New Massachusetts Bills Would Decriminalize All Drugs and Study Regulated Sales of Psychedelics

Ben Adlin, writing for Marijuana Moment:

Massachusetts lawmakers introduced legislation Friday that will attempt to end the state’s war on drugs. One proposal would remove criminal penalties for possession of all drugs, while the other would establish a task force to study plant- and fungi-based psychedelics with the eventual goal of legalizing and regulating the substances.

Calls to end criminal prohibition have been growing across the state, and two city councils—in Somerville and Cambridge—earlier this year adopted measures making possession of psychedelics the municipalities’ lowest law enforcement priorities.

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A Biotech Startup Won a Patent to Combine Elements of Weed and Psychedelics

Troy Farah, writing for Future Human:

Whether aiming to enhance spiritual growth or brighten the music at Lollapalooza, people have been combining cannabis and psilocybin “magic” mushrooms recreationally for ages. But a small biotech startup called CaaMTech Inc. just became the first to patent the idea.

The patent covers a whole range of cannabinoids — chemical compounds produced by marijuana plants, such as THC or CBD — mixed with a bevy of chemicals related to psilocybin mushrooms. It details myriad formulations, including dried powder, pills, gummies, and edibles, with a blanket of proposed applications for psychological disorders. The company, based in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah, hopes investors will want to license these formulations, which each combine a cannabinoid with a psilocybin derivative, either to treat mental health or entertain a yet-to-exist recreational market. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded the patent in mid-January.

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Can a Company Patent the Basic Components of Psychedelic Therapy?

Shayla Love, with a thought-provoking article for VICE:

Graham Pechenik, a patent and intellectual property (IP) lawyer, recently tweeted about claims he found surprising in a pending application for psychedelic therapy using psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in magic mushrooms.

Claims are the meat and potatoes of a patent. They define the parameters and limitations of what is being claimed for an invention that an individual or organization wants to have ownership of.

That's why Pechenik felt moved to call out a patent application from Compass Pathways, a psychedelic mental health company that has previously garnered attention for both its promising results in the treatment of depression using psychedelics, as well as its transition from a charity to a for-profit company, its patent of a synthetic form of psilocybin, and having investors like Paypal founder Peter Thiel.

The patent application, filed in 2020, for “treatment of depression and other various disorders with psilocybin," includes claims involving rudimentary facets of psilocybin-assisted therapy like having "a room with a substantially non-clinical appearance.” Other claims found in the application: "the room comprises soft furniture,” “the room is decorated using muted colors,” “the room comprises a high-resolution sound system,” and “the room comprises a bed or a couch.

Some claims are about participant behaviors: “wherein the subject lies in the bed or on the couch” and “wherein the subject listens to music.” And some claims are simple actions from therapists: “the therapist provides reassuring physical contact,” “the therapist responds to the subject if the subject initiates conversation,” and “the therapist holds the hand, arm, or shoulder.”

Much of what the claims outline have been done—though not necessarily systematically or defined formally—throughout the history of psychedelic therapy in academic research centers, at retreats, and in underground settings. What does it mean for a company to try and include such claims in a patent application?

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A Clinical Trial Will Explore Treating Phantom Limb Pain With Psilocybin

Scott LaFee and Mario Aguilera, writing for UC San Diego Health about another interesting potential application for psychedelics:

The Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative (PHRI) at UC San Diego has received a $1.3 million grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation to fund a clinical trial investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin in treating phantom limb pain.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound produced by many species of fungus, including so-called “magic mushrooms.” Phantom limb pain is pain originating from parts of the body no longer present, such as an amputated arm or leg. It is a form of neuropathic pain that actually originates in the spinal cord and brain.

The new grant will fund the first randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trial examining the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in patients suffering from chronic phantom limb pain. The trial is also designed to elucidate the brain mechanisms involved, including possible alterations in brain circuitry.

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Several Drug Policy Reform Bills Pass Committee

2021 is shaping up to be another exciting year for drug policy reform; lawmakers on committees in five states voted in favor of six drug policy reform bills this week. Cannabis legalization efforts in Hawaii, Minnesota, New Mexico, and North Dakota passed, lawmakers in North Dakota also advanced a cannabis decriminalization bill, and a drug decrim bill in Washington made it out of the committee round.

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