🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that struck a nerve. No, literally. We banged our elbow typing this and now we can taste static electricity. 🫨

Here’s what we got this week.

As you’ve probably noticed, the psychedelic conversation usually centers on mental health.

Big and worthy topic, for sure. But it's not the whole story.

On June 6-7, the Aspen Psychedelic Symposium is *ahem* elevating the discussion. (At 8,000 feet, no less.)

Panels will go beyond therapy into themes like Parkinson's treatment, stroke recovery, religious freedom, and ethical commercialization.

Assuming you’re interested in where this movement is headed (and you’re not allergic to breathtaking mountain views), we think you’ll enjoy the trip.

Food for thought: A review of the research on psychedelics and eating disorders identified five key themes in how these experiences catalyze transformation.
Ladies first: Psilocybin affects social behavior in male and female mice in different ways and on different timelines.
Shock value: Pretreatment with LSD can extend the durability of brain stimulation therapy.
Our special interest: Psychedelics modulate several pathways relevant to autism spectrum disorder, so why hasn’t there been more research?
Hippie flip for science: Johns Hopkins is recruiting veterans with PTSD for a clinical trial of psilocybin and MDMA.

Ibogaine and more: Colorado's HB 26-1325 also expands facilitator liability protections and adjusts the Natural Medicine Advisory Board's authority.
Bummer: Minnesota's psilocybin therapy pilot didn't make it through the legislature this session. (See previous coverage.)
Pull up a chair: Oregon is accepting applications to join the Rules Advisory Committee that shapes its psilocybin program.
Time’s up: Attorneys are pressing the DEA to reschedule psilocybin, especially after Trump’s executive order made the delay harder to justify.
Tabula rasa: Governor Polis pardoned a Colorado man for a 21-year-old psilocybin felony after he was excluded from last year's sweep.

Show your work: Three researchers are questioning the methodology of Transcend Therapeutics’ methylone PTSD trial. Transcend declined to respond.
The 6%: Optimi Health says it has produced the highest-purity natural psilocybin extract to date.
See you in court: A Maine ayahuasca church is suing the federal government over alleged interference with its ceremonies.
Amen to that: Colorado Springs' self-described first psychedelic church is expanding into a second location.
Underwriting the trip: The insurance industry needs to start preparing for psychedelic medicine coverage now, before FDA approvals force the conversation.

Messiah complex: What happens when you feel like Jesus after taking psychedelics?
Disrupting disruption: Psychedelics are getting a tech rebrand.
Hubba Hubbard: The Atlantic profiles Bryan Hubbard, the psychedelics whisperer to the Trump administration.
Meme of the week: My parents finally taking psychedelics…

Genuine question. When did psilocybin become the hot sauce of pharmacology?

Because people keep putting it on things, and it keeps making them better.

First, it was psychedelic-assisted therapy. Give ‘em a dose, open their mind, and suddenly talk therapy can actually make a dent. Now we’re learning psilocybin even boosts the effects of other drugs.

A new study found that psilocybin can make gabapentin, a go-to medication for neuropathic pain that fails 30-50% of patients, work dramatically better. In mice, at least.

Here's what the paper showed.

Some context might help. Neuropathic pain (caused by nerve damage) is a different beast from inflammatory pain (a sprained ankle) or nociplastic pain (fibromyalgia, IBS). It involves the brain's wiring itself going berserk, which is why it's so hard to treat.

This study focused on nerve pain specifically, but clinical trials are showing promise for psilocybin in cluster headaches, migraine, and fibromyalgia, too. (The psychedelics-and-pain rabbit hole goes deep.)

Now we’re wondering what else psilocybin might “assist”… Anyone tried psilocybin sriracha yet? The possibilities are endless. 🫠

Canadian biotech PharmAla just licensed exclusive U.S. rights to ALA-002, its next-gen MDMA compound, to Jupiter Neurosciences in a deal worth up to $100 million. ALA-002 is a non-racemic MDMA formulation (i.e., they tweaked the ratio of the molecule's two mirror-image halves), that the FDA has recognized as a New Chemical Entity.

Now, about that $100 million. Jupiter's actual upfront payment is $3.33 million. The rest hinges on milestones and royalties that kick in only if the drug gets approved. We love the optimism, but Jupiter has a long road ahead. Plus, the stock is trading around $0.24 a share (down 93% from its peak), and till now, Jupiter’s business has had nothing to do with psychedelics. Guess they saw the light (… or that executive order).

PharmAla, for its part, already supplies clinical-grade MDMA to VA trials in the U.S. and authorized prescribers in Australia. But ALA-002 itself hasn't entered clinical trials yet, and Jupiter hasn't said what condition it plans to target. (PTSD is the obvious play, where Lykos came so close in 2024.) They’re not the only company betting a modified MDMA product can chart a path the OG couldn't, though. May the best most empathogenic biotech win.

… It was bound to happen. Earlier this month, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed the Oklahoma Breakthrough Therapy Act into law, authorizing state-funded ibogaine clinical trials. Drug developers who want in on the action have to match the state's investment dollar-for-dollar and submit a plan for FDA approval. (Sound familiar?)

Texas kicked off this trend last year with a $50M commitment (which became $100M) to ibogaine research, and the dominoes have been toppling ever since. Mississippi, Kentucky, and Indiana have all passed ibogaine research bills into law. Tennessee, Louisiana, and Colorado are at the finish line, waiting on governors' signatures. Remarkably, the grassroots coalition behind Oklahoma's bill employed zero lobbyists. What moved the needle most was patients sharing personal recovery stories with legislators.

We’re not the first to point out that ibogaine has become the darling psychedelic of the political right. And indeed, these aren't your hippie grandma’s decrim campaigns. They’re red-state, Republican-led research bills aimed squarely at the addiction and veteran mental health crises that conventional treatments haven't cracked. Either the Overton window has shifted, or these folks are just plain over watching their constituents die.

If you tend to skip right to the policy section of our newsletter, we think you'll dig the podcast, Ground Game. Start with their latest ep, which goes deep on the first clinical trial inside a state-regulated psilocybin program.

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.