🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that rejects the idea that only certain people are creative. Whether you play music, write a newsletter (*ahem*), or cut your kiddo’s veggies into heart shapes, you add beauty to the world. And yes, it still counts if when the food gets thrown on the floor. 🤦‍♀️

Here’s what we got this week.

• Can psychedelics help us solve complex problems? 🧠

• WA activists fight psychedelic therapy bill 🏛️

• God molecule stock surges 📈

• Mushroom sex chocolate for LA fire relief 🥵

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MICRODOSES

🔬 Research

Wake up babe: Robin Carhart-Harris’s REBUS model of the psychedelic experience just got an extension. Introducing REBAS.
Get up and go: Microdoses of psychedelics may treat amotivated states in disorders like major depression.
Inflamed in the membrane: Psychedelics work on several neurotransmitter systems to produce anti-inflammatory effects.
Sobering results: Of all the psychedelic treatments for substance abuse disorders, psilocybin for alcohol use disorder shows the most promise.
The price of progress: A survey of Oregon’s first legal psilocybin facilitators reveals how much they invested and what they typically charge for sessions.

🏛️ Policy

Don’t call it decrim: Tacoma, WA city council passed a resolution to lower enforcement priorities for laws related to entheogens.
Breaking good: New Mexico lawmakers introduced a bill that would create a program for the medicinal use of psilocybin mushrooms.
At ease: Virginia’s Senate passed a bill that would allow psychedelic-assisted therapy for veterans.
Multi-modality: A new bill in Oregon would protect psilocybin facilitators with other healthcare licenses from being disciplined by professional regulatory boards.
Trouble in paradise: The U.S. Embassy in Peru and the Costa Rica Ministry of Health each issued warnings about ayahuasca.

📈 Business

False advertising: Oregon's psilocybin program just hit another milestone: its first consumer protection lawsuit.
Funding spree: Optimi Health, Enveric Biosciences, and Tryptamine Therapeutics all raised more money.
Pipeline picture: Psychedelic Alpha updated its drug development tracker and mapped the data onto a slick bullseye chart.
Moving right along: MindMed dosed the first patient in its second Phase 3 study of LSD for anxiety.
Not on their watch: This activist group worked to derail the approval of MDMA therapy.

🫠 Just for fun

Glitch in the matrix: Armed with a laser and a DMT vape, this guy claims he can prove life is a simulation.
Wonder drugs: The active agent in psychedelic medicine is awe.
Ready for prime time: CBS 60 Minutes ran a segment on veterans seeking psychedelic healing for PTSD.
Meme of the week: How law enforcement looks cracking down on plant medicine…

THE PEAK EXPERIENCE

99 problems but psychedelics ain’t one

Hate to say it y’all, but we’ve been putting psychedelics in a box. (Oh, the irony.)

Don't get us wrong. There’s no question treating depression and PTSD is important work. But we can all admit these molecules are capable of much more, right?

The Center for MINDS, for one, is going there. They just launched the most ambitious study of psychedelics and creativity in 60 years. Working with UT’s Dell Medical School, they're looking into how psilocybin can enhance creative problem solving, which could impact domains like science, technology, and beyond.

At the heart of their research is something called the FLUX (Fluency Exaggeration) hypothesis. Basically, it suggests psychedelics supercharge our ability to process and connect information. Here's how it works.

• 🔄 Flow state: Psychedelics temporarily quiet the hippocampus's control over the cortex, leading to freer information flow.

• ⚖️ Sweet spot: This creates an optimal balance between novelty and familiarity, helping us see old problems in new ways.

• 💡 Break through: We find more cognitive flexibility and (if we’re lucky) innovative solutions to complex challenges.

Now, this isn't totally new territory. Back in 1966, researchers gave LSD to a bunch of professionals trying to crack tough technical problems, and most of them did find solutions. But then the War on Drugs happened, and this whole line of research went dark.

So why now? In case you haven’t noticed, we're facing some pretty big challenges as a species. Climate change, artificial intelligence, sustainable energy—these aren't the kind of problems you solve by thinking inside the box.

And who knows? Maybe if we tackle an existential threat to humanity or two, people won’t be so depressed and anxious anyway. Just a thought. 🫠

AFTERGLOW

All or nothing

Washington lawmakers are taking another swing at legalizing psychedelic therapy, but local advocates aren't entirely thrilled with the plan. Two identical bills hitting committees this week would create an Oregon-style regulated program, complete with licensed facilitators and service centers.

There’s just one problem. REACH Washington, a coalition of grassroots advocates, says the bills don't go far enough. They're pushing for amendments that would protect personal use rights under a broader decriminalization framework. In other words, they'd like people to have options beyond dropping a month's rent at state-licensed centers. (Can you blame ‘em?)

As it stands, the program would start with psilocybin in 2027, and then potentially expand to include DMT, ibogaine, and MDMA by 2030. But REACH's stance raises an interesting question: is partial legalization better than none at all? Considering Oregon's rollout troubles and high session costs, they may have a point. Here’s hoping perfect doesn't end up the enemy of good.

The god molecule ascends

Did the market just receive a divine blessing or something? GH Research's shares shot up 81% this week after their inhaled 5-MeO-DMT treatment showed what the spiritually-inclined among us might call “miraculous” results in depression. To be more specific, 57.5% of treated patients hit full remission in just eight days, while zero people improved on placebo.

For the uninitiated, 5-MeO-DMT (aka mebufotenin, aka “the god molecule”) is known for its short duration and tendency to elicit transcendent (read: ego dissolving) experiences. In GH’s study, patients were ready to head home within an hour of treatment, and 78% of those who stuck with the open-label program were still depression-free six months later.

There are still some earthly concerns to sort out, like why nobody in the placebo group improved (hello, nocebo effect), and the FDA's clinical hold in the U.S. But when your drug sends treatment-resistant depression into remission after a one-hour clinic visit, it’s not hard to see why investors are feeling the spirit.

CYCLISTS’ PICKS

UNTIL NEXT TIME

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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.