Ethics


Time’s Up for “Silencing” Tactics


A few years ago, I witnessed the systematic silencing and shaming of Lily Kay Ross for having dared to call attention to severe abuses of power in the psychedelic space. Her extraordinary bravery in sharing her own experience with abuse was met with victim blaming and accusations of selfishness. Key members of the psychedelic research community turned on her for “jeopardizing” the entire field of psychedelic science with her “negativity” and “theatrics.”

Hey Psychedelic Science Community, We Need to Talk About Consent


Consent is really pretty simple but also apparently complicated, due to our inheritance of a messed up culture.

Intentionally-diverse MDMA research at University of Connecticut Cut Short


The research team at UConn studying MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD is now defunct.

We now call ‘bad trips’ ‘challenging experiences’. Here’s why that’s misguided.


Renaming adverse effects of psychedelic drugs as “challenging experiences” minimizes, almost trivializes, their negative effects.

Cocaine Tourism in Colombia


Medellín attracts the attention of tourists seeking a new kind of experience: doing cocaine in the city of Pablo Escobar.

Maine Gov vetoes (admittedly flawed) legal cannabis bill, leaving future sales uncertain


On Friday, November 3, 2017, Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) vetoed legislation to regulate cannabis sales in the state.

How Psychedelic Science Privileges Some, Neglects Others, and Limits Us All


There is an urgent need for cultural humility in psychedelic science in order to prevent it from falling into the same limiting, and often unethical, traps that we see in Western science and medicine.

How Will History Remember the Psychedelic Renaissance?


Social movements are remembered in history for the things they do and the actions they take, not for what they inadvertently hope will happen.

Psychedelics and Social Justice


For the movement toward psychedelic consciousness to be as transformative as it can possibly be, it is our obligation as a psychedelic community to be aware of our shortcomings and to challenge them head-on.

Psychedelic Inclusivity: Hopes and Challenges


When stubborn drives for inclusion and connection in the present betray a racially divided past, psychonauts may be able to attend to histories of exclusion, separation and disconnection in order to deepen our understanding and engagement in the present.

Privilege and Safety in the Psychedelic Community


I feel safe openly advocating for the beneficial use of illicit substances because I have never been stopped by police without legitimate cause.

Why the Psychedelic Community is so White


The War on Drugs is inherently anti-black. Most psychedelic users that I’ve encountered are hesitant to take a stance on the racial aspects of the drug war.

We Talked with World Ayahuasca Conference Organizer Ben De Loenen


"Too many people just see ayahuasca as a sales product and that’s a problem, where it becomes commodified."

Getting High is a Human Right: Reflections from Uruguay After Cannabis Legalization


Activists have started creating new spaces for healing, acceptance, heightened consciousness, and fun—a completely legitimate reason to do anything, especially get high.

Manny Pacquiao and Rodrigo Duterte support the death penalty for drug crimes


Pacquiao’s drive to reinstate capital punishment for drug crimes is in line with President Duterte: “If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself, as getting their parents to do it would be too painful.”

Ethics


Time’s Up for “Silencing” Tactics


A few years ago, I witnessed the systematic silencing and shaming of Lily Kay Ross for having dared to call attention to severe abuses of power in the psychedelic space. Her extraordinary bravery in sharing her own experience with abuse was met with victim blaming and accusations of selfishness. Key members of the psychedelic research community turned on her for “jeopardizing” the entire field of psychedelic science with her “negativity” and “theatrics.”

Hey Psychedelic Science Community, We Need to Talk About Consent


Consent is really pretty simple but also apparently complicated, due to our inheritance of a messed up culture.

Intentionally-diverse MDMA research at University of Connecticut Cut Short


The research team at UConn studying MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD is now defunct.

We now call ‘bad trips’ ‘challenging experiences’. Here’s why that’s misguided.


Renaming adverse effects of psychedelic drugs as “challenging experiences” minimizes, almost trivializes, their negative effects.

Cocaine Tourism in Colombia


Medellín attracts the attention of tourists seeking a new kind of experience: doing cocaine in the city of Pablo Escobar.

Maine Gov vetoes (admittedly flawed) legal cannabis bill, leaving future sales uncertain


On Friday, November 3, 2017, Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) vetoed legislation to regulate cannabis sales in the state.

How Psychedelic Science Privileges Some, Neglects Others, and Limits Us All


There is an urgent need for cultural humility in psychedelic science in order to prevent it from falling into the same limiting, and often unethical, traps that we see in Western science and medicine.

How Will History Remember the Psychedelic Renaissance?


Social movements are remembered in history for the things they do and the actions they take, not for what they inadvertently hope will happen.

Psychedelics and Social Justice


For the movement toward psychedelic consciousness to be as transformative as it can possibly be, it is our obligation as a psychedelic community to be aware of our shortcomings and to challenge them head-on.

Psychedelic Inclusivity: Hopes and Challenges


When stubborn drives for inclusion and connection in the present betray a racially divided past, psychonauts may be able to attend to histories of exclusion, separation and disconnection in order to deepen our understanding and engagement in the present.

Privilege and Safety in the Psychedelic Community


I feel safe openly advocating for the beneficial use of illicit substances because I have never been stopped by police without legitimate cause.

Why the Psychedelic Community is so White


The War on Drugs is inherently anti-black. Most psychedelic users that I’ve encountered are hesitant to take a stance on the racial aspects of the drug war.

We Talked with World Ayahuasca Conference Organizer Ben De Loenen


"Too many people just see ayahuasca as a sales product and that’s a problem, where it becomes commodified."

Getting High is a Human Right: Reflections from Uruguay After Cannabis Legalization


Activists have started creating new spaces for healing, acceptance, heightened consciousness, and fun—a completely legitimate reason to do anything, especially get high.

Manny Pacquiao and Rodrigo Duterte support the death penalty for drug crimes


Pacquiao’s drive to reinstate capital punishment for drug crimes is in line with President Duterte: “If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself, as getting their parents to do it would be too painful.”