🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

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Here’s what we got this week.

• Psychedelic stigma at the doctor’s office 🩺

• Oregon cities are voting to ban psilocybin 🙅

• Biden’s parting gift to psychedelic medicine 🇺🇸

• How to talk to loved ones about psychedelics 👵🏻

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MICRODOSES

🔬 Research

Spirit medicine: Psychedelic users who adopt metaphysical beliefs tend to have better long-term outcomes.
Front line heroes: A single psilocybin session helped emergency medicine workers recover from burnout.
The social cure: Researchers argue that psychedelic therapy would be more effective in groups.
Conflicts of interest: 58% of psychedelic therapy trials are not industry sponsored. But you can probably guess the company spending the most.
Bottom line: A nonprofit reviewed the research and summarized the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat anxiety, depression, and existential distress.

🏛️ Policy

Question 4: Supporters and opponents of the November ballot initiative that would legalize natural psychedelics in Massachusetts are duking it out.
Motion to dismiss: Oregon Health Authority asked a federal judge to throw out the lawsuit claiming its psilocybin program discriminates against the disabled.
Know the fine print: Tricycle Day’s founder moderated a panel with two experts on Colorado’s natural medicine program. Catch the replay.
EU-phoria: A European citizens' initiative is calling on the EU to foster equitable, timely, affordable, safe, and legal access to psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Turning over a new coca leaf: Colombia is revamping its drug policies, and regulation of psychedelics is on the table.

📈 Business

Tsk, tsk: The CEO of a psilocybin mushroom company has been arrested for securities fraud.
Molecule monopoly: Clearmind Medicine has applied for a patent covering new psychedelic compounds designed to treat PTSD.
Facilitating facilitation: InnerTrek, one of the original psilocybin facilitation training providers in Oregon, is expanding to Colorado.
Lykos isn’t alone: At least 9 different companies are taking MDMA through clinical trials.

🫠 Just for fun

It’s bigger than you: What Western medicine can learn from the ancient history of psychedelics.
Lights, camera, action: UC Berkeley is dishing out $80,000 to filmmakers who want to make psychedelic documentaries.
Modern stained glass: Gaze upon the visionary murals inside the world’s largest psychedelic megachurch.
He’s no virgin to advocacy: Richard Branson speaks out against the war on drugs and psychedelics in particular.
Meme of the week: When you trip with your bestie…

THE PEAK EXPERIENCE

Get with the program, docs

5 million Americans walk into a doctor’s office.

No, that’s not the setup for a bad joke. Unless you consider our healthcare system a joke, which… well… *ahem*

Actually, it's the potential future of psychedelic therapy in the U.S. According to a new study, at least 5 million Americans could benefit from treatment with psilocybin. Let's run the numbers.

• 😭 15 million: The number of American adults with depression, based on a national survey.

• 💊 9 million: The subset of those adults who are treated in a given year.

• 🍄 5.1-5.6 million: The subset of adults receiving treatment who meet the eligibility criteria from recent clinical trials of psilocybin therapy.

That’s enough people to fill 70+ football stadiums. (Definitely not our set-and-setting recommendation, tho.) And the study authors suspect the real number is even higher. Just think of all the untreated folks who’ll be drawn in by the appeal of psychedelics.

Now, here’s the tragic plot twist. Most of us can't even broach the subject with our docs. A separate study out of Canada reveals why. Of 800 adults surveyed:

• 🗣️ 33% had discussed their use of psychedelics with their doctor

• 😑 60% were dissatisfied with the conversation

• 😡 50%+ felt judged or discriminated against for even raising the topic

Stigma, knowledge gaps, and good old-fashioned awkwardness were reasons for the communication breakdown. The irony is, Canadian doctors can legally prescribe psychedelics if they’re willing to jump through a few hoops. Still, finding a willing physician is trickier than explaining what it’s like to taste colors.

So, until we close the gap between psychedelic science and acceptance from the medical establishment, the takeaway is clear. The only trip worth stressing over is the one to your doctor's office. 🫠

AFTERGLOW

Reality check for Oregon Psilocybin Services

Oregon blazed the trail for legal psilocybin in 2020, hoping to set an example the whole nation could follow. But some Oregonians apparently didn't get the memo… or maybe they’ve changed their minds? This November, sixteen cities and counties are asking voters whether they want to keep psilocybin centers out of their backyards—either temporarily or for good.

It's a tale as old as time (or at least as old as legal cannabis). While the Oregon Health Authority has been handing out licenses like candy on Halloween—31 service centers and 350+ trained facilitators so far—small-town officials are pumping the brakes. The main concern is that there’s still too much uncertainty. But the state's psilocybin czar, Angela Allbee, insists the program is working just fine, thank you very much. Oregon’s even rolling out a data dashboard to appease concerned citizens.

Albee raises another good point. If these bans pass, it might push folks further underground, where mushrooms don’t always come with a safety net. And ever since Oregon reversed its decrim stance, there are legal consequences to consider, too. So, Cyclists, if you’re planning a trip-to-trip in Oregon, choose your destination wisely.

Biden’s buzzer beater

It's hard not to get sucked into the 2024 election circus race. But while your eyes were over here, the Biden administration just snuck in a policy update hotter than a Coney Island glizzy. Their parting gift? A rule mandating private insurers cover mental health care at the same level as physical health benefits. Here’s why this news bodes well for the psychedelic medicine field—not to mention the 175 million Americans with private insurance.

The rule builds on the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), which tried to level the playing field but left lots of loopholes. This time, the update should expand mental health provider networks, slash red tape, and increase access to affordable care. It's a long-overdue nod to the radical notion that mental health is, well, health.

For the psychedelic medicine industry, this is major. As psilocybin and MDMA inch closer to FDA approval, this parity rule could pave the way for insurance coverage of psychedelic-assisted therapies. But the ripple effects go further. With the economics aligned, we can expect a boost in R&D, an influx of psychedelic therapists, and potentially more psychedelic startups entering the space. Talk about leaving a legacy.

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UNTIL NEXT TIME

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.