Cybin (CYBN), PharmAla Biotech (MDMA), PharmaTher (PHRM), and 9 other companies joined forces to create Psychedelics Canada – the first ever national trade association for legal psychedelics companies.
The association will speak on behalf of the psychedelics industry to government, the press, and the public to advance psychedelic research and policy change.
Sara Reed, licensed marriage and family therapist, tried MDMA therapy as part of MAPS’ training program. Her experience deepened her understanding of herself and helped her process the loss of her grandmother.
“As the medicine and the music carried me away, my grandmother appeared. Tears flowed down my face and joy filled my heart. It had been years since I had felt her presence like this. Seeing her in this bright, liberating light was an important part of my grieving process.
She took me to a place I knew existed but had never seen. I traveled to what felt like the essence of the universe, a space of Divinity, a place where I belonged. The vision revealed my presence within this enormous Whole—a place that had no beginning or end, where there is no distinction or separation from love. I call that place home. And for the first time in my adult life, I felt freedom. Me, a young Black woman. Free. Human.”
The experience also made Sara realize that the psychedelics industry needs to prioritize culturally sensitive care to make treatments safer and more accessible for BIPOC communities.
Awakn Life Sciences (AWKN) filed an international patent application for its ketamine treatment for behavioural addictions like gambling, gaming, binge eating, and compulsive sexual behaviour.
Plus, the company shared a bit more info on the “hugely promising” pilot study mentioned last week.
The treatment was found to reduce symptoms of addiction as well as comorbid conditions like depression and anxiety. Some patients no longer qualified for a diagnosis of addiction after the ketamine therapy.
Could Alzheimer’s patients benefit from one of the most powerful psychedelics?
Biomind Labs (BMND) will find out in an upcoming study.
The Phase 2 trial, which was just approved by the Argentinian Institutional Review Board, will see if 5-MeO-DMT (a psychedelic found in the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad) can ease depression and anxiety in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Oregon Health Authority has finalized the first subset of rules for the legal psilocybin services that will be available next year.
The full set of guideline, which cover psilocybin production methods and facilitator training requirements, can be found here.
A second committee meeting will take place in the Fall to establish the remainder of the rules.
You’ve probably heard that bees are dying at alarming rate, putting our food supply at risk.
Thankfully, mushrooms could help bees fight deadly viruses that contribute to their population decline.
A study led by Paul Stamets found that when honey bees were given extract from the hoof fungus, levels of a disease called deformed wing virus decreased more than 800-fold compared to a sugar syrup control.
Fomes fomentarius, aka the hoof fungus or tinder fungus, is used to start slow-burning fires and even make clothing (including Paul Stamets’ famous hat)!
Ceruvia Lifesciences submitted an application to study psilocybin as a treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in a Phase 2 trial.
Preliminary findings suggest that psilocybin causes a “rapid and robust improvement in OCD symptoms with a sustained effect,” according to the press release.
The trial, which will be led by Yale researchers later this year if approval is granted, will determine if these findings hold true when psilocybin is compared to an active placebo.
In his opening speech at the Catalyst Psychedelics Summit, Canadian Senator Larry Campbell shared his fascinating (yet slightly disturbing) experience with microdosing.
The 74-year-old politician had been suffering from depression and PTSD for ages when his mental health suddenly started improving out of nowhere.
When Larry told his wife the good news, she admitted that she’d been spiking his morning coffee with a bit of psilocybin for the past two weeks 😲
While we don’t condone drugging people without their knowledge, her experiment revealed some important anecdotal evidence – the benefits that Larry experienced must have been from the psilocybin itself and not a result of the placebo effect!
This quarter, MindMed (MNMD) will begin a Phase 2a trial to see if its non-hallucinogenic ibogaine formulation (MM-110) can treat opioid withdrawal.
In preclinical research, MM-110 showed “multi-day reductions in opioid self-administration” after a single dose.
In the Phase 1 trial, MM-110 was found to be safe and well-tolerated at varying doses. Some participants received two 325 mg doses on a single day while others received a 90 mg dose twice daily for 7 days.
Let’s see what Phase 2 reveals!
After piloting the program for 9 months, Novamind’s group ketamine therapy for frontline workers is now available to the public.
The 6-week program is designed to help healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters and paramedics work through trauma with the support of their peers.
“The greatest improvement has been my PTSD… Even when I do feel myself reacting, I feel I have more awareness and I am able to better regulate,” says one of the participants of the pilot program.
