Before we get into this recap of the biggest psychedelic news stories from 2021, I’d like to address the fact that this blog post is coming out a month late. Normally I strive to publish my yearly recaps on New Year’s Eve, but things have been really hectic on my end lately and I’ve been barely keeping up with putting out the weekly link roundups, much less creating monthly and yearly recaps or other types of content.
So I apologize for not getting this out into the world sooner. I’ve started to realize that I bit off way more than I can chew over the last year and fell behind on things here at Think Wilder. Here’s hoping 2022 will be a little more focused so I can meet my deadlines and get my work out in a timely manner for y’all to enjoy!
Just like last month’s recap, there is no video recap of this year’s psychedelic news recap up on YouTube. I’ll have another update about some changes coming to my YouTube channel that should hopefully be out later this week on my channel, so make sure you subscribe there if you’d like to be informed about things on that front.
Moving on to the main show, there was a ton of huge news in 2021. Without further ado, let’s jump into the news.
Policy
Wins
Nine U.S. cities decriminalized psychedelics:
When it comes to cannabis policies there were several successes at the state level, even though attempts to change things at the federal level were unsuccessful. Four states legalized weed:
In addition, Alabama legalized medical marijuana and New Jersey and Louisiana decriminalized cannabis.
Taking things a bit further, Baltimore, MD and Scotland decriminalized the use of all drugs.
The governors of Connecticut and Texas signed legislation that will enable the states to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. And New Zealand legalized drug checking, becoming the world’s first country to do so.
Industry
One of the biggest stories in the psychedelic industry involved the fight over patenting various aspects involving psychedelics. The one that probably stirred up the most discontent was when COMPASS Pathways submitted a patent application that attempted to claim the right to common, preexisting psychedelic therapy techniques. This prompted a discussion about patents in psychedelia, with many people wondering if companies should own the future of the field. COMPASS Pathways has five U.S. patents and a total of ten worldwide, so they are quickly claiming rights to a lot of intellectual property in the space. But not without a fight—last month a non-profit known as Freedom to Operate submitted a new legal filing that argues against COMPASS Pathways’ patent on its form of synthetic psilocybin based on the idea that it is not a novel invention. The results from this case will set a precedent for not just COMPASS Pathways but for other psychedelic companies as well.
Psychedelic companies started making waves on the stock markets around the world, with five companies joining the Nasdaq (Mindmed, atai Life Sciences, Field Trip Health, Enveric Biosciences, and Bright Minds Biosciences) and Cybin joining the New York Stock Exchange.
Psychedelic companies secured a historic amount of funding, estimated at a cool $2 billion.
A few other interesting stories in the realm of psychedelic industry from 2021:
A failed attempt at rolling out a legal snortable marijuana product dubbed Canna Bumps
An above-ground “LSD shop” in Berlin that was opened by a relative of Donald Trump
Wearable psychedelics that will give patients the ability to fine-tune their dose or automatically administer doses to the wearer
Hamilton Morris ended his show and joined COMPASS Pathways
Research
Published Studies
Several studies came out:
MAPS Phase 3 MDMA trial indicated the drug may be effective at treating PTSD
The largest psilocybin trial to date yielded mixed results
There seems to be a correlation with microdosing and mental health benefits
However, Imperial College London found that the reported benefits from microdosing may come down to the placebo effect
The world’s first trial studying MDMA for alcohol addiction was promising
A study showed that psilocybin has the potential to induce new neural connections
Psychonauts should remain skeptical of at-home genetic testing to identify whether someone will have a bad trip
Classical music may not be as superior for psychedelic therapy as was once thought
MDMA therapy could be less effective for people who take antidepressants
SSRIs can be used safely with psilocybin to treat depression
And psilocybin was found to be as effective at treating depression while producing fewer side effects
Future Studies
Looking ahead:
A study looking to treat tobacco addiction with psilocybin will receive federal funding
The NIH granted Yale nearly $200k to fund the studying of psilocybin for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder
The Australian government earmarked $15 million for psychedelic research
The DEA has proposed a dramatic increase in the production of cannabis and psychedelics for research in 2022
Research Centers
A record-breaking number of psychedelic research centers were announced or opened:
The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research at Mount Sinai
Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Neuroscience of Psychedelics
COMPASS Pathways’ Drug Discovery Center
New York University’s Center for Psychedelic Medicine
Aion Therapeutic’s Aion International Center for Psychedelic Psychiatry in Jamaica
Usona Institute’s Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances
A first-of-its-kind psychedelic therapy research center in Melbourne, Australia
Canada’s first psychedelic therapy research center under Toronto’s University Health Network
The Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy at the University of Texas at Austin
In addition to these new psychedelic research centers, Harvard Law School’s Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation will contribute to the effort to create evidence-based laws and policies involving psychedelics.
