushroom in your house. That’s great. But the mycelium in those places: it’s for them, the medicine. The rain, the thunder, and the earth, the soil where the mushrooms are grown: it’s the medicine. So we have to protect those areas.”

“You know what I think all the countries should do? The World Health Organization (the WHO) has these lists of substances, and as countries, we can ask our governments to ask for a revision of those lists. So we have to start. Like, there are many ways we have to work the decriminalization. I mean, the psychedelics shouldn’t be in that list, and they are in an international list. So my question is why governments aren’t moving that list?”

Links

Alejandralagunes.mx

Join us in the Netherlands for the Kiyumí Psilocybin Retreat & Vital Training: September 6-11, 2023. Click here to learn more and apply!
Posted on July 28, 2023July 28, 2023

PT427 – The Philosophy of Law Enforcement, The Criminalization of Self-Directed Behavior, and Transformative Care for Police

In this episode, Joe interviews Sarko Gergerian, MS, MHC, CARC: a police peer support, community outreach, and health-fitness officer; founding member of the Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery Program (C.L.E.A.R.); and psychotherapist trained in ketamine- and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Any regular listener of the show should be familiar with how passionately Joe is against the drug war and the resulting policing of what many of us feel should be legal, so this in-person conversation with a police officer who seems to mostly be on our side is pretty refreshing to hear. 

Gergerian discusses his entry into the force in his 30s, and what it was like to bring in a healthy “why is this illegal?” viewpoint on drug use and personal agency vs. the slow moving attitudes he saw in much of law enforcement. He talks about how working nightclub security taught him about safe spaces; the problems with officers not proactively moving on actionable information and building relationships with communities; and the very philosophy behind law enforcement: what do they hope to accomplish, do they want to make real change, and do they believe in the laws they’re enforcing? 

And they discuss so much more: the need for diversity, cultural competency, and broadness in perspective; the criminalization of self-directed behavior; the effect critical incidents have on officers; drug war paranoia, legitimate concerns over hotlines and sensitive data, and psychedelic culture’s relationships with police; creating a culture of harm reduction within law enforcement, and what it might look like for police officers to receive psychedelic therapy.

Notable Quotes

“I think we, as a country, are more powerful by being diverse, and that includes diverse ways of thinking and that includes diverse ways of coming at challenges. And the more diverse our police departments are – I believe this with all my heart – the stronger we are for it. The stronger policing is for it. And I’m talking all types of diversity. …If we can diversify not only ways of thinking in police, but have a diversity of education and background in policing, then we’ll see some magic happen. Then we’ll see some creativity in how we respond to these very human problems that we all experience.”

“Keeping people alive has to be primary. If you don’t have a person that’s alive, you don’t have the possibility of recovery. So we’re tasked with watching out for one another, making sure people are alive, and whatever relationship they have with intoxicating substances: that’s their personal story, and they’re going to get to their healing journey and their recovery from any out-of-balance relationship in due time – their time.”

“I’ve been trained in [ketamine] and I was able to access it, so I’ve experienced it [at] very low dose (intermuscular). Magical. Magical. And the after effect for a couple of weeks, the reprieve, the relaxed feeling: it was beautiful. It was beautiful. And why shouldn’t our officers who are getting dark be able to access that before they’re pegged with depression? …Why shouldn’t they be able to access that before they put the barrel of the gun in their mouth, by themselves in their police cruiser? Why? Because you need a diagnostic label to access self-care? It makes absolutely no sense to me.”

Links

Storiescreatingchange.com

YouTube: Psychedelics for the Frontlines: A Police Officer on the Healing Potential of MDMA for PTSD

Lawenforcementactionpartnership.org

PAARIusa.org

Neverusealone.com

Posted on June 23, 2023June 27, 2023

PT418 – Psychedelic Morning Show #2 with Joe Moore and Anne Philippi

In the second episode of our special, two-part series, the Psychedelic Morning Show, Joe Moore and Anne Philippi are live once again bright and early from Psychedelic Science 2023 in Denver. Listen to this podcast as they interview four guests working on the front lines of psychedelic research, law, and the treatment of chronic pain.

