Psyched: Jada Pinkett-Smith's Ayahuasca Journey, RIP Dr. Roland Griffiths, Congressional VA Hearings Halted

Jada Pinkett Smith Opens Up About Ayahuasca: It Helped Her Overcome Depression And Suicidal Thoughts

Jada Pinkett Smith has joined the growing number of Hollywood celebs who are sharing difficult mental health issues and the fact that psychedelic substances are helping them deal with them. “Ayahuasca helped me. It gave me a new, intimate relationship with myself that I had never had before,” Pinkett Smith said. 

The actress told People that her experience helped her expel suicidal ideations, which she said began when turned 40 but then “completely went away” after the ayahuasca experience. Read more HERE.

Esteemed Psychedelic Researcher And Pioneer Roland Griffiths Dies At Age 77

Dr. Roland Griffiths was a leading psychedelics neuroscientist and esteemed psychopharmacologist at Johns Hopkins University. He's been described as the man who brought psilocybin back into the field of medical research for the first time in decades by conducting his first clinical trial with psilocybin in 1999. Continue reading HERE.

Congress Halts Hearing On Psychedelics & Veterans: House Speaker Drama Continues

A hearing of the House VA’s subcommittee on Health around the use of psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health disorders originally scheduled for Thursday was postponed following the ongoing failed attempt to elect a House speaker. 

The “Emerging Therapies: Breakthroughs in the Battle Against Suicide?” hearing would be the first-ever to reunite federal lawmakers on the specific discussion of how entheogenic substances could help address the veteran suicide epidemic. Continue reading HERE.

Harvard's New Psychedelics Research Program Backed By Former Tesla Director's $16M Donation

Harvard University will create a Study of Psychedelics in Society and Culture backed by a $16 million gift from a former Tesla TSLA employee, recalling Elon Musk’s consistent praise for psychedelics, and Valor Equity Partners CEO, Antonio Gracias provided through his Family Foundation.

The new program, which comes some 60 years after Harvard prof Timothy Leary’s profuse endorsement of psychedelics, was born from an interdisciplinary effort between the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Law School and Harvard Divinity School. Learn more HERE.

The Milestone Round

• Small Pharma's DMTTF Q2 2024 financial highlights ahead of Cybin merger for global DMT business, which now has BC Supreme Court’s approval.

• Johnson & Johnson's JNJ Q3 2023: Over $21.3B in sales and 'sharpened focus' on innovation & biotech solutions.

• Lucy Scientific's LSDI Fiscal Year: Operating expenses rise as accumulated deficit hits over $44M.

• Psychedelics firm Optimind Pharma sustains growth plan rollout with new acquisition.

• Bionomics meets the FDA: Lead drug candidate for social anxiety heads to Phase 3.

• Orange Photonics offers new high-tech testing for psychedelic products.

• U.K.'s Prof. David Nutt ranked world's top psychopharmacologist: More on his contributions & advocacy.

• EXCLUSIVE: Close up on Reason For Hope's advocacy & Congressional Breakthrough Therapies Act.

• EXCLUSIVE: Reason For Hope on veteran group efforts, comments to FDA & 2023 expectations.

• Psilocybin eases psychological distress from childhood trauma, a new survey suggests.

• Revolutionizing psychiatry: More than 80% of psychiatrists see promise in psychedelics or hallucinogens.

• 'The third wave of rescheduling': Experts discuss how plant medicine is taking share from Big Pharma.

See Also: Last Week's Edition Of 'Psyched'

Psychedelics ETF Weekly Performance

AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF PSIL opened Monday, Oct. 16 at $1.5, slightly below prior opening on Oct. 9 at $1.54, and continuing the descending downtrend (prior weeks’ opened at $1.62, $1.68 and $1.70.)

On Friday 20, it closed at $1.4, also below Friday 13’s close at near $1.5, confirming the closing downtrend (prior weeks closed at $1.53, $1.61 and $1.66.)

Week’s highest was $1.53 on Tuesday 17, behind prior weeks’ highests at near $1.60, $1.64, $1.76 and $1.74, respectively. 

Week’s lowest was closing price $1.40, below prior weeks’ lowests at $1.49, $1.51, $1.61 and $1.62, respectively.

The ETF’s yearly price range has again been changed, now set between $2.54 and $1.41 (vs. last week set at $2.69-$1.50.)

Highest Trading Psychedelics Stocks Friday, Oct. 20 At Close

• GH Research GHRS closed at $7.28, on a clear descending trend as of prior weeks’ closings at $8.08, $8.70, $10.05 and $10.33, respectively.

• COMPASS Pathways CMPS closed at $5.79, also lower than prior closings at $5.99, $6.88, $7.40 and $7.87.

• Mind Medicine (MindMed) MNMD closed at $2.62, down from prior closings at $2.8, $3.09, $3.13 and $3.62.

• Enveric Biosciences ENVB closed at $2.00, also down from prior weeks’ with closings at $2.13, $2.24, $2.38 and $2.28.

• Bright Minds Biosciences DRUG closed at $1.51 in a somewhat pivoting trend considering prior closings at $1.56, $1.47, $1.6 and $1.73.

• Silo Pharma SILO closed at $1.36, behind former closings at $1.51, $1.66, $1.67 and $1.79.

• Atai Life Sciences ATAI closed at $1.3, also somewhat pivoting considering prior closings at $1.28, $1.39, $1.29 and $1.30.  

• FSD Pharma HUGE closed at $1.11, below prior closings at $1.15, $1.2, $1.21 and $1.26.

• Incannex Healthcare IXHL closed at $0.91, down from prior closings at $1.00, $1.09, $1.14 and $1.18.

• Cybin Inc. CYBN closed at $0.48, down from last weeks’ $0.58, $0.56 and $0.53, yet still higher than four weeks’ past at $0.33.