Biography/Memoir

We need to talk about [the psychedelic investor class] supporting the police, the military, and violent white supremacism

…[a] willingness to accept funding from all-things-conservative financier Rebekah Mercer and ATAI Life Sciences’ founder Christian Angermayer, and its unwillingness to speak out against Peter Thiel, the chairman of Palantir and recent investor in defense-contractor startup Anduril. As long as its strategy relies on supporting the police and the military (institutions that exist to perpetuate white supremacism, class warfare, and imperialism) it’s…

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Science

Scientists induce psychedelic-like experiences from a placebo alone

New research recently published in Psychopharmacology provides evidence that inert placebo pills can induce psychedelic-like effects, including perceptual alterations. The findings highlight the importance of expectations and context when ingesting psychedelic substances. The researchers told the participants they were being given iprocin – a homologue of psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms – and that they…

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Biography/Memoir

…[potentially reverse engineerable synthetic psilocybin “mushrooms” patent] made one investor $316 million

“A very special tattoo – actually my first one ever – for a very special day…” -[said Christian Angermayer]… “Palantir is going public, meaning they will be able to make money on Wall Street while working [with] ICE,” MSC wrote in a tweet. Many of the outside backers that Angermayer brought into Compass are also…

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Anthropology

Ann Arbor OKs move to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, plants

City Council voted unanimously… in favor of a resolution declaring it’s the city’s lowest law enforcement priority to investigate and arrest anyone for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with or possessing entheogenic plants or plant compounds. The resolution defines “entheogenic plants” as the full spectrum of plants and fungi that contain indole…

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Medicine/Healing

Psychedelic, [entheogenics & ethnobotanicals are] going mainstream. Will it be accessible to all?

The politics around psychedelics are changing as well: With great effort from advocates, various measures to decriminalize possession [and cultivation] of certain entheogens have passed in Oakland, [Ann Arbor, Michigan], Santa Cruz, Calif., as well as Denver [Colorado], and similar campaigns are underway in… other cities, [such as Portland, Oregon]. Sara Reed, study coordinator of…

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Anthropology

City council votes to make psychedelic mushrooms, [ayahuasca, cacti, etc.] legal in Ann Arbor, Michigan

In the 1970s, it was among the first to decriminalize marijuana. Now, it’s doing the same thing with mushrooms and other entheogenic plants [and fungi]. The Council voted 11-0, saying Ann Arbor police should stand down enforcing possession. In its resolution, the Ann Arbor City Council also asked the… County Prosecutor’s Office to cease prosecution…

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Science

The biggest challenges for psychedelic science today

The scientific study of psychedelics is not immune from broader crises that are currently ongoing in the scientific realm, like the replication crisis… and the increasingly privatized funding of research… What may further limit the researcher’s degree of freedom, is that most studies on psychedelics are sponsored by private foundations with a vested interest. In…

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Politics

Two more Canadians receive exemptions for [medicinal] mushroom

Hartle was one of four terminally ill Canadians who was granted a Section 56 exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act by federal health minister Patty Hajdu last month. Since then, the organization reports that two more exemptions have been granted… Dr. Tobin applied for his own exemption… and has yet to receive a response. [Section…

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Biography/Memoir

Compass Pathways… a psychedelic monopoly

COMPASS patent… compared to proprietary insulin formulations and asthma inhalers created to increase corporate profits… will share similar issues to “big pharma, big tech, big ag [agriculture], and other monopoly-heavy industries.” COMPASS’s attempt to dismiss the dispute against their patent… “Although Patent Owner does not address the substance of Petitioner’s challenge, after considering the arguments…

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