Guests for this episode include: 

  • Tommaso Barba – PhD candidate at Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London
  • Allison Hoots – Attorney at Hoots Law Practice and advocate; President of Sacred Plant Alliance
  • Bob Wold – Founder & President, Clusterbusters
  • Court Wing – Founder, REMAP Therapeutics

Links

Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic Research

Sacred Plant Alliance

Hoots Law Practice

Clusterbusters

PT404 – Clusterbusters: The Horrors of Cluster Headaches and the Miracle of Psilocybin

Court Wing – Pain and Its Relationship to the Mind

REMAP Therapeutics

Surprising Results: Psilocybin Trial for Depression Alleviates Chronic Pain, by Court Wing

Why Did Psychedelics Relieve My Chronic Pain? by Court Wing

Posted on June 22, 2023June 27, 2023

PT417 – Psychedelic Morning Show #1 with Joe Moore and Anne Philippi

Psychedelics Today is reporting live this week from the industry event of the year, Psychedelic Science 2023 in Denver. Listen in to this podcast as our co-founder, Joe Moore, and New Health Club founder Anne Philippi hit the conference floor bright and early in the first episode of a special two-part series, the Psychedelic Morning Show.

In this limited series, Joe and Anne chat in real-time with guests working in all corners of the psychedelic ecosystem, from advocacy, law and finance, to research and therapy. 

Guests for this episode include: 

  • Dr. Julie Holland – Psychiatrist, psychedelic researcher, author and medical advisor for MAPS
  • Daniel Goldberg – Co-Founder and Principal at Bridge Investments & Palo Santo
  • Hadas Alterman – Director of Government Affairs | American Psychedelic Practitioners Association
  • Melissa Lavasani – Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Psychedelic Medicine Coalition, Founder and President of Psychedelic Medicine PAC
  • Tracey Tee – Founder of Moms on Mushrooms

Links

DrHolland.com

MAPS

Working Weekends at a Psych ER – Interview with Julie Holland on NPR

Bridge Investments

Palo Santo

American Psychedelic Practitioners Association

PT249 – Hadas Alterman, Serena Wu, and Adriana Kertzer of Plant Medicine Law Group

Psychedelic Medicine Coalition

Psychedelic Medicine PAC

PT338 – Melissa Lavasani – The Power of Storytelling, The Preservation of Peyote, and “How to Change Your Mind”

PT405 – The Psychedelic Medicine PAC: The Push for Federal Funding and Politicians Who Will Fight for Us

Moms on Mushrooms

PT396 – Moms on Mushrooms: Motherhood and Psychedelics Inside a Broken Culture

Posted on May 19, 2023May 19, 2023

Psychedelics Weekly – Challenging the ‘Gifting’ Part of Prop 122, Public Perception in Oregon, and The Medicine of Music

In this episode of Psychedelics Weekly, Joe and Kyle are both on the road, so David and Alexa take the helm.

They cover news stories about:

-a man in Colorado facing a Class 3 drug felony for giving people psilocybin mushrooms in exchange for monetary donations – pointing out the bold (or stupid?) stances some are taking to highlight the absurdity of legislation that allows possession and donation as long as no money changes hands;

-a study showing what many of us have felt ourselves: that the day after psilocybin-assisted therapy, depressed patients had a stronger brain response to music and saw improvements in the ability to find pleasure in previously empty activities;

-a trip report from a psychedelically-naive 50-year old, showing the power and beauty of MDMA-assisted therapy;

-the New Hampshire state Senate continuing to be behind the times and voting down House Bill 639, which would have created a legal recreational cannabis framework for the state;

-a video where people on the street in Oregon were asked how much they thought psilocybin therapy would cost, showing a drastic misalignment between public perception and reality;

and a local TV news feature touring Rose City Laboratories, the first licensed psilocybin testing lab in Oregon.

And in conversation, they talk about some of the lesser-discussed (and often dismissed) tools like CBD, THC patches, and very low-dose edibles; the problem with drug dealers and harm reduction; the power of music in guiding a psychedelic experience (and in living a pleasurable life); and the importance of dosing and listening to your body to know what’s right for you.

Links

(bolded links are the discussed articles)

Myjewishlearning.com: Why Cheesecake on Shavuot?

