This article is the second in a series from the Co-founder and President of the Center for MINDS (Multidisciplinary Investigation into Novel Discoveries and Solutions). To read the first article, click here.  I have long been convinced that the mind-manifesting powers of psychedelics have the potential to help humanity meet its greatest scientific, technical and leadership challenges. By illustration, I can offer my own example. Using psychedelics interwoven with other practices, I tackled one of science’s major mysteries: How did life begin?  The result is a widely cited hypothesis ..read more

The underground market for psychedelic vapes has reached a fever pitch. Democratization of psychedelic chemistry and extraction methods, coupled with ubiquitously available and cheaply manufactured disposable vaporizer technology, has packed the most powerful known psychoactive substances into portable devices so readily available that the recently released 2024 major motion picture, The Beekeeper, features a scene where a young man casually derides his mother for mistaking his DMT vape for a nicotine vape.  Vaporizers containing DMT, psilocybin, 2C-B, and various other substances deliver ..read more

It is no surprise that in recent years the use of psychedelics has been on the rise, as some 20 cities and states have decriminalized once-prohibited plants and fungi, and the FDA moves toward approving psychedelic-assisted therapies. But has that increase had any implications for public health? A new report suggests that there are public health consequences. The study, which was funded by the Health Services Research Administration Stanford Addiction Medicine Fellowship program, looked at “Trends in hallucinogen-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations in California, USA fr ..read more

Last June, the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association appointed a new executive director whose background many in the psychedelic field found surprising. Few would have expected that APPA might be led by a former three-star general. But then they probably didn’t know much about Brigadier General (Ret.) Stephen N. Xenakis.  Xenakis first emerged as an advocate for psychedelic therapy as co-founder of Reason for Hope, an organization that promotes legal reforms to support access to psychedelic medicine. A clinical psychiatrist who has advised the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staf ..read more

This article is the first in a series from the Co-founder and President of the Center for MINDS (Multidisciplinary Investigation into Novel Discoveries and Solutions).  The modern dawn of psychedelics in the 1950s and 60s saw profound, ancient potions rediscovered and newly distilled in the laboratory, then shrink-wrapped for mass consumption. Before the dosing of millions of youthful Boomer minds came a decade of quieter, more contemplative exploration by some of the leading thinkers and figures of the day. These included writer Aldous Huxley, congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce, and actor C ..read more

Since its founding ten years ago, the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation has been wholly owned by the nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, the advocacy organization founded by Rick Doblin to support psychedelic drug research and policy reform. In December, the for-profit MAPS PBC completed Phase 3 clinical trials for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, and became the first company to submit a New Drug Application to the FDA for a psychedelic-assisted therapy.  MAPS raised $140 million to fund this effort through philanthropy, as well as additional capital through inve ..read more

In a move certain to have a wider impact on the development of psychedelic-assisted therapies, the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation announced Tuesday that it has filed an application to the FDA for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. This is the first submission of a new drug application for any psychedelic-assisted therapy.  PTSD affects approximately 13 million Americans each year, but available treatments are only modestly effective. In 2014, the MAPS nonprofit organization created the for-profit MAPS Public Benefit Corporation to continue research and education around the development of in ..read more

In the first part of this two-part series, Chris Kilham visits the Sonoran Desert to investigate the sustainability and collection of Bufo alvarius toads by Mexico’s indigenous Seri people for the harvesting of 5-MeO-DMT. To read part one, click here. Estacion Torres Under a bright moon we follow our armed escorts for a few miles, spotting toads hopping about here and there and avoiding glistening puddles of great size, eventually arriving at a colorful and brightly lit sign announcing their village, Estacion Torres. In the early 1900’s, the village became an important center for mining gold a ..read more

Final revisions to the proposed Psychedelic Wellness & Healing Initiative were submitted yesterday to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office for fiscal analysis. The California Attorney General is expected to certify the proposed state initiative for circulation and issue its official title and summary to the California Secretary of State on January 2, 2024.  If passed, the Psychedelic Wellness & Healing Initiative would allow for the sale, possession and use of psychedelics including psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, and mescaline for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. The initiative ..read more

On November 16, I posted an Instagram reel promoting a fully legal South African herb called kanna in collaboration with the Healing Herbals supplement brand. The video immediately generated public interest and discussion in the relatively obscure herb across Instagram, as well as on several other platforms where I posted the clip. Real, traceable people shared their personal experiences with kanna, best practices for consumption, scientific information about the plant (including links to academic resources), and more in a constructive and informed, transparent public discourse. Two hours late ..read more