Let old folks trip, patenting a psychedelic patch, and what do psychedelics and near-death experiences have in common?
Plus: The Latest in Oregon and The State of Psychedelics
Happy Friday, and welcome back to The Microdose.
Let old folks trip too! As researchers probe the potential therapeutic value of MDMA and psilocybin in clinical trials, some people tend to be excluded from participating in these studies due to physical and mental conditions, like heart issues and bipolar disorder. Older adults are also largely left out of psychedelics studies, four researchers write in a new paper published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. The exclusion of seniors makes it difficult to generalize study findings to people over 60. But, the authors argue, if those results do hold up, psychedelic therapy could help with health issues people may face in their later years, like grief, dementia, and the depression and hopelessness that people can feel when seriously ill.
Future studies need to include more older adults, the authors write. Studying older populations will require a more thorough understanding of how safe it is for them to use psychedelics, especially given seniors’ higher likelihood of having chronic health conditions. “Assuming that phase III trials of psychedelics continue to confirm the promising results found in earlier trials, it would be reasonable for researchers to develop a psychedelic research agenda specifically tailored to the clinical issues facing older adults.”
A psychedelic patch. On Wednesday, pharmaceutical company Psilera published a press release announcing they’d received approval for a patent for transdermal patches containing a mixture of DMT and psilacetin or 4-AcO-DMT, a so-called prodrug of psilocin (a drug the body converts into psilocybin). The psychedelics and cannabis spaces have been abuzz about patches as a method of drug delivery; companies have pitched them as an alternative method that could allow people to receive treatment at home and reduce side effects associated with eating psilocybin mushrooms. Psilera also says it is working to study the effects of “sub-hallucinogenic dosages” of DMT and psilacetin, suggesting the dosage included in their patented patches could someday have little to no “trip” for users.
There has never been a more exciting – or bewildering – time in the world of psychedelics. Don’t miss a beat.
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What do psychedelics and near-death experiences have in common? People often report that their experiences with psychedelics rank among their most profound, life-changing moments. Some even report a change in their perspectives on death: psychedelics make them less fearful of dying, or not fearful at all. People who have undergone a near-death experience sometimes report the same thing. Johns Hopkins researchers wanted to compare these two groups: what differences and similarities are there in people’s reports of their psychedelic experiences and near-death experiences? And how do those types of experiences affect attitudes towards death?
The study, published in PLoS ONE, included over 3,000 participants; a third reported a near-death experience unrelated to psychedelics, while the others reported on their experiences with LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, or DMT. Overall, 88% of those who had a near-death experience and 89% of those who had a psychedelic experience said their experiences decreased their fear of death. A vast majority (85% of the near-death experience group and 75% of the psychedelic experience group) reported that their experience was personally meaningful. While these results might not be applicable to the general population — the survey participants were self-selecting, and the authors write in their paper that they were “primarily male, White, Non-Hispanic, and residing in the United States” — this study provides an interesting window into how humans relate to their own mortality and how psychedelics might alter that understanding.
The Latest in Oregon. In Harris Bricken’s psychedelic law blog, attorney Vince Sliwoski reviews the full list of Oregon Psilocybin Services’ proposed rules for implementing Measure 109. These rules could still change as rules advisory committees (RACs) hold meetings over the next month, but so far, it appears that microdosing might be an acceptable service to provide; while the rules set a maximum dose size (25 mg), there is no minimum dose size.
Sliwoski also highlights rules addressing who can launch psilocybin businesses in the state. Anyone with more than a 10 percent stake in a business must be listed as an applicant. “By choosing the 10 percent number, [Oregon Health Authority] has signaled it wants more disclosure than required of cannabis business (generally 20 percent),” he writes. Business applicants must also have been residents of Oregon for at least two years, a requirement that could slow big international companies from dominating the market. However, Sliwoski points out the requirement is likely unconstitutional, based on a recent ruling that Maine’s residency requirements for cannabis business owners violate federal law.
The State of Psychedelics. This week, Atlanta city councilwoman Liliana Bakhtiara introduced a resolution to no longer use city funds to investigate or arrest people using entheogenic plants and fungi, the resolution “requests” the Atlanta Police Department make such investigations the lowest possible priority. At the city’s public safety and legal administration committee meeting on Monday, several citizens attended to provide public comment in favor of the resolution. At the state level, Georgia’s House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee passed a resolution in March to form a committee to explore the therapeutic potential of psychedelics; that committee held a hearing with psychedelics researchers, practitioners, and advocates in late August.
The Jesuit Post reviews the Catholic church’s stance on psychedelics.
Psychedelics advocate Matthew Duffy published an op-ed in The Denver Post urging Coloradoans to vote against Initiative 58. The initiative would establish state-wide regulations for psilocybin services; Duffy raises concerns that if passed, the initiative would allow corporations to control the state’s burgeoning psychedelics industry.
Lucid News interviews Tom Eckert, Rebecca Martinez, and Kevin Balktick about the future of psilocybin services in Oregon.
You’re all caught up! Have a great weekend.
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Re: Let old folks trip too!
Well, as someone over 60 who has been exploring psychedelics for quite some time, it’s clear that only a young person could write this post because someone my age would never refer to ourselves as “old folks”. A bit condescending, I would say.
Quite frankly, the people I know over 60 are finding it hard to find a guide that is within their age range, with the life experience & a different kind of wisdom & life perspective than many of the guides who are flooding the market within the last few years have.
Honestly, my husband & I have been asked to act as guides for our community & we’ve resisted because it’s such a responsibility, but now feel that wise, experienced, over 60 guides are so needed & it’s truly a gift to offer someone…so I may just continue learning about trip sitting.
Just some thoughts about “old folks” and by the way, I don’t consider myself old at all…
Let us not forget that ALL of the people who experimented with psychedelics when they first appeared on the scene who are still living are seniors. There are all kinds of good reasons to include seniors in studies, not the least of which is to get a before and after picture of people who may not have experienced psychedelics in over 50 years now.