🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

PRESENTED BY ALTHEA & FOUNDATIONS 🤝

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re dedicating this psychedelics newsletter to all the Cyclist moms. On behalf of children everywhere, we apologize for the elementary school recorder concerts you had to sit through. 🥴

Here’s what we got this week.

• A new psychedelic for postpartum depression 👩‍🍼

• HHS to consider rescheduling psilocybin 📝

• Psychedelics open the mind’s eye 👁️

• Celebrate Sasha Shulgin at Burning Man ⚗️

FROM OUR SPONSORS

Trusting another person with your body, mind, and spirit is scary.

Jay and Cory Fiset know the feeling. That's why they recorded a fireside chat answering the top 10 questions people have when considering a psychedelic journey for healing and personal evolution.

(These two certified guides completely transformed their own lives and 25-year marriage using psychedelic medicine.)

At no cost, you’ll learn the difference between recreational, intentional, and therapeutic use; how to choose the right medicine for your goals; and why one size does not fit all.

Watch the free replay.

MICRODOSES

🔬 Research

Live and learn: Metapsy launched its first living systematic review, starting with psilocybin for depression.
Don’t call it an opiate: Ketamine’s antidepressant effects may come from modulating the opioid system.
Know your source: The rise of microdosing has led to an uptick in poison control center calls.
Creepy crawlers: Could MDMA therapy help people get over their fear of spiders?
Citizen science: Imperial College London is seeking volunteers for a self-blinded microdosing study. You can participate locally or online.

🏛️ Policy

Reasons to believe: Reason Foundation has rounded up this month’s psychedelics legalization and policy updates.
Dip your quills: Alaska’s natural medicine ballot initiative is cleared for signature gathering.
Just in: Maryland’s psychedelics task force released its interim report.
Elephant in the room: The Massachusetts Republican Party is calling for an investigation into the alleged violations by the Yes on 4 psychedelic ballot measure campaign.
Royally screwed: The “Ketamine Queen” charged with selling Matthew Perry his fatal dose in 2023 agreed to plead guilty.

📈 Business

Watch list: These six psychedelic drug companies are poised to revolutionize mental health treatment.
To the moon: While others have fallen off, this psychedelics ETF is on a tear.
Feeling lucky? Politico interviewed the CEO of Compass Pathways about his chances at getting psilocybin approved under a MAHA-led FDA.
Harm profit reduction: A German startup and an American nonprofit are fighting over ownership of a drug testing technology.
Dear haters: One year after regulators rejected MDMA-assisted therapy, MAPS has penned an open letter to the FDA and HHS.

🫠 Just for fun

Heart your faves: Community voting has begun for SXSW’s psychedelic panels.
Video lesson: 3 experts explain how psychedelics can expand the walls of perception.
Your next binge: Stream the 20 best trippy movies and shows on Netflix right now.
Meme of the week: When you successfully fart during an ayahuasca ceremony…

THE PEAK EXPERIENCE

Beat the baby blues

You’ve heard of moms on mushrooms.

Now get ready for… moms on 4-OH-DiPT?

Hmm, doesn’t really have the same ring to it, huh. But for the right woman at the right time, it may be worth the sacrifice in alliteration.

See, Reunion Neuroscience has been developing this psychedelic prodrug (codenamed RE104) as a potential treatment for postpartum depression (PPD). And their latest data readout spells encouraging news for mothers-to-be.

The company’s RECONNECT Phase 2 trial gave 84 women with moderate-to-severe PPD either a 30mg dose of their subcutaneous injection or a 1.5mg active control. (No one got psychotherapy.) Here's how the mamas did.

• 📉 Major mood boost: Depression scores dropped 23 points on average, compared to 17 points for the low-dose group.

• 🙂 Most felt better: 77% of women saw at least half their symptoms disappear within a week.

• 🤗 Many felt great: 71% hit full remission by Day 7, versus 41% in the control group.

• ⚡️ Quick relief: Benefits started on Day 1 and lasted through the 28-day follow-up.

• 👩‍🍼 Baby friendly: Early data suggests moms can get back to breastfeeding fast.

The side effects were pretty standard, too. Nausea and headaches were mild and short-lived, and there were no serious complications.

Zooming out, PPD affects roughly 500,000 American women annually, and current treatments are painfully slow. Even psilocybin therapy is an 8-hour commitment (plus prep and integration sessions), but RE104 would get you in and out in 4 hours. When you're juggling a newborn (don’t drop ‘em!), sleep deprivation, and all the hormones, let’s just say every minute counts.

Reunion's already eyeing a Phase 3 trial in 2026 and has another study launching soon for adjustment disorder.

Our maternal instinct is telling us to protect this line of research at all costs. 🫠

AFTERGLOW

Pressing “fwd:”

Here’s a nice lesson in perseverance for us all. Remember that petition to reschedule psilocybin that’s been collecting dust for three and a half years? Well, with enough probing and prodding, the Drug Enforcement Administration has officially transmitted it over to the Department of Health and Human Services for scientific review. ‘Bout time.

The petition, filed by Dr. Sunil Aggarwal in February 2022, asked to move psilocybin from Schedule I to Schedule II. The DEA initially denied it, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated that decision, sent the matter back, and basically told the DEA to do their job (huzzah!). After reaching out to Dr. Aggarwal for updated clinical data earlier this year, the agency finally forwarded the petition to HHS on August 11.

Look, this might sound like expensive paper-pushing (and it probably is), but the stakes are very real. If psilocybin gets bumped down to Schedule II, it would become available under federal and state Right to Try laws before full FDA approval. That means people with terminal or life-threatening illnesses could access psilocybin therapy much sooner. So, bureaucrats, this is your time to shine. Keep those papers movin’.

Third eye unblinded

Some people can't picture things in their heads at all. They’re not dumb or uninspired; it’s a condition called aphantasia that affects up to 4% of the population. But two documented case studies suggest psychedelics might be able to flip that switch, giving people their first taste of mental imagery after a single trip.

In one case, a 39-year-old man saw his first ever closed-eye visuals after taking ayahuasca. In the other, a 34-year-old woman experienced a similar effect with mushrooms, jumping from no mental imagery to maximum score on a standardized test. We know psychedelics rewire brain connectivity, particularly in the visual cortex, so researchers attribute the phenomenon to the creation of new pathways between regions that don’t normally communicate.

This might seem like an obvious upgrade, but opening one’s “third eye” isn't always a good thing. People with strong mental imagery are more prone to intrusive thoughts, PTSD flashbacks, and anxiety compared to those with aphantasia. If you’re not used to it, suddenly being able to visualize could be destabilizing. As they say, there are some things you can’t unsee. Now, Cyclists, enjoy having this melting smiley face plastered to the back of your eyelids for eternity. 🫠

CYCLISTS’ PICKS

• 🏜️ Off-the-grid gathering: Headed to Burning Man? Psychonauts are honoring Sasha Shulgin’s centennial on August 27 at sunset. Find ‘em between The Man and The Temple.

• 🏒 Spirit jersey: For those in that center sliver of the Venn diagram of NHL fans and Ram Dass followers, we found your new uniform.

• 🪙 Fundraiser: Support psychedelic science at the Jones Lab of Miami University, headed up by fellow Cyclist and biochemical engineer Andrew Jones. 100% of all gifts support psychedelic research.

• 🔍 Resource: BestRetreats.co bills itself as a Better Business Bureau for ayahuasca retreats. Now you can do your diligence and check for red flags before you book.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

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

ONE CYCLIST’S REVIEW

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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.