Tales of Transformation: A panel on how psychedelic experiences can evolve into collective transformation and new life callings, featuring Ifetayo Harvey, Juliana Mulligan, Raad Seraj

Hemplucid.com (Use PSYCHEDELICS10 for 10% off)

YouTube: “Moms on Mushrooms”: A Growing Trend? (Tracey Tee on Dr. Phil)

Our IG live with Tracey Tee, hosted by Victoria

Entheoventures substack: Balancing the Psychedelic Narrative: A Call for Accuracy and Responsibility from All Sides

Summitdaily.com: Dillon man accused of selling psychedelic ‘magic mushrooms’ claims he was gifting them under Colorado’s new proposition

Psypost.org: Psilocybin therapy for depression appears to have a curious effect on the brain’s response to music

Sciencedirect.com: Increased low-frequency brain responses to music after psilocybin therapy for depression

Journal of Psychopharmacology: Changes in music-evoked emotion and ventral striatal functional connectivity after psilocybin therapy for depression

Alexa Jesse (with Host Bodies)- “Hourglass”

Psychedelicscene.com: The Healing Beauty of Ecstasy

Erowid.org

Hightimes.com: New Hampshire Senate Votes Down Cannabis Legalization Bill

Marysmedicinals.com

Wweek.com: How Much Would You Expect to Pay for Psilocybin Mushroom Therapy?

Epichealingeugene.com

Kgw.com: Touring the first Oregon lab licensed to test the strength of legal psilocybin

Psycon.org

Psychedelicscience.org (use code PT15 for 15% off)

Posted on May 12, 2023May 12, 2023

Psychedelics Weekly – Multi-Stakeholder Capitalism, Psilocybin Service Centers Begin Opening in Oregon, and Vancouver’s ‘The Drugs Store’

In this episode of Psychedelics Weekly, Joe and temporary-Colorado-resident Kyle once again record in-person, discussing how psychedelics could change business, the drug war and safe supply, and more. 

They cover: 

-a Rolling Stone profile on David Bronner, who makes the case for multi-stakeholder capitalism; where businesses are accountable to their workers, customers, the environment, and surrounding Indigenous communities instead of just investors – an idea more people would likely align with after a psychedelic experience; 

-The first psilocybin service center in Oregon (EPIC Healing Eugene) finally receiving their license via the Oregon Health Authority;

-A man who saw his color blindness improve for four months after a 5g mushroom experience;

-Delaware officially legalizing recreational cannabis; 

-The opening of ‘The Drugs Store’ in Vancouver, British Columbia: a mobile store selling drugs illegally as a response to the opioid epidemic and constant influx of untested and laced drugs – the “inevitable result of the government doing nothing” towards offering a safe supply; 

-and a survey from the CDC showing that cannabis use among teenagers has declined since legal dispensaries began opening, disproving one of the most common prohibitionist arguments that legalization would only increase use. 

And of course, these topics bring on a lot of conversation: how businesses need to be more reflective on how they’re operating; concern over if too much regulation is nerfing the world; the human cost of the drug war and the ever-escalating amount of ODs and drug poisoning cases; HPPD and the need for research around psychedelics and vision/perception; why we will always need both clinical access and the recreational underground, and more.

Links

(bolded links are the discussed articles)

Rollingstone.com: ‘It’s Ripped the World Apart’: David Bronner on How Psychedelics Could Be a Cure for Capitalism

Psychedelics Today: PT367 – Colorado Proposition 122 and the Decriminalization of Natural Medicines

Marijuanamoment.net: Oregon Approves Nation’s First Psilocybin Service Center For Adults To Receive Psychedelic Treatment

Epichealingeugene.com

Imdb.com: Wall-E

Goodreads.com: Janis Joplin quote

Saving Normal: An Insider’s Revolt Against Out-Of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life, by Allen Frances

Technologynetworks.com: Consuming Psychedelics Temporarily Improves Man’s Color Blindness

Louisville.edu: UofL researchers discover procedure to regenerate dormant cone cells, potentially to improve vision in retinitis pigmentosa

Psychedelics Today: PT229 – Dr. Matthew Johnson – What is Consciousness?

Psychedelics Today: HPPD and Flashbacks: Everything You Need To Know – And What We Don’t Know, Too, by Ed Prideaux

Futureconevents.com

Cato.org: Jeffrey Singer

Victorialitmanlaw.com

Lhthehealingground.com (Veronica Lightning Horse)

The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct, by Thomas S. Szasz, M.D.

Studentsforliberty.org

Vice.com: A Store Selling Heroin, Meth, and Cocaine Just Opened in Canada

Dancesafe.org

Teen Marijuana Use Has Been Declining Since Legal Dispensaries Started Opening, Federal CDC Study Shows

Posted on May 5, 2023May 5, 2023

Psychedelics Weekly – Psychedelics and Sports, The Risks of Over-Regulation, and What Makes Music Psychedelic?

