As psychedelics make a new comeback — this time with the support of the psychotherapeutic and investment community alike — we must be more conscious of the politics, economics, and power at stake. That’s why I’ve been so intrigued, even inspired, by the work coming from a “psychedelic watchdog” organization called Psymposia, and their terrific if terrifying podcast, Power Trip. Rather than blindly celebrating the integration of psychedelics into business and medicine, they’re looking at who is administering these chemicals, what are their agendas, how are their results being measured, and which entities are maneuvering to monopolize the space through patents.
Maybe most important of all, they’re looking at what Timothy Leary would have called the “set and setting” in which today’s psychedelic renaissance is occurring. Is it one of love, mutual aid, and collective development? Or is it about control, profit, and further domination? This matters.
All we need do is look at the history of the Internet for what happens when we cheer adoption of a new technology with too little regard for who is seizing power, or how it is actually affecting people.
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| rushkoff.medium.com |
Psychedelics, Like Everything Else, are Political
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