🫠 This Week in Psychedelics

Welcome to Tricycle Day. We’re the psychedelics newsletter that’s even better than a dog. We’ll be your best friend and you don’t even have to pick up our poop. Sorry, Fido. 🐶

Here’s what we got this week.

• Near death vs ego death ☠️

• AMA supports psychedelic research ⚕️

• Your dog on shrooms 🦮

• A better morning ritual ☕

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RESEARCH

NDEs & psychedelics: same same but different?

So you really thought you’d died during your plant medicine ceremony? Welcome to the club! 🤝

You’re definitely not the first person to compare psychedelic trips with near-death experiences (NDEs). But this week, we got the first study to systematically review their similarities and differences.

Researchers interviewed a 54-year-old neurosurgeon who’d 1) had an NDE during a coma caused by a bacterial brain infection, and 2) later smoked 5-MeO-DMT, the so-called “god molecule.”

In both experiences, this man:

• 🌏 Visited other worlds and met menacing or benevolent entities

• 👁️‍🗨️ Reported synesthesia and lucid dream-like qualities

• ⌛ Transcended time and space

• 👻 Experienced ego death

But there were a few themes unique to the NDE. Only on the actual verge of death did he see his life flash before his eyes, meet deceased loved ones, and approach a “threshold of no-return.”

Granted, we’re talking about an n-of-1 study. So it’s possible very likely that someone else has faced all of those phenomena while tripping. But this subject made a point of stressing that his two experiences were fundamentally different.

He says endogenous psychedelics (the chemicals our brains release naturally) can’t possibly explain what he saw. The researchers are wondering, could it have been the brain-eating bacteria then? 🤔

MICRODOSES

🥡 Turn on, tune in, take out: MindBio Therapeutics is enrolling participants in the first take-home LSD microdosing clinical trials.

🥲 Good grief: Australian researchers are investigating psilocybin-assisted therapy for prolonged grief.

🖖 Live long and prosper: Neuroscientists believe psychedelics could be useful in treating Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

📣 Tell us how you really feel: The directors of the NIDA and NIMH, two federal agencies under the NIH, shared their opinions on psychedelics and outlined their priorities for new research.

🧠 *NSYNC: Psychedelics induce hypersynchrony in the brain, an insight that could help us understand and treat psychotic disorders.

POLICY

AMA updates its stance on psychedelics

Ever asked your primary care doctor how they feel about psychedelics? Yeah, me neither. 🤷

Well, assuming they’re aligned with the largest and most influential medical organization in the US, we have a pretty good idea where they stand now.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has released its new guiding philosophy on psychedelic medicine. Unsurprisingly, their views are very, uhh, doctor-y. Let’s break it down.

• ✅ They’re FOR continued research: As with all other drugs, “scientifically valid and well-controlled clinical trials” are how we find out if psychedelics are safe and effective.

• ❌ They’re AGAINST unapproved use: Despite the interest and excitement, docs shouldn’t be treating patients with psychedelics outside of an approved investigational study.

• ❌ They’re AGAINST decrim/legalization: Even if lawmakers’ intentions are good, these approaches “thwart drug safety assessment and regulation.”

Now, psychedelics weren’t the only item on the agenda. Here are a few other spicy takes from their annual meeting.

• Kratom shouldn’t be criminalized (the American Kratom Association is stoked)

• The sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine makes no sense and should be fixed ASAP (no sh*t)

• Employers should continue drug testing their employees for cannabis (why tho 😐)

MICRODOSES

🏛️ Full House: The US House of Representatives has passed the National Defense Authorization Act with amendments that move the VA closer to funding psychedelic studies.

🍬 A sweet TREAT: A California campaign has proposed a 2024 ballot initiative that would create a $5 billion state agency to fund and boost psychedelics research.

💯 Pass the test: US Senators have introduced new legislation that would decriminalize test strips to help prevent drug overdoses and deaths.

🏄 Riding the wave: A grassroots effort to decriminalize natural psychedelics is underway in Santa Barbara, California.

BUSINESS

See Spot. See Spot trip. Trip, Spot, trip!

You’ve heard of emotional support animals… but what happens when our pets need emotional support of their own? 😿

Believe it or not, there’s an organization pushing hard for animals to be included in the emerging field of psychedelic research and medicine. Because, just like humans, our furry friends suffer from debilitating emotional disease.

It’s not crazy to think psychedelics could be the salve, right?

VeterinaryPsy recognizes there’s a lot we don’t know about psychedelics, especially in veterinary medicine. That’s why they’re looking into use cases like:

• MDMA in canine post-traumatic stress disorder (the other cPTSD)

• MDMA in behavior disorders of animal victims of sexual abuse

• Psilocybin in end-of-life support for bonded animal-human pairs

In the meantime, they’ve also got a PSA for you psychonauts out there: pets are not your tripsitters. Dr. Casara Andre says it can be exhausting and triggering for animals to help a human regulate through the bizarre experience of a trip. So give ‘em a treat, and get them out of your space if you can.

MICRODOSES

💵 Cash strapped: Cybin is raising $8.25 million in an overnight public offering. Presumably, the company needs cash for its R&D pipeline, especially after tapping a new research partner.

⛪ Find God… with precision: The Church of Ambrosia, a psychedelic church with over 90,000 members, has released an advanced psilocybin dosage calculator.

📈 Trip tracking: Now that psychedelic therapy is legal down under, Australian National University has developed the world’s first registry to monitor the impacts of psychedelic prescriptions.

🌴 Cannadelic Summer: Cannabis and psychedelics industry pros flocked to St. Petersburg, Florida for a convention that tested the legal gray area.

🤵 At your service: Psychedelic Passage claims to be the first-ever psychedelic concierge service offering personalized referrals to a pre-vetted psychedelic facilitators.

MUD\WTR — We love a morning ritual, but coffee? It’s a little overdone if you ask us. MUD\WTR is the OG coffee replacement upgrade, made with masala chai, cacao, and a whole bunch of functional mushrooms. Plus, they’re a psychedelic-friendly company, so of course they hooked up the discount for ya. Take 15% OFF your first order with code TRICYCLE.

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The Ethnomycology of Sacred Mushrooms — Mushrooms have been around a long time. No, like, a really long time. So it makes sense that our history would be intertwined with that of our fungi friends. Join this fundraiser, hosted by the Central Texas Mycology Society, to learn about the indigenous use of psilocybin mushrooms in Mazatec culture and Amanita muscaria around the world.

That’s all for today. Before you head off, don’t forget to share, rate, and review Tricycle Day below. Catch ya next time, Cyclists! ✌️

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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.