🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. This is your brain. 🥚 This is your brain on drugs our newsletter. 🐣

Alright, spring chickens. Here’s what’s on the agenda this week.

• This is your brain on drugs (for real this time) 🧠

• Cali inches toward legalized plant medicine 🐻

• The first state-licensed mushroom grower 🧑‍🌾

• Field Trip Health needs a buyer ASAP 🛟

• No more BS psychedelic research 💩

FROM OUR PARTNERS

We get it. Some of you aren’t diehard psychonauts.

Maybe you read Tricycle Day because you’re betting on psychedelic medicine to disrupt mental health, and you want the alpha.

If you’re an investor, there’s no better way to keep tabs on corporate news and financial markets than The Daily Upside. That’s why over 950k C-suite execs, Wall Street suits, SMB owners, and career-driven pros subscribe for their analysis of business trends.

Click to subscribe to The Daily Upside for insight on the most engaging stories in business.

1. We saw the most advanced pictures yet of the brain on DMT

If you’ve ever taken DMT or drunk ayahuasca, the psychoactive brew that contains it, then you already know how profoundly this molecule can turn your world upside down and inside out.

But the method of its magic has always eluded scientists… until now.

Researchers at the Imperial College London just took the most comprehensive image of the human brain on psychedelics ever. And just like a psychonaut flying back from the Amazon, they’re still unpacking all the insights.

In the groundbreaking study, 20 healthy volunteers received a 20mg injection of DMT. Then, using 2 complementary brain mapping technologies — EEG and fMRI — the scientists recorded the participants’ brain activity before, during, and after the spirit molecule flooded their brains.

Based on the brain scans, here’s what happens during a DMT trip.

• The brain’s normal organizational hierarchy breaks down 💥

• Electrical activity becomes “anarchic” ⚡

• Connectivity skyrockets, especially in areas governing higher functions like imagination 🔮

• The stronger the intensity of the experience, the more connected the brain becomes ⚛️

While these results do provide color for the ongoing research into DMT for treatment-resistant depression, it’s not just about drugs and mental health. The scientists say psychedelics are helping us understand the brain better, full stop.

I’ll tell you what they’re helping me understand…

2. California took a major step toward legalizing plant medicine

This week, a California Senate committee approved a bill that would legalize possession of certain psychedelics for personal or facilitated use.

It’s a big win for Senator Scott Wiener, who initially submitted a more aggressive decriminalization bill back in February 2021, which was derailed right at the finish line.

This time, he toned down the legislation to try and secure the W. The crux of the bill is still in tact, but this version does NOT protect:

• 🧪 Synthetics, such as LSD and MDMA — Even though he believes they should be legalized, Weiner says the negative stereotypes are too strong and could hold the bill back.

• 🌵 Peyote — There are legitimate concerns about the risks of overharvesting, and indigenous groups should continue to have privileged access.

It wasn’t all sacrifices, though. The new bill ditches a requirement to pursue more research to guide policy reform. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

The bill still has a long way to go before it’s signed into law, but for now, our takeaway is crystal clear:

Californians only go for certified organic. If you need their approval, just slap one of these bad boys on.

(Btw, Massachusetts and Minnesota both advanced psychedelic legislation this week, too.)

3. Oregon licensed its first psilocybin grower

It’s official. The Oregon Health Authority has issued its very first manufacturer license to Satori Farms PDX LLC.

So far, they’re the first and only business to be granted state approval to grow mushrooms for future businesses and clinics, where Oregonians will go to have legal, supervised trips.

Oregon Psilocybin Services, the division responsible for the first public psilocybin program in the US, started accepting applications in January. Since then, they’ve been flooded with more than 220 requests across four license types — manufacturing, labs, service centers, and facilitators.

So what makes Satori Farms so special to nab this historic first grower license?

We couldn’t find a website or much info about Satori Farms at all, but OHA’s press release identifies and congratulates the owner Tori Armbrust for “representing women leading the way for the emerging psilocybin ecosystem.”

What do you say, Cyclists? Have we found our Mushroom Queen? 👑

4. Field Trip Health is looking for a buyer or funding, fast

Last week, we reported that Field Trip Health was closing 5 of its bougie ketamine clinics. This week, the plot thickens.

Here’s where we stand now.

