Monthly Archives: January 2020

Psychedelics have been a mainstay for a millennia and appreciated in the counter-culture for decades. In 2020, whether consuming, investing, or both, mushrooms are having a moment.

PsychedeliTech, a ground-breaking new conference, incubator and discovery platform for psychedelic medicine will host Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) as the keynote speaker at the first-ever PsyTech Summit, a forum for psychedelic science, innovation and investment conference, in Israel.

The inaugural PsyTech conference will take place March 29-30, 2020 at the Hilton Hotel, on the Mediterranean Sea in Tel Aviv.

PsyTech is a division of iCAN: Israel-Cannabis, which together with CannaTech, its medical cannabis events platform, has been a global participant in education and innovation for cannabis therapeutics and products with conferences in London, Sydney, Hong Kong, Panama and Cape Town, to date.

Saul Kaye, iCAN founder and CEO, said, Rick Doblin is an early pioneer and extremely effective advocate for the potential of psychedelics in the treatment of mental health disease and symptoms, including depression, anxiety disorders, and PTSD. We are thrilled he will join us at our first PsyTech Summit in Tel Aviv to share his enlightened vision and vast knowledge of the fast-developing therapeutic ecosystem that is about to explode as a wave of new information, research and consumer interest about psychedelics floods the market.

For the first 30 years of MAPS dedicated research, there were virtually no for-profit psychedelic business opportunities, apart from a few ibogaine and ayahuasca clinics and mushroom sales in countries where the substances are legal.

Psychedelics have the potential to impact and improve mental health.

For-profit entities emerging in the field of psychedelics, such as Cybin with microdosed psilocybin products and Mind Med with synthetic ibogaine, are directly due to the success of non-profit psychedelic therapy research, including the lifelong work of MAPS and other advocates.

"The new psychedelic industry will need to focus on public benefit as well as profit in order to avoid a cultural backlash against these historically misunderstood substances," cautions Doblin."I am looking forward to discussing these important issues at PsyTech, Israels first summit focusing on psychedelic innovation," he continued.

The global market for mental health medications was worth $88.3 billion in 2015, according to BCC Research.

Similar to the cannabis industry, psychedelics and medicinal mushrooms will require an ecosystem to effectively drive education, regulation, safety, investment, research and development.

These key issues, as well as personal stories of treatment, will be explored at PsyTech.

The topic of psychedelics is sparking worldwide mainstream interest. People who want to learn more about the companies developing the science of mushrooms can attend a conference in New York, prior to the upcoming one in Tel Aviv.

"This is an exciting new industry and it's just starting to grow, which is whyGMRis hosting a mini-conference on Psychedelics in New York," says Debra Borchardt, Editor-In-Chief of Green Market Report.

TheEconomics of Psychedelic Investing takes place onJanuary 24, 2020 in NYC.

For those who merely want to experience the effects of psychedelic mushrooms in a safe and welcoming environment, Irie Selkirk offers her guests a transformative psilocybin experience complete with farm-to-table meals and a psychotherapist on staff, at her immersion retreat in Jamaica.

With conferences, nascent investment opportunities and infused staycations available, magic mushrooms are going mainstream.

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Psychedelic Events Are Going Mainstream, Where The Much-Maligned Mushroom Industry Focuses On Mental Health - Forbes

Research on psychedelics, which have been profoundly stigmatized, highly restricted, and tragically undeveloped for more than half a century, is stirring back to life and rekindling scientific, medical, and cultural interest in these compounds.

In 2008, a psychedelic compound related to the primary psychoactive alkaloid in peyote was discovered to exert extraordinarily potent anti-inflammatory effects at very low drug concentrationsin vitroandin vivo. Additional studies have confirmed the capacity of psychedelics to modulate processes that perpetuate chronic low-grade inflammation and thus exert significant therapeutic effects in a diverse array of preclinical disease models, includingasthma,atherosclerosis,inflammatory bowel disease, andretinal disease.

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency recently acknowledged thepotential of subperceptual psychedelics. To address the high rate of mental illness among active duty military personnel, DARPA aims to discover new compounds that can exert the rapid and robust antidepressant effects of psychedelics without the associated trip.

In the private sector,Compass Pathwaysis conducting Phase 2 trials of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.

The time has come to make psychedelics, once seen as out there substances, mainstream and boring again.