In this episode of Psychedelics Weekly, Joe and Kyle record in-person again, discussing psychedelics and parenthood, sports, music, and more. 

They cover: 

-an Elle (!) article about how mushrooms are becoming the new ‘Cali sober,’ with more and more people starting to microdose – including parents; 

-ESPN’s documentary, “Peace of Mind,” highlighting the rise of psychedelic use among athletes, including retired NHL player, Riley Cote;

-An article discussing how interest in psychedelics has skyrocketed in Oregon since the passing of Measure 109, and how over-regulation and the glacial speed of the government is only driving the growth of the black market; 

-An essay attempting to define what it is that leads people to describe music as psychedelic (with several recommendations from Joe); 

-DMT aficionados using AI to create and catalog depictions of the entities they’ve seen;

and more!

And they have larger discussions about the drug war, how famous athletes are opening people’s minds to psychedelics, how strict regulation in psychedelic legislation can create more harm, how we need to collaborate more in the psychedelic space, the concept of a DMT ‘hyper-slap,’ and the problem of psychedelic exceptionalism and thinking your drug is good while others are bad.

Links

(bolded links are the discussed articles)

Psychedelic Neuroscience Demystified: How Psychedelics Alter Consciousness and Produce Therapeutic Effects

PT403 – Understanding the Brain: Psychedelic Neuroscience Demystified, featuring: Melanie Pincus, Ph.D. & Manesh Girn

Trailblazerspresents.com

Psychedelics Weekly – Breaking Convention, Decolonizing the Psychedelic Space, and How Colorado’s Senate Bill 23-290 Will Affect Prop 122 (Kyle and David break down SB23-290)

Psychedelics Today: PT217 – Erika Dyck – Canadian Psychedelic History

Elle.com: Shrooms Are the New Cali Sober

Psychedelics Today: Psychedelics Weekly – Roland Griffiths Faces the End, The NBA Lifts Its Cannabis Ban, and The Rising Popularity of Mushrooms for Moms

Espnpressroom.com: New ESPN E60 Examines Use of Psychedelics in Mental Health Treatment of Athletes

Wweek.com: Oregon’s Appetite for Psilocybin Is Being Fed Outside the Law in the Mushroom Underground

Cnn.com: High Profits (available to purchase on Amazon)

Psilotemple.org

Wikipedia.org: Fugio Cent

The Politics of Experience, by R.D. Laing

Psychedelicmedicinepac.com

Mapsbcorp.com: American Medical Association to Issue First New Code for Psychedelic Therapies

Psychedelicscene.com: What Makes Psychedelic Music Psychedelic?

YouTube: Shpongle – Hammock Therapy

Spotify: The Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath (not their most acclaimed, but it’s this show notes writer’s favorite, and I think, most psychedelic)

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (Joe called it “Animal Sounds”…)

YouTube: The Beatles – Revolution 9 (Remastered 2009)

Spotify: LSDREAM

YouTube: Paul McCartney flipping people off

YouTube: Grateful Dead – Drums/Space – 12/28/1980 – Oakland Auditorium (Official)

Vice.com: DMT Users Are Using AI to Draw the Strange Beings They Meet While Tripping

Women of Visionary Art, by David Jay Brown & Rebecca Ann Hill

Psychedelics Today: Daniel McQueen – DMTx and Future Psychedelic Technologies

Reddit.com: Ever been hyperslapped? What happened?

Joe’s tweet about psychedelic exceptionalism

Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, by Carl L. Hart

Psychedelics Today: PT236 – Drugs: Honesty, Responsibility, and Logic, featuring: Dr. Carl Hart

Posted on April 28, 2023

Psychedelics Weekly – Breaking Convention, Decolonizing the Psychedelic Space, and How Colorado’s Senate Bill 23-290 Will Affect Prop 122

In this episode of Psychedelics Weekly, David speaks with Kyle, who recorded at Joe’s place while he was away at Trailblazers in NYC. 

