Culture
Psychedelic Training Provider Fluence Files Trademark for Common Phrase, Walks Back After Criticism
Fluence will no longer seek a trademark for the phrase “Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration.”
A Channel for Magic: Ralph Hood’s Mysticism Scale and the Occult Roots of the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Program
Psychologist Ralph Hood’s study of serpent handling and mysticism helped legitimize the study of psychedelics. So why doesn't he want them approved for medical use?
The Misadventures of “Toxic Bob”
Throughout his lifetime, Robert Friedland has evolved from Steve Jobs' psychedelic guru to mining guru, leaving a trail of environmental destruction in his wake.
How To Open Your Wallet: The Hyped and Distorted Claims of Online Psychedelic Marketing
From cultural appropriation to “Shroom Boom,” psychedelic online marketing gaffes and misrepresentations are becoming more and more prevalent from major psychedelic organizations.
Open Letter to MAPS Canada, MAPS, and MAPS PBC on Data Privacy and Doxxing
Open Letter to MAPS Canada, MAPS, and MAPS PBC on Data Privacy and Doxxing. We believe that an organization responsible for private data, in such close proximity to criminalized subcultures, must take matters of privacy and security seriously.
Why New Zealand’s “Smoking Ban” Is Harmful
A tobacco ban will likely reduce smoking. But focusing only on drug use masks the violence behind policy choices. A ban on tobacco is not done with a magic wand. Behind every law is state violence.
The Masters of Bad Trips
As proponents of psychedelics begin to grapple with legacies of abuse, it’s time to learn from victims themselves. Psymposia is co-producing an investigative podcast series, Power Trip, with New York Magazine.
New Website Details Abuse Allegations Against German Psychedelic Practitioners
A new website — whoisjoeschraube.com — alleges that Joe Schraube and Miguel Delgado have taken advantage of positions of power and abused people under the influence of psychedelics.
MAPS Canada’s Data Breach Foreshadows Corporadelic Future
As the psychedelic pharmaceutical industry increasingly prioritizes personal data extraction through mobile apps, wearables, and so-called “targeted” medicine, a recent data breach by former MAPS Canada Executive Director Mark Haden provides a warning about some of the possible consequences to the financial incentives of datafication.
DoubleBlind Claims Its Ad Was the ‘First-Ever’ U.S. Psychedelic Destigmatization Campaign — It Wasn’t
DoubleBlind claims its recently-unveiled New York City billboard is a lot of things, except what it actually is: a giant advertisement.
Hamilton Morris Hired by Psilocybin Startup COMPASS Pathways, Ends “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia” On Vice
by Russell Hausfeld , David Nickles
Hamilton Morris, the creator of Vice’s “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia,” will cease working with Vice on the show following the third season. He has joined psychedelic pharmaceutical corporation COMPASS Pathways as a chemistry consultant.
COMPASS Pathways’ Psilocybin Patent Questioned By UK Patent Examiner
While COMPASS has issued a response defending the validity of its patents, one of the co-inventors says the patent examiner’s opinion is probably “a valid one.”
The Third Wave’s Paul Austin Has Been Accused of Stealing Information For His Psychedelic Provider Directory
The Third Wave copied information from Psychedelic.Support and MAPS Integration List without permission to use for its own directory.
MAPS Canada’s “Clarifying Misinformation” Letter by Mark Haden is Full of Misinformation
In response to Psymposia's reporting on outgoing MAPS Canada Executive Director Mark Haden's resignation following a year full of controversies, Haden published a statement entitled “Clarifying Misinformation” that was full of misinformation and factual inaccuracies. In the following article, we set the record straight.
COMPASS Pathways Is Trying to Patent Psilocybin for More Mental Health Conditions Than You Can Name
by Russell Hausfeld , David Nickles
News that COMPASS Pathways is attempting to patent psychedelic therapy room specifications and therapist behaviors started an online firestorm about the company’s “monopolistic and shady behaviors,” but so far the debates have missed the biggest threats lurking in COMPASS’s international patent applications.
“Acid Revival” portrays a resurrected scientific field, notably more conservative than its historic predecessor
Through candid interviews with modern psychedelic researchers, Danielle Giffort’s "Acid Revival" presents a profession obsessed with how it is perceived by mainstream audiences and desperate not to repeat the “mistakes” of the 1960s.
After a Year of Controversy, MAPS Canada Executive Director Mark Haden Announces Resignation
During a Psymposia investigation into the alarming 5-MeO-DMT practices of Dr. Martin Ball, Mark Haden announced his resignation from MAPS Canada.
Turn Off Your Mind, Relax—and Float Right-Wing?
On January 6th, 2021 at least two psychedelic heads stormed the United States Capitol. Strange as it may seem, those adhering to right-wing politics haven’t just established a beachhead in the psychedelic renaissance—they’re maneuvering to own it.
Timothy Leary’s Castalia Foundation Has Been Co-opted to Promote Conspiracy Theories about COVID and Elite Pedophile Rings
The Castalia Foundation — originally founded in part by Timothy Leary — "resurfaced" in 2020 with anti-mask content, praise for Donald Trump, and paranoid discussion around the sexual abuse of children.
Psychedelic Authoritarianism Harm Reduction: “QAnon Shaman” Edition
Jake Angeli's tattoos provide a lens into how fascists and white supremacists have appropriated aspects of Pagan/Heathen culture and spirituality.