• The company announced it was insolvent (no more cash)

• The CEO Ronan Levy stepped down (no more founder)

• They have 10 days to either sell the company or get funded (not much more time)

It’s a triple whammy. Ngl, Field Trip is in a tough spot. But at least they have the protection of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), a bankruptcy alternative in Canada, which gives them a temporary shield from creditors while they pull together a restructuring plan.

Field Trip will keep operating its remaining 4 locations while it seeks a buyer or bridge financing to keep the company alive. But after losing $29.6 million this year and $55 million last year, it’s not looking good.

Could this be the greatest comeback story in the history of psychedelics? It’ll be hard to beat the time I accidentally looked in the mirror on LSD and convinced myself I was a robot…

But if anyone can do it, Field Trip can. Beep boop. 🤖

5. Jaded researchers call BS on sketchy psychedelic research

It’s easy to get swept up in the hysteria euphoria around psychedelic medicine. Even though experts swear there are no silver bullets, psychedelics can come off as “miracle drugs,” especially when you compare them to standard psychiatric pills.

But a pair of Dutch researchers aren’t falling for it. They just wrote an article calling out the most common methodological problems in psychedelic research, which they think are shady at best, straight up dangerous at worst.

Presented in Buzzfeed-worthy listicle form, here are the top 10 issues with bogus psychedelic studies.

1. Lack of control groups — Everyone’s tripping, so there’s no basis of comparison.

2. Spin, outcome switching, and multiple testing — Instead of coming in with a plan, researchers are throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

3. Financial conflicts of interest — When research is funded by a pharma company, it’s 5x more likely to “find” a positive effect.

4. Safety and adverse event reporting — Serious risks go unassessed or unreported, including sexual abuse and suicidal intent.

5. Small samples — There aren’t enough people in the study to justify the conclusions.

6. Selection bias — The study participants are disproportionately open minded about psychedelics and don’t reflect the general population.

7. Lack of long-term outcomes — Sure the afterglow feels good, but what happens months or years down the road?

8. Breaking blind — Even when studies are placebo controlled, it’s pretty obvious whether or not you got the real thing.

9. The placebo effect — If you expect positive effects, you’ll probably perceive and report them.

10. The therapeutic mechanism — Though we have theories, we still don’t really know how these mystical drugs work.

Now the critics aren’t saying every single psychedelic study is guilty of all these faux-pas. But they’re obviously sick and tired of polished turds staining the medical literature. 💩 

The irony is their article hasn’t even been peer reviewed. Pot calling the peyote green much? 🤨

• Market Battle Lines are Being Drawn in Psychedelics—But What are the Warring Camps Really Fighting About? [Rolling Stone]

• How Mindbloom’s CEO sees the future of psychedelic mental health [Tech Crunch]

• The wild psychedelic origins of indigenous mystical rites — as revealed by archaeology [Big Think]

• Why Psychedelic Medicine is On the Rise in Austin [Austin Monthly]

• New ESPN documentary, “Psychedelics & A Road to Recovery” to explore psychedelics for traumatic brian injuries [Psychedelic Spotlight]

New Brew Euphoric Seltzer — Step aside, alcohol. Yup, you too, cannabis. There’s a new plant-powered beverage in town for you to enjoy responsibly.

Each can of New Brew contains 25mg of Kratom leaf extract and 125mg of Kava root extract. Knock one back and prepare for a body buzz and mental energy boost that’ll make you feel some type of way. Maybe it’s me, but these tallboys are potent.

DoubleBlind Psychedelics, Intimacy, and Sex Summit — Sure, psychedelics can be a powerful introspective tool. But with proper intention, they can also be used to cultivate deeper, more satisfying relationships with others.

Join DB’s 3-day virtual summit to hear from experts on healing blocks around romance, orgasm, communication, connection, and more. Scholarships are available.

Mycelium Running — You already know we stan Paul Stamets, everyone’s favorite mushroom man. If you slept on this classic, check out his reference manual for the mycological rescue of Planet Earth. Learn the basics of “mycorestoration” and fall ever deeper in love with fungi, just like Paul.

That’s all for today. Before you head off, don’t forget to share, rate, and review Tricycle Day below. Catch ya next time, Cyclists! ✌️

Tricycle Day is now accepting sponsorships from aligned partners. Want to put your brand in front of 1,500+ psychedelic enthusiasts? Reach out. 🤝

One Cyclist’s Review 👍

Didn’t Meme to Psych You Out 🫠 

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.