Read full, original post: Transforming psychedelics into mainstream medicines

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Psychedelics have 'extraordinarily potent' anti-inflammatory power. Is there a place for them in mainstream medicine? - Genetic Literacy Project

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Silicon Valley, the home of Facebook, Apple, Google and Twitter, is the embodiment of the hustle culture. It's a place filled with Type-A professionals all desperately competing to start the next big unicorn company that will go public and earn the founders and early employees millionsor billionsof dollars. They also desire to advance their careers against some of the smartest and most talented people in the world.

Professionals in and around Silicon Valley, particularly those 35 years and older, are trying everythingincluding questionable fadsto appear younger than they are, and which may offer an edge for their career. Just because we are in a hot job market and strong economy, it doesnt mean that it's easy for white-collar professionals to succeed in their careers. There is still pressure, anxiety, fear of failure and the need to stay competitive. To improve themselves, weve witnessed the phases of intermittent fasting, cryotherapy, long-term meditation retreats in far off exotic locations, Botox and facelifts for men.

The work world is obsessed with youth for a number of reasons. Older workers earn more money and are deemed too expensive. Management believes they could easily be replaced by younger employees who will cost significantly less. With a hyperfocus on social media and concerns of staying relevant for their customers, those with grey hair seem outdated and dont fit in with the corporate culture, according to some senior management.

The push to stay young and relevant is reaching a frightening level with a new emerging trend. It's reported in the BBC that people in Silicon Valley are taking magic mushrooms, which is really a dose of psilocybin, an LSD-type of drug. For example, $2,000 per month will get you your own psychedelic-trip coach guru. Hell guide you through your mind-altering journey.

Taking mushrooms is a sirens song luring fast-track professionals to boost their creativity and greatly enhance their work performance. It feels like the next level up from asking your doctor for a prescription of Adderall. White-collar professionals and college students alike cite their Attention Deficit Disorder to get a prescribed drug that elevates their adrenaline, sharpens focus and helps people to work better and faster.

Steve Jobs was said to have partaken in psychedelics and playfully derided his rival, Bill Gates, as being unimaginative and suggested that he should drop some LSD. Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert cartoon strip, pundit on YouTube and Periscope and resident of Northern California, claims that he took mushrooms once and it was the best day of his life and he no longer felt any limits to his life and career success. Joe Rogan, the host of one of the most listened-to podcasts and another California resident, is a big proponent of micro-dosing mushrooms and has had numerous guests on his shows, ranging from scientists to MMA fighters, who have shared their positive experiences from micro-dosing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted two psychedelicspsilocybin and MDMAas breakthrough designations, which permits them to be clinically researched after showing promising potential in treating patients with mental health conditions.

The research is not all positive and include number of drawbacks. One study showed that participants scored higher than usual in connectedness, creativity, focus, happiness, productiveness and well-being. However, it didnt last long, which is counter to the argument that one dose will last long or even change your life forever. There was also an increase in the trait, neuroticism, where emotions become amplified. So, if you feel depressed, it will make it worse for you. Proponents say that one out of a thousand will have a bad trip and could possibly end up with some long-term ramifications. The fear is that you will be that one hapless person.

It's still too soon to tell the long-term benefits or detractions. This trend, like many, may fade and be replaced with a new and better get-successful hack.

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Silicon Valley Is Micro-Dosing Magic Mushrooms To Boost Their Careers - Forbes

The Green Market Summit, an event series by the cannabis financial news publication Green Market Report, is hosting a half-day event on the emerging trend of psychedelics, focusing on current and future investment opportunities: The Economics of Psychedelics Investing.

The event will offer a program on the opportunities in alternative plant investments, the quickly emerging industry of psychedelic medicines, and the companies looking to capitalize on it.

Research has shown psilocybin can help relieve symptoms of people who experience cluster headaches, treat addiction, and could even be an alternative to typical depression treatments.

This event will educate curious investors as to the opportunities in this industry in its earliest stages. It will take place Jan. 24 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at 54 West 40th St., New York, NY.

Check out Benzinga Cannabis Psychedelics portal.

This emergence of new companies focusing on the promise of mushrooms to treat certain mental health issues is really exciting. Not only from a patient perspective, but also from an investor perspective. It feels similar to the early days of the cannabis industry and I believe that is why we are seeing a lot of parallels between the two, said Debra Borchardt, co-founder and CEO of Green Market Media. Green Market Report has always had its strength in spotting trends which is why we recognized the importance of this new industry.

Attendees will hear from companies like Atai Life Sciences, MindMed, Field Trip Ventures and KCSA Strategic Communications. Topics will cover the parallels between the cannabis industry and psychedelics, micro-dosing and building a strategy around this promising new science.

After the event, attendees and key industry leaders will be welcomed to enjoy a Cocktail hour sponsored by Mattio Communications.