Culture
Psychedelic Training Provider Fluence Files Trademark for Common Phrase, Walks Back After Criticism
Fluence will no longer seek a trademark for the phrase “Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration.”
A Channel for Magic: Ralph Hood’s Mysticism Scale and the Occult Roots of the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Program
Psychologist Ralph Hood’s study of serpent handling and mysticism helped legitimize the study of psychedelics. So why doesn't he want them approved for medical use?
The Misadventures of “Toxic Bob”
Throughout his lifetime, Robert Friedland has evolved from Steve Jobs' psychedelic guru to mining guru, leaving a trail of environmental destruction in his wake.
How To Open Your Wallet: The Hyped and Distorted Claims of Online Psychedelic Marketing
From cultural appropriation to “Shroom Boom,” psychedelic online marketing gaffes and misrepresentations are becoming more and more prevalent from major psychedelic organizations.
Open Letter to MAPS Canada, MAPS, and MAPS PBC on Data Privacy and Doxxing
Open Letter to MAPS Canada, MAPS, and MAPS PBC on Data Privacy and Doxxing. We believe that an organization responsible for private data, in such close proximity to criminalized subcultures, must take matters of privacy and security seriously.
Why New Zealand’s “Smoking Ban” Is Harmful
A tobacco ban will likely reduce smoking. But focusing only on drug use masks the violence behind policy choices. A ban on tobacco is not done with a magic wand. Behind every law is state violence.
The Masters of Bad Trips
As proponents of psychedelics begin to grapple with legacies of abuse, it’s time to learn from victims themselves. Psymposia is co-producing an investigative podcast series, Power Trip, with New York Magazine.
New Website Details Abuse Allegations Against German Psychedelic Practitioners
A new website — whoisjoeschraube.com — alleges that Joe Schraube and Miguel Delgado have taken advantage of positions of power and abused people under the influence of psychedelics.
MAPS Canada’s Data Breach Foreshadows Corporadelic Future
As the psychedelic pharmaceutical industry increasingly prioritizes personal data extraction through mobile apps, wearables, and so-called “targeted” medicine, a recent data breach by former MAPS Canada Executive Director Mark Haden provides a warning about some of the possible consequences to the financial incentives of datafication.
DoubleBlind Claims Its Ad Was the ‘First-Ever’ U.S. Psychedelic Destigmatization Campaign — It Wasn’t
DoubleBlind claims its recently-unveiled New York City billboard is a lot of things, except what it actually is: a giant advertisement.
Hamilton Morris Hired by Psilocybin Startup COMPASS Pathways, Ends “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia” On Vice
by Russell Hausfeld , David Nickles
Hamilton Morris, the creator of Vice’s “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia,” will cease working with Vice on the show following the third season. He has joined psychedelic pharmaceutical corporation COMPASS Pathways as a chemistry consultant.
COMPASS Pathways’ Psilocybin Patent Questioned By UK Patent Examiner
While COMPASS has issued a response defending the validity of its patents, one of the co-inventors says the patent examiner’s opinion is probably “a valid one.”
The Third Wave’s Paul Austin Has Been Accused of Stealing Information For His Psychedelic Provider Directory
The Third Wave copied information from Psychedelic.Support and MAPS Integration List without permission to use for its own directory.
MAPS Canada’s “Clarifying Misinformation” Letter by Mark Haden is Full of Misinformation
In response to Psymposia's reporting on outgoing MAPS Canada Executive Director Mark Haden's resignation following a year full of controversies, Haden published a statement entitled “Clarifying Misinformation” that was full of misinformation and factual inaccuracies. In the following article, we set the record straight.
COMPASS Pathways Is Trying to Patent Psilocybin for More Mental Health Conditions Than You Can Name
by Russell Hausfeld , David Nickles
News that COMPASS Pathways is attempting to patent psychedelic therapy room specifications and therapist behaviors started an online firestorm about the company’s “monopolistic and shady behaviors,” but so far the debates have missed the biggest threats lurking in COMPASS’s international patent applications.
“Acid Revival” portrays a resurrected scientific field, notably more conservative than its historic predecessor
Through candid interviews with modern psychedelic researchers, Danielle Giffort’s "Acid Revival" presents a profession obsessed with how it is perceived by mainstream audiences and desperate not to repeat the “mistakes” of the 1960s.
After a Year of Controversy, MAPS Canada Executive Director Mark Haden Announces Resignation
During a Psymposia investigation into the alarming 5-MeO-DMT practices of Dr. Martin Ball, Mark Haden announced his resignation from MAPS Canada.
Turn Off Your Mind, Relax—and Float Right-Wing?
On January 6th, 2021 at least two psychedelic heads stormed the United States Capitol. Strange as it may seem, those adhering to right-wing politics haven’t just established a beachhead in the psychedelic renaissance—they’re maneuvering to own it.
Timothy Leary’s Castalia Foundation Has Been Co-opted to Promote Conspiracy Theories about COVID and Elite Pedophile Rings
The Castalia Foundation — originally founded in part by Timothy Leary — "resurfaced" in 2020 with anti-mask content, praise for Donald Trump, and paranoid discussion around the sexual abuse of children.
Psychedelic Authoritarianism Harm Reduction: “QAnon Shaman” Edition
Jake Angeli's tattoos provide a lens into how fascists and white supremacists have appropriated aspects of Pagan/Heathen culture and spirituality.