🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that single-handedly gave Wednesday its groove back. Seriously tho, “hump day” needed a rebrand. Why be a camel when you can be a melting smiley face?

Here’s what we got this week.

• How psychedelics change therapists 🦋

• States prepare for FDA-approved psilocybin 🧭

• New rules for ketamine companies 🧑‍💻

• Ancient plant medicine in a can 🥫

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MICRODOSES

🔬 Research

Worth a thousand words: University College London is running the largest psychedelic brain imaging study ever to see if DMT can help with alcohol addiction.
Joint venture: MAPS is still wrestling with the FDA over their study of smoked cannabis for PTSD.
Forum factoids: When researchers analyzed Reddit posts about psychedelics for opioid use disorder, two conflicting ideas surfaced.
Self-other overlap: We have a new conceptual framework to explain how psychedelics increase feelings of connection to others and nature.
Be careful out there: Psilocybin calls to US poison centers increased over 300% in the past five years.

🏛️ Policy

Taking notes: Washington State lawmakers have introduced a bill to create a facilitated psilocybin services model, as in Oregon and Colorado.
Strong start: Massachusetts lawmakers have already broken the record for most psychedelic bills filed in a session.
Midwest miracle: A new bill in Missouri would legalize psilocybin for several mental health conditions and end-of-life care.
Parting gift: President Biden commuted the sentences of almost 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders.
Declassified: The National Security Archive released never-before-seen documents from the CIA’s MKULTRA mind control program.

📈 Business

Going solo: The FDA approved an expanded indication for Spravato that allows it to be used as a standalone treatment.
Tough break: The USPTO rejected all of Lykos Therapeutics’ patent claims.
Thank you for your service: A team of veterans launched an ibogaine treatment program specifically for the military community.
Seed money: Lophora raised $3 million to fund Phase 1 trials of its novel psychedelic molecule.
Opportunity knocks: Colorado has begun accepting natural medicine business applications. So far, no one has applied for a micro-healing center license.

🫠 Just for fun

He came with receipts: This rabbi cites specific stories in the Torah as evidence of psychedelic use throughout Jewish history.
Mush more where that came from: Denver Shroom Fest is returning for a second year.
Dream job: The Center for MINDS is looking to hire its first Executive Director.
Meme of the week: When you’re locked in on a microdose day…

THE PEAK EXPERIENCE

Trip first, ask questions later

You're about to climb Mt. Everest, and your sherpa casually mentions they've only ever seen the summit on Netflix.

Ehhh, not exactly confidence inspiring, right?

And yet, for another kind of peak experience—psychedelic therapy—some think guides don't need firsthand knowledge to lead the way.

Seems crazy, until you realize no one expects their cardiologist to know what it feels like to have their chest cracked open. So which is it? Are therapists who've taken psychedelics better equipped to guide others through altered states or not?

A new study explored this question by interviewing mental health professionals who've journeyed themselves. Here's how they say it transformed their practice.

• 🤲 Less directive: Instead of trying to "solve" clients' issues, they learned to trust the natural unfolding of the therapeutic process.

• 🧘‍♂️ More present: They reported being better "passengers" in therapy—i.e., more willing to follow where clients lead without trying to control the journey.

• 👁️ Wider lens: Their experiences opened them to seeing spiritual and emotional dimensions of mental health, not just symptoms to fix.

• 🌌 Greater humility: After experiencing profound states themselves, they became more accepting of clients' unusual experiences.

• 🏔️ Naturally inclined: Many began incorporating nature metaphors and recommending time outdoors as part of therapy.

Now, it's worth noting that this study can't tell us whether these therapists actually got better results for their clients. Maybe experiencing altered states makes you a more empathetic guide. Or maybe, like heart surgery, what really matters is technical expertise.

Good thing the two aren’t mutually exclusive. We’re gonna play it safe and steer clear of any YouTube-trained shamans. 🫠

AFTERGLOW

Not so wild, wild west

Remember when a global pandemic accidentally created an entire industry of mail-order ketamine? Well, the DEA just released new rules that could reshape its future. They're proposing a framework built around two key registrations: one that lets clinicians prescribe ketamine (and other Schedule III-V drugs) via telemedicine, and another for the platforms that connect these prescribers with patients.

If you're getting ketamine therapy from your couch, you can relax. It's probably not going anywhere. The DEA is essentially turning what was a temporary COVID exception into permanent policy. But for better or worse, ketamine businesses will need to jump through some new hoops. Think stricter patient screening, tighter protocols, and better systems for tracking where all that medicine actually goes.

It's a classic case of regulation catching up to innovation. The pandemic let companies get creative with new ways to deliver psychedelic healthcare. But the government was always gonna government, ya know? Maybe ketamine’s wild west era is finally coming to a close. Welcome to the ever-so-slightly domesticated west. Baby steps.

Preparation for (health care) integration

While Oregon and Colorado are sorting out their natural mushroom programs, some states are already planning for synthetic psilocybin's pharmaceutical debut. Colorado and Virginia just introduced twin bills that would allow doctors to prescribe FDA-approved formulations—specifically the crystalline kind that Compass Pathways is developing.

You might be wondering, why pass state laws about a (possible, eventual) federally approved medicine? Turns out even when the FDA says a drug is kosher, states sometimes need to update their own controlled substance laws to match. So these lawmakers are just staying a step ahead. (Eager beavers.) Actually, make that two steps for Colorado; their bill already passed committee 12-1.

Just goes to show how quickly the landscape is shifting. Colorado voters only legalized natural psilocybin in 2022. Now legislators are already laying the groundwork for pharmaceutical versions. At this rate, Big Pharma and Lil’ Funga might be sharing space in the medicine cabinet sooner than we thought.

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.