🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that cares about access. We can’t send you mushrooms (sorry), but hey, at least our emails are 100% free. There’s no charge to share ‘em with your friends either. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

Here’s what we got this week.

• Oregon is launching its own first study 🍄

• Neuroplasticity is still a mystery 🧠

• Facilitator training trouble strikes again 🧑‍🏫

• Herbs to improve your journey 🌿

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MICRODOSES

🔬 Research

Aftercare matters: Integration groups may mitigate the risks of psychedelics, but they aren’t without their challenges.
Could it be that simple? Psilocybin’s antidepressant effects might come from helping you get a better night’s sleep.
For science: Researchers tested a range of mescaline doses to find out how much is safe.
Beyond anxiety and depression: Psilocybin-assisted therapy gave people experiencing cancer-related distress some unexpected mental health benefits.
Push your chips in: Heroic Hearts Project is hosting a research retreat for veterans and emergency service workers struggling with gambling.

🏛️ Policy

Not in my back yard: Colorado Springs voted to heavily restrict zoning for psychedelic healing centers.
Raising the stakes: Nevada lawmakers plan to introduce two new psychedelic bills in the next legislative session.
Chesapeake check-in: Maryland’s newly formed psychedelics task force held its first meetings.
The fungivore’s dilemma: Michael Pollan thinks RFK Jr. is dangerous for the psychedelic movement.
Crackdown: Local law enforcement has been busy with record-breaking mushroom seizures in Virginia and California.

📈 Business

Startup state of mind: Some of the biggest tech moguls in Silicon Valley have used psychedelics.
Care complications: A crackdown on ketamine clinics could reduce access for those who need it most.
Delisting for dollars: A psychedelic CEO explains how he took his company private and raised $103 million.
Stress test: Silo Pharma hit a preclinical milestone for its treatment of severe stress disorders.
Cardiac conscious: BetterLife Pharma thinks they’ve made a version of LSD that’s safer for the heart.

🫠 Just for fun

Garden variety: Dutch police just found a large lawn gnome made entirely out of MDMA.
Riding the wave: Surfing legend Kelly Slater weighs in on psychedelics and human performance.
Bedroom breakthrough: This couple says microdosing led to the best sex of their lives.
Meme of the week: A bold statement on psychedelics outside of therapy…

THE PEAK EXPERIENCE

Psychedelics for the 99%

While most of the country is still trying to figure out how to legalize psychedelic therapy, Oregon has already moved onto the next question:

How do we make it affordable?

Well, the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) just got $30,000 to find out. They’re using the cash to launch the first-ever study under Oregon Psilocybin Services, the state's facilitated-use program.

Here's how this research could expand access to psychedelic therapy.

• 🎯 Right demo: By focusing on low-income participants, they’ll learn whether psilocybin even works for the folks who are currently priced out.

• 👥 Group therapy: One facilitator can serve many clients at once, which should drive efficiency up and costs down.

• 🧑‍💻 Virtual prep: Time is money, and remote preparation sessions mean less time in the clinic.

• 📊 Insurance ready: The study will (hopefully) generate the cost-benefit data that insurance companies need to see to change their tune on psychedelic services.

Right now, psilocybin sessions can cost thousands. But if researchers can prove that group therapy works (and costs less than treating depression the old fashioned way), insurance companies might actually start covering it.

That’s a big “if,” though, considering Oregon’s facilitators legally can’t describe their services as medical treatments.

The $30k in funding comes from the Sheri Eckert Foundation, named after one of the architects of Oregon's psilocybin program. Before she passed, Sheri made it clear she wanted no one left behind in this psychedelic revolution.

You hear that, insurers? Time to put your payouts where your promises are. 🫠

AFTERGLOW

Blood work won’t work

Everyone keeps talking about how psychedelics boost brain plasticity, but proving it in humans isn't so simple. To our surprise, a new meta-analysis of 29 studies found no evidence that psychedelics increase BDNF, a protein often used to measure brain changes. That includes ketamine, psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and even MDMA. Poke a hole in our whole theory, why don’t ya?

BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is like Miracle-Gro for your neurons. When it increases, your brain is probably making new connections. Scientists love measuring it in blood samples because, well, that’s much easier than cracking open skulls. Problem is, what happens in your blood doesn’t always reflect what's happening in your brain. Besides, BDNF levels can change based on everything from how much you exercised to whether you had coffee.

So none of this means psychedelics aren't rewiring our brains. We just need better ways to prove it, like brain imaging or direct stimulation techniques. Or maybe—and hear us out on this one—we could just trust that when people start thinking differently and making positive changes in their lives, something's actually happening up there.

Class dismissed

Colorado is supposed to start licensing psilocybin facilitators next month, but its training pipeline just sprung another leak. Naropa University, one of only five accredited programs located in the state, just pulled the plug on its January cohort after their insurance company got cold feet.

We've seen this movie before. Last March, Oregon's Synthesis Institute had to pause its program mid-session when it ran into financial trouble (though another company fortunately stepped in to finish training the students). Naropa's situation isn't quite as dire. They're creating a separate entity to host the same course with the same faculty, just without the university's name attached. Still, no word on when the 60-person program will actually launch.

The timing isn’t great. Colorado starts accepting facilitator license applications December 31, and these training programs are the only path to certification. But maybe this is fitting for a Buddhist university—just another lesson in impermanence. Samsara's a real trip, isn't it?

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.