While most psychedelic drugs remain illegal in the United States, ketamine has been legal for use by registered practitioners since the 1960s. With the recent recognition of the compound’s use as an antidepressant, more and more clinics are rolling out ketamine-assisted psychotherapy programs. Toronto’s Novamind is betting that ketamine’s head start will mean big business for them. Through their clinic network they have already been able to facilitate over 20,000 sessions since the beginning 2020.
Some thoughts from Novamind
- Dr. Reid Robison, Novaminds CMO, believes that taking psychedelics with a trained therapist will prove most helpful to people with specific problems to tackle (problems like PTSD and substance abuse come to mind).
- Novamind has developed a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy called EF-KAP, which focuses on client emotions. They are currently running a trial for eating disorders using the protocol.
Robison’s team is currently looking at data comparing the treatment potential of Spravato and ketamine and while conclusive findings aren’t yet available, Robison suggests that these drugs should be seen as a “bridge” to help shore up patients suffering from severe depression and get them to a place where they can more effectively engage in psychotherapy.
Ketamine may be cleared by the FDA but Robison believes that other psychedelics are going to be quick to follow. The next up appears to be MDMA, which appears to have the greatest effect on PTSD. A recent MAPS study showed that 67% of PTSD patients given MDMA-assisted therapy showed no symptoms after only three treatment sessions.
The efficacy of the treatment may cause a bottleneck for available compounds and therapists who are able to deliver treatment. Any therapist that has the option to become a psychedelic-assisted psychotherapist should take the leap, as it is incredibly in vogue right now.
A Danish study into psychedelics has shown that psilocybin can affect the way we emotionally respond to music.
Psilocybin has previously been used in successful clinical trials to treat depression, and typically these trials involve the use of music in some capacity. Similar studies also show that LSD can have the same enhancing effect on the emotional trigger response when it comes to music.
Music to soothe the soul
The test took 20 healthy participants and had them listen to a short programme of music before and after taking a controlled dose of psilocybin. After each play through they had them rate their emotional responses according to the Geneva Emotional Music Scale to capture the evoked emotions by rating the response in categories such as wonder, transcendence and peacefulness. It was discovered that psilocybin can cause the participants emotional response to the music to increase by an average of 60%.
Is this important?
The study shows that the combination of psilocybin and music has a strong emotional effect. And that could be useful for therapeutic applications if psychedelics are eventually approved for clinical use. The work done in this study indicates that any therapeutic use of psilocybin could be enhanced through the use of the correct musical accompaniment. There are some important questions around the types of music and the emotions they invoke, there could be a lot more to discover around how particular genres and songs can impact patients.
Cannabis Global, a innovation-oriented company that has been investing in cannabis and hemp companies that it deems to be “disruptive”, has announced that it will be building a research institute in Oakland, CA.
The main purpose of the research initiative will be the development of methods to infuse food and beverage products with naturally occurring psychedelic compounds found in mushrooms. Oakland was selected primarily due to its historical open-mindedness towards psychedelics.
The Development
As of October 4th, Cannabis Global launched this research initiative. A major component of the program will be improving the bioavailability and taste of infused psilocybin products.
- Arman Tabatabei, Cannabis Globals CEO believes that it is an exciting time to explore the benefits of psychedelics. Especially now that petitions are being disseminated among the population that could legalize the compounds. He also believes that Cannabis Globals years of experience in infusing cannabis products will help with advancing infused psychedelics.
Infused and rapid onset psychedelics could be the way of the future for therapy. Tinkering with bioavailability can increase researchers’ ability to tailor a drug’s duration and the “depth” of the psychedelic experience.
Mike Tyson has reportedly been using psychedelics for a while to help him find some peace, and now he wants to share that peace with the world. The championship heavyweight fighter has begun advocating for the therapeutic use of psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds. He began using psychedelics therapeutically around 5 years ago, claiming that their use changed who he was, making him a more mature, responsible and content person.
Tysons Trip into the Industry
The boxer turned entrepreneur is an investor in, and advisor for, Wesana Health. As we have discussed before, they are a psilocybin research organization focused on traumatic brain injuries and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Funnily enough, Wesana has a history of engaging with professional athletes. Their CEO is Dan Carcillo, former NHL left winger, who claims to have cured his CTE by use of psilocybin and alternative medicines.
Together, Wesana and Tyson announced a joint project with the World Boxing Council in order to study the potential for psilocybin in reducing traumatic brian injuries and CTE in boxers.
Advice from Tysons Corner
At 55 years of age, Tyson believes he finally has some valuable advice for people to follow. He is not trying to tell people to use psychedelics to cure themselves, but to rather listen to his experience and decide for themselves. His stance is that an athlete should be able to decide what they put in their body, and not a regulating committee.
We keep discussing it, Psychedelics are no longer on the fringes of society. And with the movement into the mainstream comes mass appeal. Clinical trials continually show more and more efficacy around mental health Psychedelic R&D is producing next-generation medical solutions for a seemingly never ending list of mental health disorders and conditions. If trends continue and market watchdogs are to be believed, it could amount to multiple billion dollar per year in differentiated market channels.
Outlook
Many technological investments of late have quietly been seeping into the psychedelics market. Data Bridge Market Research states that the psychedelic market is growing, with a CAGR of 13.3% forecase for 2021 to 2028. The market is expected to reach $7.567 billion by 2028.
- There are approximately 25 companies that are currently being traded on the CSX that classify themselves as part of the psychedelics sector.
- Canadian companies must seek government approval for research, but a citizens’ petition has been called to start the process of decriminalizing entheogenic psychedelics.
A move in the right direction
Psychedelics have been largely taboo since the 1970’s when the US government classified the drug as a schedule one controlled substance. And until fairly recently, there were no credible, organizationally backed studies on their benefits. The floodgates have opened and the public has been made more aware than ever of the mental health benefits of psychedelics. Most of which widely outperform antidepressants and support faster recovery from depression.
A growing global market
A lancet report estimated that the value of the mental health market could grow in value to nearly $16T by 2030 as the world continues to see an increase in mental health disorders. The rise of research into the potential of these new therapeutics can also contribute to the growth of the market, as research increases, so does the market revenue. Psychedelics are definitely going to be in the zeitgeist for a long time. It is probably safe to assume however the flood of new companies entering the will not all survive, and in time consolidation will take its course.
REPORT READOUT
People who have tried a psychedelic drug at least once in their lifetime have lower odds of heart disease and diabetes, according to new research published in Scientific Reports. The new findings highlight the need for further research to investigate the link between psychedelics and cardiometabolic health.
Numinus Wellness Inc. (TSXV: NUMI) announced the expansion of its psychedelics research facility with an additional lab and application for federal licensing, as it continues to broaden its services to support industry research and production while adding new revenue streams.
Delic Holding Corp Inc. (CSE: DELC) (OTCQB: DELCF) has applied for a Health Canada 56 Research Exemption that would allow the scientists to perform research and tests on a host of compounds outside of psychedelic mushrooms, including MDMA and LSD. The lab currently holds a 56 Research Exemption for chemistry analytics on psilocybin mushrooms.
IBN and PsychedelicNewsWire to Further Collaborate with Microdose Psychedelic Insights for Upcoming Psychedelic Capital Conference
