🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that hereby blocks all bad vibes. Any out-of-pocket negativity will be saged, sealed, and returned to sender. 😘

Here’s what we got this week.

We know, we know. We're usually the ones saying slow down, don't rush, let things unfold.

But if you've been thinking about psilocybin facilitator training, you kinda need to move on this.

Acadia's last prospective student Q&A before their 2026 cohort starts is happening today at 5:30pm PT.

This is your only chance to meet the faculty, ask questions, and figure out if this path is calling you before applications close.

We’ll save you one question. Yes, they’re approved for licensure in both Oregon and Colorado.

Something’s brewing: Scientists discovered another mechanism by which ayahuasca treats PTSD. Other researchers explained how ayahuasca affects social perception and theory of mind.
Teetotally different: A review of clinical trials concluded psychedelics and GLP-1s will be among the next generation of alcohol use disorder treatments.
Majority rules: 70% of people using psychedelics for cluster headache or chronic pain reported preventive benefit.
Trip report: A new paper characterizes the subjective experience of ibogaine based on interviews with 30 veterans.
Why tho? AI chatbots can be “dosed” via text prompts to generate convincingly realistic psychedelic narratives.

Cascadian rhythms: Washington state lawmakers advanced a bill to legalize and regulate psilocybin therapy for adults.
Beyond the mushroom: Oregon lawmakers introduced a bill to allow physicians to provide ibogaine to patients with qualifying conditions.
Did you get that memo? Alaska’s psychedelic task force is recommending the state follow FDA’s lead on approvals, plus develop a pathway for non-licensed psychedelic facilitators.
Champing at the bit: A new Colorado bill would auto-align the state’s drug schedules with the DEA’s, so patients can access approved psychedelic pharmaceuticals right away.
Policy for dummies: MAPS released a nonpartisan policy guidebook to help shape future psychedelic reform.
Food for thought: Harvard Law scholars argue psilocybin should be regulated as food, not a drug.

Inside look: Colorado Public Radio toured three psilocybin healing centers (and took photos).
That’s a flex: AbbVie touted its psychedelic drug candidate bretisilocin as a “breakthrough type therapy” on its latest earnings call.
Fresh blood: Helus Pharma (formerly Cybin) appointed a new CEO.
Foolish advice: The Motley Fool ranked its top five psychedelic stocks to buy in 2026.
As one does: This billionaire financial advisor embraced psychedelics and changed his name.

Acacia didn’t notice: Researchers think Australian wattle might contain undiscovered psychedelic compounds.
Banger incoming: Michael Pollan is back with a new book about consciousness.
Concussion protocol: New York Times followed two ex-NFL players to Colorado where they treated their head injuries with psilocybin.
Game on: This brain-training video game may protect against dementia for up to 20 years.
Meme of the week: Not the political leaders we deserved but the ones we needed…

When we’re lying on our death bed, the last thing we want is to be hit with a pang of regret about the choices we’ve made.

The second-to-last thing we want is to be out of our favorite snacks. (Salt and vinegar kettle chips, obviously.)

And a close third is to be denied the dignity of a graceful transition.

A new program addresses at least one of these concerns. The Home-Based Ketamine and Spiritual Care (HBKS) pilot will bring ketamine-assisted therapy directly into the homes of palliative and hospice patients, who physically can’t (or simply don’t want to) drag themselves to a clinic.

The collaboration led by End of Life Psychedelic Care is starting small in Humboldt County, Chicago, and Atlanta, with big plans for expansion. Here’s what it entails.

Don’t poo-poo the spiritual care component. (The Cyclists would never, but we’ll still highlight why.)

EOLPC’s intention is to address the unresolved relationships, fear, and loss of meaning that intensify as illness progresses. Medical treatments have a hard time with that. (And the support is non-doctrinal, so anyone can benefit.)

Of course grant money won’t last forever, which is why they need to prove out reimbursement pathways from the jump.

For now, we’re taking this as a reminder to enjoy our lives while they last. Today’s mantra: Eat Chips Here Now. 🫠

Read this story twice if you’ve ever bumped your noggin. People with traumatic brain injuries are self-medicating with psychedelics, and most of ‘em feel better. We’re beyond anecdotes now. The data come from a large global survey, which offers the largest snapshot yet of TBI survivors experimenting with psychedelics outside clinical settings.

Of the 6,000+ survey responses, researchers zoomed in on the 145 people who'd sustained TBIs and were using psychedelics to manage symptoms. Psilocybin was the most popular choice, and users rated its effectiveness at 64 out of 100 for symptom relief. (Sounds like an F, but that’s way better than zero.) Respondents were treating everything from memory and concentration to headaches and fatigue to depression and anxiety. The people managing mood symptoms reported the highest relief.

Interestingly, those with higher self-professed knowledge about psychedelics reported better outcomes. That tells us one of two things: either a) intention matters nearly as much as the substance itself, or b) expectancy effects are at play. Also, about 10% said no psychedelic helped at all. Alas, magic mushrooms exist, but magic bullets do not.

Flashback to October. FDA final boss Marty Makary has promised to fast-track certain drugs addressing “large unmet medical need,” but he's only got a handful of vouchers to go around. Surely a psychedelic will make the cut, right? What could be more pressing than the depression epidemic crippling America? The list drops and... nope. A ketamine manufacturer made it, but not one new psychedelic medicine did. Now we know why. Kinda.

Trump admin officials apparently vetoed the FDA's plan to prioritize Compass Pathways' synthetic psilocybin. Makary had presented ten drugs, not nine, for the Commissioner's National Priority Voucher program, which trims the FDA’s review timeline by nearly a year. Hours before the announcement, though, his superiors at HHS axed Compass from the lineup.

We don’t know who specifically vetoed COMP360, but we’d be shocked if HHS Secretary RFK Jr. had anything to do with it, considering how loudly and proudly he’s championed psychedelics. Maybe MAHA and the White House aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye? Anyway, Compass is still expected to be the next company to submit a psychedelic for FDA review, and a decision could come later this year. Patience is a virtue, Cyclists.

Western psychology isn’t the only game in town. You can learn Indigenous ways of being in practice with psilocybin mushrooms, too, in this 8-month apprenticeship led by a Mazatec-trained teacher. Tricycle Day readers get $400 off tuition.

That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

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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.