Tuesday Brunch: MAPS, Compass, UPEP, New Zealand, Sacha Stone

And other ecstatic links from around the net

Photo from UC Berkeley’s Microdose

Welcome to Tuesday Brunch, our weekly round-up of interesting stories related to psychedelics and other ecstatic experiences.

Last week I had a bad case of FOMO as I missed out on attending MAPS’ Psychedelic Science jamboree in Denver – the biggest psychedelic conference in the world. I went two years ago and wrote about it in this piece:

That was in the heady first months of this Substack when subscriptions were growing 10% a year, and that piece alone got me around 200 new subs. Two years on, the psychedelic industry has lost some of its fizz; last year MAPS’ corporate spin-off Lykos got rejected by the FDA in its application for MDMA-assisted therapy; state initiatives in Massachusetts and California were also rejected; and concerns are growing about the public health risks of ketamine.

Apparently this year, Psychedelic Science was smaller, quieter and more downbeat than the hallelujah victory lap of two years ago. In 2023, there were 12,000 attendees, this year it was between 4000 and 8000 apparently. MAPS itself is in a transition phase – it hasn’t yet appointed a new executive director, and the takeover of Lykos by Antonio Gracias and British investor Chris Hohn still hasn’t gone through (EDIT: oh, apparently it was announced, in May - a $50 million round of series B financing).

I hear reports that there were many psychedelic churches at the conference, who are apparently doing a roaring trade. As one attendee put it: ‘Zero tax and no law enforcement lends itself to a pretty lucrative drug dealing business model.’ For some, perhaps, though I’m sure there are also many sincere religious organisations operating.

Meanwhile, the governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, announced he is pardoning anyone convicted for possession of psilocybin in the state. This announcement got the governor a standing ovation at the conference. MAPS called it a ‘landmark moment for drug policy reform and restorative justice’. But how many people actually had their conviction pardoned? Four. Four convictions - not people in prison, but convictions. This, to me, underlines the ‘stolen valour’ of the psychedelic movement trying to market itself as a heroic restorative justice campaign against the evil racist war on drugs. As I’ve said before, psychedelics are already decriminalized, practically speaking – they’re incredibly easy to get and you’re extremely unlikely to face any legal consequences for buying or possessing them in small amounts in any western country.

After the paywall, positive news for Compass Pathways; the video of my debate with MAPS’ Philippe Lucas on psychedelic policy; New Zealand approves psychedelic therapy (well, for one psychiatrist at least); the launch of UPEP – the University Psychedelic Education Programme; Elon Musk publishes results of a drug test; New Age conspiracist Sacha Stone’s plans to start a sovereign community in Tennessee causes alarm; Scotland hopes to launch ketamine therapy; Anthropic’s Claude settles into non-dual bliss; plus…the rise of elopement companies.