See Also:

Bruce Linton Talks Psychedelics Investments, Microdosing And LSD: 'The Therapeutic Potential Of Psychedelics Is Greater Than Cannabinoids'

The Keys To Understanding Psilocybin's Medical Value, Market Potential

2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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NYC To Host Economics Of Psychedelics Investing Summit - Benzinga

This week, r/LSD a subreddit, as it's name suggests, about LSD made the rounds on Twitter. Among some genuinely useful tips, from people sharing microdosing advice and seasoned veterans passing on their knowledge to newbies, there are also a ton of posts from people mid-trip.

Most of these start out as you'd expect, with questions like, "Why do I all my organs feel like they heating up slowly? [sic]", or a 16-year-old getting existential and asking the group how to go about being more direct with people and taking control of his life.

But then they begin take a more absurd turn, when people start sharing the visuals they're hallucinating. Except, of course, we can't see what they see.

WATCH: High Society Psychedelics

Since the original tweet garnered so much attention, there are of course some more recent posts on the subreddit now that are almost certainly not real. But many of the older ones are and even the joke posts accurately capture an experience that anyone who's taken psychedelics will recognise.

Anyway, here's a selection of some of those posts (regular r/LSD users are already annoyed it's been taken over by people from Twitter, and probably won't be happy we're giving it extra air, but what's done is done and it can't get any worse, I'm very sorry).

This article originally appeared on VICE UK.

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Photos of the Stuff That Fascinates People While They're Tripping On LSD - VICE

Credit: Cheryl Gerber

I have known the fabulous and talented photographer Cheryl Gerber since we were both very green young journalists. We once joked that it must have been a kindergarten teacher who first pulled us together, pointed at me and commanded You, write about this, then to Cheryl, You, take the pictures.

It is, therefore, my great pleasure to inform of the release of Cheryls gorgeous new book Cherchez la Femme: New Orleans Women this evening from 6-9 p.m. at the New Orleans Jazz Museum (400 Esplanade Ave., nolajazzmuseum.org) to celebrate the launch of the book and accompanying exhibit. Cheryl, New Orleans native, captures the vibrancy and diversity of New Orleans women in her new book. Inspired by the 2017 Womens March in Washington, DC, Cherchez la Femme includes over two hundred photographs of the citys most well-known women and the everyday women who make our city so rich and diverse. Drawing from her own archives as well as new works, Gerbers selection of photographs in Cherchez la Femme highlights the contributions of women to the city, making it one of the only photographic histories of modern New Orleans women. The book includes 12 essays written by female writers about such women as Leah Chase, Irma Thomas, Mignon Faget, and Trixie Minx. Also featured are prominent groups of women that have made their mark on the city, like the Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, and the Krewe of Muses, among others. The book is divided into eleven chapters, each celebrating the women who add to New Orleanss uniqueness, including entertainers, socialites, activists, musicians, chefs, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and burlesque artists. The event is free and open to the public. Music will be provided by Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival.

Tomorrow night, the Ace Hotel New Orleans (600 Carondelet St, 504-900-1180, acehotelneworleans.com) is offering a free AfroXotica Dance Class that explores movements of Africa and the Caribbeans with choreography taught by Andrea Peoples, special guest Bill Summers and DJ Ojay. Hype man Kodjo will keep energy high throughout the class, and guests are encouraged to be free and expressive, while getting fit, relieving stress and learning something new. The event is free and starts at 9:30 p.m. but RSVP is required.

Next Wednesday, the Ace will feature a Talk with the Psychedelic Society of New Orleans, which creates a safe space to discuss psychedelics, joining the global effort to offer education on their numerous applications in medicine, science, psychiatry, religion, the arts and more. The event is free with RSVP and begins at 7 p.m.

Next Thursday evening, the Ace will celebrate Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr.s Birthday Bash with the Wild Magnolias in the on-site Three Keys Lounge. Issuing a critically acclaimed LP in 1974, The Wild Magnolias have gone on to perform at Carnegie Hall and the Capitol Center in Washington D.C. Today, the late bandleader Big Chief Bo Dollis Srs wife, Big Queen Rita, and son, Lil Bo Dollis Jr., carry the torch for the band, weaving modern funk into the bands contemporary repertoire while preserving the generations deep music, traditions and rituals of Bo Dollis Srs band. The event is free and open to the public, and begins at 8 p.m.

Have a great week, everyone. Use it to celebrate the people and the community you love.

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The Best FREE Things to Do for the Next Week - My New Orleans