They talk about David’s trip to the UK last week for Breaking Convention, then discuss a recent Vice article about looking outside the binary and confined thinking of Western medicine and embracing the underground – that there are cheaper and more accessible peer support models and affinity groups for everyone, but in going underground, we need to be careful that more accessible models aren’t dangerous or re-traumatizing. While businesses are competing to make headway in the psychedelic space, nobody is controlling all of it, which leads to both possibility and risk. 

They cover SB23-290, the bill Senate President Steve Fenberg created to establish a regulatory framework for psilocybin access and administration in Colorado in lieu of the advisory board that should have been put in place as part of Prop 122. They break down the positives and negatives of this framework, and ask: how much do these committees who are passing legislation really know about psilocybin? 

And they briefly discuss an article on what MDMA therapy may look like when MAPS hopefully gets approval via the FDA early next year, Rick Doblin’s speech at Breaking Convention, and his concept of society eventually having “net zero trauma.”

Links

(bolded links are the discussed articles)

Breakingconvention.co.uk

Philosophy and Psychedelics: Frameworks for Exceptional Experience, edited by Christine Hauskeller & Peter Sjostedt-Hughes

Breaking Convention: Celia Morgan

Breaking Convention: Leor Roseman

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World, by Michael Pollan

Vice.com: Inside the Quest to Decolonise Psychedelics

Marijuanamoment.net: Colorado Senate Passes Psychedelics Regulation Bill

Senate Bill 23-290

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures, by Anne Fadiman

Nature.com: US could soon approve MDMA therapy — opening an era of psychedelic medicine

YouTube: PSYCH Interview: Rick Doblin – Net Zero Trauma by 2050

Posted on April 14, 2023April 14, 2023

PT405 – The Psychedelic Medicine PAC: The Push for Federal Funding and Politicians Who Will Fight for Us

In this episode, Joe interviews Melissa Lavasani: CEO of Washington, DC-based Psychedelic Medicine Coalition, and now, President of the brand new Psychedelic Medicine PAC.

She discusses her path to psychedelics, how she ended up running the Initiative 81 campaign (the Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Policy Act of 2020), and how she came to realize that decriminalization efforts can’t be the only option we go for – that, like it or not, we live in a system where politics and money are major factors behind any systematic change, and if we want to make any headway, we have to play the game. The Psychedelic Medicine PAC (Political Action Committee) was created to open up federal funding for psychedelic research, as nearly all research today (of which there still isn’t enough) is being funded by private companies. They will use donations to support politicians who are on our side and can advance psychedelic progress, who will push for federal funding to get the new and necessary data people who aren’t bought in yet need to see. 

They talk about speaking with people from the other side of the aisle at a recent education campaign in DC; how federal funding is neutral money; what she learned from DC’s deprioritization of cannabis policing; how personal stories and one-on-one human connection can change minds better than traditional confrontational activism; and the need to get ahead of the inevitable wave of big pharma propaganda they’ll bring when they officially step up to the table. She believes the path to helping the most people is advancing science and data through federal funding, and that begins with education and getting more politicians on our side. If you agree, follow them for details about their upcoming event in May, visit their table at Psychedelic Science this June (use PT15 for 15% off tickets), and donate to the PAC or the coalition. 

Also, as a bonus, this episode begins with a mini version of Psychedelics Weekly. Joe and Kyle didn’t have enough time to record a full episode, but still wanted to check in and review a few notable stories and highlight our recent Vital graduation ceremony. See you next week!

Notable Quotes

“I dipped my toes with the microdosing [and] I found immediate effects of that. I engaged with my children for the first time in many years, and with my son for, really, the first time since he was born. So that was a really mind-blowing experience of taking something for only a few days and feeling my humanity come back again.”

“I think when you take the media out of it and you isolate them in a place they feel very safe (in their office) and there’s no cameras around and they don’t feel the need to get their talking points across, and you have a human-to-human conversation with them about this issue, the result is that much better because you isolate all of these external influences that they’re constantly under and you say, ‘Listen, I am talking to you as a human being. This was my experience. This is what I did to heal myself.’ …Watching them have their epiphany about this is so fun.”

“When these campaigns win with very small margins (like 1%, 3%, 5%), that means half of the state voted against it, and that means half the state wasn’t being spoken to in these campaigns in the right way. …The U.S. is extremely diverse, and not just racially, but within perspectives that exist in this country, and we cannot just be speaking to one side of this issue. We have to really engage with the public in a meaningful way, and that is speaking to the half of the country that doesn’t understand this.”

