Psychedelics News May 2020

May has been a busy month. One that saw more continued investments, a call for an ethics guide, and interesting results from the largest DMT survey to this date.

The investments keep on coming in

Numinus is to list on the stock exchange, Pharmadrug Inc. intents to buy Super Smart (Dutch smart shops). Champignon Brands announces a $10 million dollar private placement (sold stocks privately) and intents to buy a ketamine clinic in California. All news, and these were only the highlights, that point towards the growing interest and preparations made for a market that is hoped to arise.

Next to investments, May also saw three non-profit moves. Fluence intents to increase access to training for psychedelic (integration) therapists. They will do this with a Diversity Fund, made in cooperation with Chacruna. Dr. Bronner (the conscious soap company) continues to support psychedelics with a 1 million donation to the Oregon psilocybin campaign, something they have done before. This time however it’s not only for decriminalization but also for starting to offer licensed treatments.

To overshadow the first two is possibly the biggest investment in psychedelics research to date with the launch of the $30 million Capstone Fund from the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC). This collaboration will fund a large part of MAPS’ (future) research.

Licensed treatments incoming

MAPS reports that an independent body has given them a 90% certainty that their phase 3 trial for MDMA treatment of PTSD will show statistical significance. This is the good news that Rick Doblin had been hoping for and it probably won’t be long before therapies become available.

Plus 3, the podcast from Psymposia, does have some harsh words for the therapy that has been offered by (un)licensed therapists and predatory figures in the psychedelics space. In this podcast and this article, they discuss the misconduct as reported earlier this year in Quartz, and the efforts by the ‘establishment’ to stuff all this under the carpet. What if the therapies are not as great or accessible as proposed?

The critique is harsh but does come from a place of love for the potential of psychedelics. This is also where the North Star Ethics Pledge might play a role if enough people sign up and it gains a foothold in the culture. One could argue for, or against the self-medication that people are likely to do (and which needs to be supported).

Good or not, more research is currently what is most needed. Johns Hopkins is investigating if psilocybin could be a potential aid for depression in early Alzheimer’s disease. And David Nutt is taking the lead on a study on psilocybin and OCD, he is looking to raise £80.000.

What to Watch:

• Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelia (fun, mainstream, Ars Technica review)
• The Way of the Psychonaut (streaming parties for more in-depth doc)

Tid-bits to look cool at the next drum circle:

• What if you announce a virtual psychedelic therapy, that isn’t psychedelic or the first (Psymposia on Field Trip)
• Bright Minds Biosciences wants to develop safer psychedelics, something also mentioned in the Report on Psychedelics podcast
• Take a journey through the Ayahuasca timeline
• Or get to know the industry from the Report on Psychedelics 2020 Report
• It’s Official: DMT Makes You Believe in God, also see our review of DMT: The Spirit Molecule
• Learn more about 4-AcO-DMT, a relative of psilocybin (and DMT, of course)

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