🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that knows who really pulls the strings. It’s the mushrooms, y’all. It’s always been the mushrooms. 🍄

Here’s what we got this week.

• Philanthropists release $125M funding plan 💸

• MDMA for the military, c/o the Pentagon 🪖

• California’s next shot at legalization 🍄

• Where to go after your ceremony 🍵

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MICRODOSES

🔬 Research

How to transcend: This real-world psychedelic study identified the six factors that predict an intense mystical experience.
Better blinding: Researchers are giving people psychedelics in their sleep to get an unbiased read on drug effects.
TUMS’ days are numbered: Could psychedelic therapy treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Magic molecules: Chemists developed a new way to test the tryptamine content of psychedelic mushrooms.
Correlation ≠ causation: Canadians who went to the hospital for a bad trip had 2.6x higher mortality risk than the general population.

🏛️ Policy

Rooting for ya: Arizona’s bill that would fund ibogaine clinical trials is moving forward.
Check the boxes: A Missouri Senator introduced a bill that would allow veterans to use psilocybin tested in a licensed lab, provided they’re enrolled in a study.
Get your act together: 27 Nevada lawmakers introduced a resolution urging US Congress to reschedule several psychedelics and increase research funding.
Doge eat doge world: Elon Musk’s DOGE hired the former CTO of ketamine telehealth company, Mindbloom.
Write for rights: MAPS prepared a template letter to help you advocate for reduced drug sentencing.

📈 Business

Go pro: Here’s what it takes to be a pharmaceutical-grade mushroom grower.
Red ink, green light: Compass Pathways is still losing money, but analysts are optimistic about a key data readout expected next quarter.
Mergers and actualization: Solvonis Therapeutics is acquiring Awakn Life Sciences.
Special ops: ONE Retreats is partnering with the SEAL Future Foundation on a psilocybin-assisted retreat program for veterans.
Not (our) financial advice: See the top 12 psychedelic stocks to buy in 2025, ranked by hedge fund sentiment.

🫠 Just for fun

Snazzy slugs and cosmic bullseyes: See Nature’s picks for best science photos.
Talking heads: This ABC anchor says psychedelics saved his life.
Ferryman of the soul: Does DMT control your consciousness at the moment of death?
Meme of the week: When you use psychedelics to solve your most complex problems…

THE PEAK EXPERIENCE

Show me the money

Dang, the odds really are stacked against us, huh.

You’ve got career politicians who'd rather chew glass than touch drug reform, pharma giants who care more about market share than healing, and an “industry” where hardly anyone operating above ground is making money.

So who’s bankrolling this movement anyway?

Philanthropists, source bless ‘em. You know, ultra-wealthy people who want to make a difference. And they’re organized, too.

They call themselves the illuminati the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC), and they’ve been quietly pulling the strings behind wins like Oregon and Colorado's psilocybin programs.

This week, they unveiled their master plan: an 80-page strategic roadmap calling for $125 million over the next three years to transform psychedelic access nationwide.

Here's where they want the cash to flow through 2030.

• 💰 $46.4M for public education and communication (with a hefty chunk earmarked for MAPS)

• 🪶 $22.7M to support indigenous medicine conservation

• 🏛 $19M to establish state-level psychedelic programs (they're shooting for at least 8 active programs by 2030)

• 💼 $9.2M to help psychedelic businesses navigate banking and insurance

• 🎖 $7.5M for veteran-focused initiatives

They're also launching the Psychedelic Policy Institute to coordinate a state-by-state lobbying approach. If they follow through with their hit list, states like Alaska, Arizona, and Maine could see ballot initiatives in the coming years.

To be clear, PSFC won't be directly raising or distributing these funds, but their blueprint has already influenced major donors. So when you’re casting your ballot for legal mushrooms in 2026, just remember, some billionaire decided your state deserved enlightenment this decade.

The illuminati work in mysterious ways indeed. 🫠

AFTERGLOW

Military-grade MDMA

The Pentagon doesn’t have to leak classified documents to get us out of bed. The Department of Defense just spent $4.9 million on research to give active-duty military members MDMA for PTSD. Turns out when half your troops are still traumatized after conventional therapy, something’s gotta give.

The UT San Antonio trial has a tight design that screams military efficiency. Instead of the usual months-long, multi-journey marathon, researchers will give 100 participants just one MDMA session followed by two weeks of daily Prolonged Exposure therapy. (That's where you relive traumatic memories until they lose their emotional charge.)

Lead investigator Dr. Alan Peterson thinks this streamlined protocol is practical enough to "create a new standard of care." Since the VA already offers Prolonged Exposure therapy nationwide, they could theoretically bolt on MDMA sessions without reinventing the wheel or lengthening the recovery process. That’ll help, considering the military isn't exactly known for its patience. There's a war machine to feed, people.

California takes another swing

California's latest psychedelic policy push has a shiny new coat of bipartisan paint. Last week, an unlikely duo—Republican Sen. Brian Jones and Democrat Josh Becker—introduced a bill to let UC researchers dose veterans and first responders with psilocybin in up to five counties. It's basically last year's "Heal Our Heroes Act" with a wider coverage area.

Admittedly, California has a spotty track record when it comes to this stuff. They've killed more psychedelic bills than you can shake a wavy cap at, despite repeated attempts to appease Governor Newsom's concerns. But this approach is pretty smart. Focusing exclusively on heroes in uniform makes it politically bulletproof (or so they hope). Come on, who's gonna vote against healing people who run into burning buildings and war zones for a living?

If approved, the legislation would create a special fund for research and demand a full report by 2030. Yes, five years is practically a lifetime when you're battling PTSD daily. But in the glacial world of drug policy reform, we'll take what we can get.

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.