“We forget that the traditional pharmaceutical industry has yet to step in on this issue. I think that they’re very closely watching what’s going to happen with psychedelics, but they have yet to stick their lobbyists on the hill. And that is the day that I am not looking forward to, because they have one of the most powerful lobbies in the country and they have budgets for this kind of work in the billions of dollars, really. So how is the psychedelic industry going to compete with that? How you counter that is: you educate members of congress, you educate those influential people before the pharmaceutical industry gets there so they can’t fill their heads with misinformation.”

Links

Psychedelic Neuroscience Demystified: How Psychedelics Alter Consciousness and Produce Therapeutic Effects

Maps.org: Zendo Project Celebrates a Decade at Burning Man and a New Beginning for the Organization

BBC.com: People were taking drugs in Spain 3,000 years ago, study finds

Telegraph.co.uk: Rory Lamont: ‘My rugby injuries made me suicidal – psychedelic drugs saved me’

Benzinga.com: Bipartisan Letter Calls For Including Active Service Members In Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Research

Benzinga.com: This South American Country Wants To Legalize Natural Psychedelics: What’s Going On In Uruguay?

———————————————

Psychedelicmedicinecoalition.org

Psychedelicmedicinepac.com

Psychedelics Today: PT338 – Melissa Lavasani – The Power of Storytelling, The Preservation of Peyote, and “How to Change Your Mind”

NBCnews.com: Candidates who support psychedelics as medicine get a political action committee

Psychedelics Today: PT327 – Rick Doblin, Ph.D. – Confronting Abuse in Clinical Trials and the Future of Psychedelic Medicine

Psychedelics Today: PT229 – Dr. Matthew Johnson – What is Consciousness?

Governing.com: What Can Communities Do to Prevent Psychedelic Healing Centers?

Arpa-h.gov

Posted on April 7, 2023

Psychedelics Weekly – Roland Griffiths Faces the End, The NBA Lifts Its Cannabis Ban, and The Rising Popularity of Mushrooms for Moms

In this episode of Psychedelics Weekly, Kyle is back in Colorado and in-person with Joe, and they discuss what stood out to them in the news this week:

-A New York Times interview with Roland Griffths, where he talks about his cancer diagnosis and how meditation and psychedelics have helped him prepare for the inevitable end;

-An article on the rising popularity of psychedelics among mothers, and the benefits and risks of moms rejecting alcohol culture in favor of something new (and largely illegal);

-The NBA removing cannabis from its list of banned substances and allowing players to invest in cannabis companies, which follows years of other sports slowly accepting that cannabis is a part of our culture and there’s no need to play the part of “big brother” anymore;

and an article looking at legalization from the perspectives of people who were against recent measures like Prop 122, and how some towns in Colorado and Oregon are looking for ways to prevent the creation of psilocybin service centers from being built in their backyards.

They also go further into the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition’s recently created Political Action Committee and the work they’re doing to educate lawmakers; Harvard Law School hosting webinars comparing psychedelic legislation and the role of psychedelics in Indigenous groups in Europe, Australia, and North America; Arizona’s HB-2486, which would give $30 million in grants to universities and non-profit organizations to conduct psilocybin research; and Rick Doblin’s recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.

They also discuss the many events we’ll be at in the coming months, and the excitement and often overwhelming aspects of psychedelic conferences, which are outlined in this week’s blog from Dennis Walker. If you’re attending any, come say hi! And for discounts: use code PSYCTODAY for 30% off tickets to DiscoveryCon, use PSYCHTODAYBC10 for 10% off tickets to Breaking Convention, and use code PT15 for 15% off tickets for MAPS’ Psychedelic Science 2023.

Links

(bolded links are the articles they discussed)

Psychedelics Today: Expanding Your Horizons: The Ultimate Guide to Attending a Psychedelic Conference

The Joe Rogan Experience: #1964 – Rick Doblin

Psychedelics Today: PT403 – Understanding the Brain: Psychedelic Neuroscience Demystified, featuring: Melanie Pincus, Ph.D. & Manesh Girn

Ssdp.org: 30 Under 30 Women in Psychedelics

NYtimes.com: A Psychedelics Pioneer Takes the Ultimate Trip

Griffithsfund.org

Romper.com: The Rise Of The Mushroom Moms

Psychedelics Today: PT396 – Moms on Mushrooms: Motherhood and Psychedelics Inside a Broken Culture, featuring: Tracey Tee

The ‘Housewife Syndrome’: An Indicator of Madness or Oppression?

