🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that knows every ending is a new beginning. So when you finish today’s issue, don’t cry that it’s over. Be happy it ever existed. (Besides, we got another coming your way on Sunday.) 🫡

Here’s what we got this week.

• Layoffs (and a resignation) at Lykos 🔪

• Ketamine providers charged in Matthew Perry’s death 🚔

• Colorado approves final natural medicine rules 🍄

• Integrate better with breathwork 🫁

FROM OUR SPONSORS

Pinch us. We must be dreaming.

There’s this unusual integration method that lets you explore your subconscious with ease. It feels like a psychedelic journey itself.

But for some reason, no one’s talking about it. No one besides Awake in the Dream School, that is.

In this free webinar, they’re peeling back the curtain on their signature Embodied Imagination® technique and answering all your questions.

The only catch is, it’s happening today, so you gotta act fast.

Register ASAP for today’s free webinar.

MICRODOSES

🔬 Research

Tunnel vision: Researchers figured out how DMT alters the visual cortex to induce its signature visuals.
No vaporware: Vaporized DMT shows promise in treatment-resistant depression.
Get your head in the game: Athletes and sports trainers are open to psychedelic therapy for concussions.
In Xanax: Incannex Healthcare is clear to run its Phase 2 trial of psilocybin for generalized anxiety disorder.
EU-phoria: European psychiatrists are generally open to psychedelic therapy.
Music is medicine: The interplay of music and psychedelics is more complex than we know.

🏛️ Policy

Case dismissed: A Texas judge has thrown out a defamation suit filed by a psychedelic church with a controversial sacrament.
Model what works: New Mexico advocates are designing a framework for psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Clock’s tickin’: More Colorado towns are planning for the 2025 rollout of Natural Medicine healing centers.
Hot take: The FDA rejected MDMA because of shoddy science, not “Big Pharma.”
Do better: A non-profit is calling for regulated microdosing products after the Diamond Shruumz fiasco.

📈 Business

When they zig, we zag: Psychedelic companies explain how they’ll avoid Lykos’s fate.
With a ‘B’: atai is poised to treat $1B+ in central nervous systems indications.
The third wave: Clearmind Medicine applied for a host of patents for its “Generation 3.0” psychedelic compounds.
I don’t think you’re ready for this gel-y: Concept Matrix Solutions secured a patent for its psychedelic oral soft gel capsule.
Ibo-gone too soon: A death at an ibogaine clinic raises questions about the safety of the drug.

🫠 Just for fun

Magic getaways: Thrillist rounds up the most in-demand psilocybin retreats.
Oopsie daisies: People are trying mushrooms for depression and accidentally meeting God.
Liquid muse: How LSD has shaped modern art.
Meme of the week: When you walk away from a plant medicine ceremony with a life-changing insight…

THE PEAK EXPERIENCE

Out of a job

And here we thought working for a biopharma company was the safest career path in psychedelics.

Shows how much we know.

Lykos Therapeutics is hitting the brakes hard, and ouch, that whiplash has gotta hurt. After the FDA decided not to approve MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, Lykos is now in full damage control mode.

• 🧑‍🔬 Massive layoffs: Lykos is axing ~75% of its workforce. (And you thought your comedown was rough.)

• 🩺 New leadership: Dr. David Hough, a Janssen alum who helped bring Spravato to market, is stepping in as senior medical advisor. (If he can get the FDA on board with ketamine therapy, why not MDMA?)

• ✌️ Doblin peaces out: MAPS founder Rick Doblin is stepping down from Lykos' board. (But don't worry; he's not ghosting the movement.)

Then why did Rick decide to ditch his board seat? In his own words, it's all about being able to “speak freely.” No longer bound by fiduciary responsibilities to Lykos, Doblin can return to his rabble-rousing roots as an activist.

So no, he’s not leaving MAPS. If anything, he’s doubling down on the non-profit's original mission to fight for safe, legal, and global access to psychedelics. And that includes holding Big Psychedelic (including Lykos!) accountable.

At least one person is leaving Lykos voluntarily. As for everyone else, the “transition” will probably be less anticipated and the landing less soft.

That corporate salary might be cushy, but shoot. Entrepreneurship and underground work suddenly aren’t look so risky. 🫠

AFTERGLOW

I’ll be there for youuuuu

Cue the Rembrandts. We’re calling this episode of Friends “The One With the Ketamine Scandal.” Five people, including two doctors and Matthew Perry's personal assistant, have been charged in connection with the actor’s untimely death. (Last October, he drowned in his hot tub while on ketamine.) Turns out, when you mix celebrity, addiction, and unscrupulous medical professionals, you get a cocktail more dangerous than any controlled substance.

The cast of characters reads like a bad Hollywood thriller. There's the "Ketamine Queen" drug dealer, the cash-hungry doctors, and the assistant-turned-amateur-anesthesiologist. One doc even texted, "I wonder how much this moron will pay." Seriously, Chandler Bing would’ve had a field day with that line. RIP.

We kid, but let's not overlook the tragedy here. Perry battled addiction for years, even as he made millions laugh. Now, his death is shining a spotlight on ketamine's double-edged nature. Yes, it's a promising treatment for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. But when it’s abused, the consequences can be deadly. Let this story be a lesson to any celebs who may be reading. If you think your doctors are your friends, they might just be expensive enablers.

Colorado rules

It’s all happening. Colorado just dropped the official rulebook for its Natural Medicine (i.e., psilocybin) program. After months of public comments and hearings, the final version has the state’s seal of approval, and regulators will start taking license applications in 2025.

The rules cover the whole supply chain, from spore to store (well, "healing center,” but more on that in a minute). For now, only mushrooms are kosher. (Other plant medicines may be added later.) Entrepreneurs can apply for licenses to cultivate, manufacture products, or run healing centers, while facilitators have their own licensing process. As for product selection, expect everything from good ol’ fashioned shrooms to newfangled options like teas, treats, tablets, and tinctures. Just keep it under 5 grams of fruiting bodies (or 50 mg of psilocin) per package.

The catch? All products must be consumed on site. That means no take-home trips allowed, and don't you dare call your business a "dispensary." On the bright side, outdoor sessions? Still allowed. And companies still need to plan for "indigenous benefit sharing”—a concept that's sure to spark some heated conversations. Now’s your moment, Colorado. On behalf of all the laggard states, we’re begging ya… Please don’t screw this up.

CYCLISTS’ PICKS

UNTIL NEXT TIME

That’s all for today, Cyclists! Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help.

• 📣 Put your brand in front of 55k psychedelic enthusiasts by sponsoring Tricycle Day. Book an ad.

• 📈 Grow your psychedelic business with our marketing agency. Apply to work with us.

• 🫂 Get professional support from a vetted therapist, guide, or coach. Browse Maria’s List.

• 😎 Style yourself out in our iconic merch. Collect a shirt.

• ✍️ Need something else? Reply to this email. (We read every response.)

ONE CYCLIST’S REVIEW

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here.

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.