~ release the need to cover it all in this overview ~

“As therapeutic applications of psychedelics gain more traction in the mainstream consciousness, explore how breakthrough research and a growing business environment will impact the future applications of these novel and traditional drugs.”

Interesting to hear it spliced down into compounds. Approaching it from a shroom-centric POV, miss the idea of MDMA, mezcaline, ketamine, and the ways the system is allowing and not allowing these. The differences in the decriminalization bills. First responders and the trauma load. Integration before and after. Representation of safe drug usage on television. Storylines of generational trauma healed by a trip. Integration in the storyline. Drug testing.

The overall feeling upon leaving is that it’s easy to get angry and find that anger in a lot of things about this country. What we have done to those who owned the land, whose land we tramp about on now without reparations or acknowledgment of the peoples whose peoples stewarded it through each high season and each low season. The upside is that with the idea of psychedelic healing, when done properly and in line with tradition and connection, with a commitment to the collective at its purpose, can solve and heal the generational pains that drive us to ends like oppression and believing people to be different

Intersection, integration, harm reduction - these are the buzz words you hear around psychedelics at SXSW 2023. The conference, first launched in 1987 as a music festival and later grew to include the sessions,

Panels explored the potential uses of virtual reality in psychedelic therapy, the emerging psychedelics industry and the ethical challenges at the heart of co-opting plant medicine. The question of who should own the future of psychedelics was raised, with a call for equitable access to these therapies for all who need them, especially those most in touch with stress and trauma in daily life. The importance of including marginalized communities and indigenous peoples who have stewarded plant-medicine knowledge for millennia was also emphasized.

The drawbacks of turning psychedelics into patented pharmaceuticals were covered with concerns ranging from entrenched inequalities in the current broken healthcare system and a need for ethical business models. Open-source approaches to patents is also key, as is the importance of clinical processes and patient safety.

Billions are spent on developing psilocybin, something pointed out in a panel that actually already exists, the structures and processes to ensure safe and effective use are just as crucial as psilocybin or psychedelic compounds themselves.

Can you experience the healing without the trip? If these compounds were isolated to create diminishing psychedelic effects but instead if the biology could be rearranged, would that make the same difference? No, it would not. The whole point is the trip. It is connects the subconscious

Overall messaging: Harm reduction, access for high-stress roles in society otherwise blocked, understanding the healing properties and treating it with respect to the plant medicine practice and indigenous traditions

Day 1, Friday March 10

SXSW Day 1 saw several panels discussing the intersection of technology and psychedelics.

VR in Psychedelic Therapy - A Friend or a Foe?

Walter Greenleaf of Stanford, Skip Rizzo of the University of Southern California, Murat Yücel of Monash University, and Prash

One panel focused on the use of virtual reality (VR) in psychedelic therapy, and the potential benefits and drawbacks of this technology. While VR can create realistic environments that allow for safe re-entry into traumatic experiences, concerns were raised about data security and privacy, biased data sets, and the high costs associated with this technology.

The Future of Psychedelics: Culture VS Capitalism

Natalie Lyla Ginsberg of MAPS,, Paula Kahn of CosmoVisiones Ancestrales Brom Rector and Samantha Tabone with Empath Ventures

Another panel discussed the emerging psychedelics industry and the ethical challenges involved. The question of who should own the future of psychedelics was raised, with some arguing that corporations should not have a monopoly on this industry. The importance of including marginalized communities and indigenous peoples who have stewarded plant-medicine knowledge for millennia was also discussed.

Building an Equitable Psychedelic Medicines System

Colleen Chien of Santa Clara University School of Law, Josh Hardman of Psychedelic Alpha, Graham Pechenik of Calyx Law, and Shayla Love, freelance journalsit

Finally, a panel focused on the future of psychedelics as prescription medicines. The potential for immense profit for a few, while leaving the neediest patients unable to access important and lifesaving treatments, was raised. The panel discussed ways to avoid common problems associated with patenting, such as high costs and limitations on further innovation.

Overall, the panels emphasized the importance of ethical business models and equitable access to psychedelic therapies. As the psychedelics industry continues to grow, it will be important to ensure that these therapies are accessible to all who need them.

Day 2, Saturday March 11