Psychedelicspotlight.com: Indiana Nurse Faces Ten Years in Prison for Microdosing Psilocybin Mushrooms

Psychedelics Today: PT319 – Kole – Activism and Trust: A Cautionary Tale From Someone Who Got Caught

The Lancet: Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse

Madinamerica.com: JAMA Psychiatry: We Must Look at the Harms of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

Plantph.com

Momsonmushrooms.com

Marijuanamoment.net: The NBA Is Lifting Its Ban On Marijuana In New Deal With Players Union, According To Report

Politico.com: Psychedelics coalition grows its advocacy footprint

Psychedelicmedicinecoalition.org: Donate

12news.com: There’s a push to legalize a specific psychedelic for medical research out of the Arizona legislature

Governing.com: What Can Communities Do to Prevent Psychedelic Healing Centers?

Thecrimson.com: Experts Discuss Psychedelics Policy in the Global North at Harvard Law School Webinar

Cnn.com: High Profits

Posted on March 17, 2023March 17, 2023

Psychedelics Weekly – Field Trip Health Closes Five Clinics, Legalization Bills Introduced in VT, and Ketamine Telehealth Uncertainty

In this episode of Psychedelics Weekly, Joe and Kyle join up once again to discuss the news and articles they found the most interesting this week. 

They start with the business news everyone is talking about: Field Trip Health & Wellness closing 5 of their clinics due to financial struggles (a deficit of $48.7 million since their inception and a net loss of $6.9 million reported for the last quarter), little confidence they’d be able to receive more funding, and the changing landscape of ketamine telehealth now that the Covid Public Health Emergency should finally come to an end in May. They also highlight an article dissecting the collapse of Synthesis Institute and the lessons to be learned, with both stories really showing just how new and unstable psychedelic business still is, and how the allure of first-mover advantage can be a dangerous gamble.

They also discuss four drug reform bills introduced in Vermont: two of which would decriminalize simple possession of all drugs, making a “personal use supply of drugs” a civil offense with a $50 fine; one removing penalties for using or selling psilocybin; and the last decriminalizing certain psychedelic plants and fungi. 

And they look at a research study aiming to learn more about people’s lives after they’ve been involved in a clinical trial, Time Magazine’s article about psychedelics and couples therapy, and a study that found that while 64% of survey respondents said at-home ketamine helped their symptoms, 55% (and 58% of Millennials) said they used more than the recommended dose – either by accident or on purpose.

Links

Investorsobserver.com: Field Trip Health to Close Ketamine Clinics as it Struggles to Find Profits

Meetfieldtrip.com: Field Trip Health & Wellness to Close Clinics in 5 Locations

Meetfieldtrip.com: Field Trip Health & Wellness Provides Business Update and Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2023 Results

Harrisbricken.com: Good News for Ketamine Telehealth

Ecstaticintegration.substack.com: Synthesis and the shadow of psychedelic capitalism

Opb.org: Most students will continue with Oregon psilocybin program that ran out of money, new provider says

Twitter: @Eddietalksdrugs(Have you participated in a clinical trial involving #psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy? How has life been after the trial? Contact psychedelic.experiences@psych.ox.ac.uk for more information.)

Psychedelics Today: PT302 – Dr. Adele Lafrance – Vital Psychedelic Conversations

Boingboing.net: Oregonians work to make psychedelic psychiatric care a regulated, safe practice

Time.com: Psychedelics Could Revolutionize Couples Therapy

Psychedelicspotlight.com: Vermont Lawmakers File Bills To Legalize Psychedelics And Decriminalize All Drugs

Marijuanamoment.net: Vermont Lawmakers File Bills To Legalize Psychedelics And Decriminalize All Drugs

Legislature.vermont.gov: H.439

Legislature.vermont.gov: S.114

Dancesafe.org

Psychiatrictimes.com: Report Reveals More Than 50% of Americans Misuse At-Home Ketamine

Plusapn.com: 2023 Future of Mental Health: Ketamine Therapy Report

NYtimes.com: A Fraught New Frontier in Telehealth: Ketamine

Painnewsnetwork.org: New CDC Guideline: Too Little, Too Late for Chronic Pain Patients

The Stories of Vital 2022-2023 | Psychedelic Therapy Training

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