Harm Reduction
The FDA and CDC issued warnings to consumers about potential risks involving delta-8 THC, a relatively new psychoactive cannabinoid that has grown in popularity due to its widespread legality but remains essentially unregulated at this time. Apparently there has been a significant increase in reported adverse health effects from people using this drug.
However, before you go ahead and toss any of these products you may already own out of the window, it may be helpful to know that it’s not like people are getting poisoned. In fact, it’s far more likely that they are unintentionally getting high after using delta-8 THC because of misunderstandings, bad labeling, and a lack of experience.
The Fireside Project has been helping people process psychedelic experiences via its free peer support phone line since it launched last April, but the organization took things to the next level by releasing a psychedelic peer support app. Now psychonauts in need of support can find help on either the phone or via chat, which may be helpful for people who prefer one form of communication over another.
Drug checking is an essential practice for any responsible psychonaut, and new technologies are coming out that will ensure more innovative and accurate results than ever before. The popular harm reduction organization known as DanceSafe released a new ketamine test kit (called the Morris reagent) that was engineered to identify the difference between ketamine and common analogues like DCK and 2FDCK. And a startup called Miraculix took things one step further by creating rapid at-home test kits that can assess the potency of various psychoactive drugs, including MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin.
Harm reductionists have yet another tool that can be used to help psychonauts use drugs as safely as possible; a new app called Pill-iD lets users scan pills to see what they contain.
However, it’s not a perfect option because rather than find out what’s actually inside a pill, the app instead uses machine learning to cross-check the user’s image against a large database of scanned pills to provide details about what drug is actually contained within, the risk level from taking it, and any potential side effects.
So while it’s not advisable to rely solely on this new app to find out what’s inside your pill, it could help inform naïve users that there is a possibility they might have bought an adulterated drug. As I’ve tried to hammer home over and over again, it’s always advisable to use a reagent test kit to further rule out the possibility that your pills contain unwanted drugs and to properly weigh your substances before you take them.
Miscellaneous
More people started talking about sexual abuse in psychedelic therapy
A self-appointed psychedelic guru known as the “QAnon Shaman” joined a group of insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol
There were significant updates to the Elijah McClain case, with an independent investigation leading to a new Colorado law and the criminally-negligent homicide and manslaughter charges given to the officers and paramedics involved in McClain’s death
U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified from an Olympic race because she failed a drug test
Activists in Washington, D.C. and a Michigan dispensary gave out free cannabis to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine
A man injected magic mushrooms into his veins and developed a life-threatening infection that resulted in a month-long hospital stay
President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, published a memoir in which he detailed an account of how he worked with psychedelics to help him abstain from alcohol and crack cocaine
A former Latter-day Saint politician with some impressive cajones formed a psilocybin church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dubbed “The Divine Assembly”, the church serves magic mushrooms as a sacrament that enables its members to commune with the divine
Causing a bit of a stir in the global psychedelic community, a publication known as Psychedelic Invest published a list of the 100 most influential people in psychedelics ranking candidates based on the following factors: social reach, scientific accomplishments, legislative initiatives, and value creation/contribution
Three new psychedelic holidays: Tram Day and World Psychedelics Day in June, and Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Awareness Month in August
Conclusion
What a year! Tons of new psychedelic research studies, a streak of drug policy reform wins, the growing psychedelic industry, and several important developments in psychedelic culture… last year was certainly a lot to take in.
Now that you’ve read my recap of the biggest psychedelic news from 2021, I’d like to recommend the following highlights from other publications that you might enjoy:
Psychedelic Spotlight: “2021: A Year in Review for the Psychedelics Business”
Marijuana Moment: “Here Are The Biggest Marijuana, Psychedelics And Drug Policy News Stories Of 2021”
Truffle Report: “Looking Back at 2021’s Psychedelics Milestones”
New Atlas: “Highlights from a landmark year in psychedelic science”
Psilocybin Alpha: “Psychedelics 2021: A Year in Review”
The Microdose: “The Year in Psychedelic News”
And lastly, I will leave you with the links to the annual psychedelic news recaps I’ve published over the last six years. I hope you have a wonderful 2022 and make sure you subscribe to my monthly newsletter to keep up-to-date with all the latest psychedelic news.
Previous Years in Psychedelics
That’s all for this year’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.
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