Politics

More… granted psilocybin mushrooms exemption by federal government

…struggling with mental health conditions [&] have received exemptions to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act from the federal Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos. …mandamus application to compel the health minister to make a decision regarding… patient’s Section 56 exemptions… Health Canada fought that application “tooth and nail”… 19 healthcare professionals to receive an exemption……

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Politics

Toronto board of health votes to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illegal drugs

[Canadian] Municipalities cannot unilaterally decriminalize drug use as it’s the sole responsibility of the federal government, but [the 12/6/2021] vote authorizes de Villa to seek an exemption for the City of Toronto from Health Canada. Dr. Leslie Buckley, chief of the addictions division at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, said “Criminalization of substances has not been…

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Politics

D.C. hearing… marijuana… anticipation of end to federal ban

D.C. voters legalized the possession, home cultivation and gifting of adult-use cannabis in 2014, a congressional rider has blocked the District from using its tax dollars to implement a regulated system of sales. They heard numerous recommendations on the legalization proposal, ranging from enhancing social equity provisions to ensuring that medical cannabis patients continue to…

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Politics

Doctor takes bid to treat patient with MDMA to court…

Consultant psychiatrist Eli Kotler launched legal action after the Victorian Department of Health knocked back an application to treat the woman… with the drug more commonly known as ecstasy. Kylie Evans, the barrister representing Victoria’s Health Department, told the court that the outcome of the case would be significant… the move will be opposed by…

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Politics

Psychedelics could become extractive capitalism…

As psychedelic firms skyrocket in market cap, quick cashouts are extracting billions of dollars in value – with no benefit to society… I’ve questioned the incentives of those investing in the psychedelic space… financial motivations to make a quick exit. These exits are ultimately extractive, and raise the cost of treatments, rendering them inaccessible to…

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Politics

Big tech’s psychedelics grift

They helped create the disease, and now they want to hoard the cure. This was the plug for Prozac when it first came on the market in 1988… no matter: a new therapeutic savior has arrived in the form of psychedelics. If you think it’s a little strange that Big Tech – currently best known…

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Politics

Can psychedelics and capitalism co-exist?

The fact that someone who tried psychedelics for the first time in 2014 now talks openly about restricting access to them might be unsettling to many in the psychedelic community. But some investors are already adopting a gatekeeping approach to these ancient medicines. For example, German billionaire Christian Angermayer, founder of biotech company Atai Life…

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Politics

Detroit voters approve decriminalization of magic mushrooms and other entheogenic plants

Now that it’s passed, Detroit’s law department and police will determine how to interpret decriminalization of entheogenic plants. City attorneys cite legal precedents from Coalition for a Safer Detroit v Detroit City Clerk, stating that election officials do not have the authority to “assess the substance of the petition or to determine whether, if passed, it would…

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Biography/Memoir

…the swirling battle over psychedelics intellectual property

Carey Turnbull, a philanthropist who is a board member of several psychedelic non-profits including Usona Institute, created another non-profit, Freedom to Operate, to fight patents that infringe on existing knowledge. He believes Compass’s latest patent should not stand. “From FTO’s ongoing research, we understand that it is nearly impossible to crystallize psilocybin and not obtain…

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