Psychedelics Headlines: Predicting Readiness, Correcting The Hype, Good And Bad Drugs, Training Programs And More

Welcome to Benzinga’s psychedelic headlines roundup. This is our pick of must-read news items concerning the last two weeks of February 2024.

See previous edition Psychedelics Headlines: Trauma-Informed Care, Valentine’s Day & MDMA, Academics On Drugs

Research

• Validation of the Psychedelic Predictor Scale (original read.)
• Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment resistant depression: A randomized clinical trial evaluating repeated doses of psilocybin [Research funded by Brain and Cognition Discovery Foundation (BCDF), Usona, and Braxia Scientific BRAXF.]
• Development of a digital intervention for psychedelic preparation (DIPP) (read.)
• Critical Psychedelic Studies: Correcting the Hype, a symposium organized by Harvard's Petrie Flom Center (access essays.)
• Psilocybin and the Development of Serotonin Toxicity (case report.)

Tune In, Get Smart

• This Test Predicts How Ready You Are for a Psychedelic Experience, by Psychedelic Vantage (read.)
• Beyond the Psychedelic Competitive Moat: Chasing the Patent Dragon, on Harvard's Petrie Flom Center (read.)
• There's no such thing as ‘evidence-based' drug policy, by Criminal Justice Prof. Alex Stevens for Transforming Society (read.)
• The Most Common Extended Difficulties Following Psychedelic Use, by Sam Woolfe (read.)
• Good Drugs, Bad Drugs, by Dr. Peter Grinspoon (read.)
• Macrodosing vs. Microdosing: Let's Break It All Down, by Sam Woolfe for HealingMaps (read.)
• The Risks Of Underground Psychedelic Training Programmes, by Jules Evans (read.)
• Opinion: How Ayahuasca Could Change You, on Psychedelics Today (read.)
• Pablo Amaringo Drank Ayahuasca at 10 Years Old, Then Ushered In a Global Art Tradition, by the DoubleBlind team (read.)
• Psychedelic Breathwork: Altering Consciousness Without Drugs, by Chemical Collective (read.)
• Behold the Ascendant Psychedelic Vape, by Lucid News (read.)
• BBCRadio4's new programme on synthetic opioids, featuring David Aaronovitch, Alex Stevens, Caroline Copeland, Rick Treble and Sam Quinones (listen.)
• Hamilton Morris and Jordan Rubin discuss the Analogue Act, "one of the most confusing laws in the history of American drug policy" (listen.)
• Are new psychedelic guides trained for adverse events? Jules Evans and Sam Woolfe's review on 31 psychedelic training centers (read.)
• aNUma was contracted by UC- Berkeley's Center for the Science of Psychedelics certificate program to explore psychedelic facilitation training with an innovative digital platform (details.)
• Imperial College London launched a new survey to understand the psychedelic therapy underground practices and how they differ from clinical trials (participate.)
• March 5 Transform Drugs Policy Foundation talks with UK's Psychedelic Society on its recent proposals on legally regulating psychedelics for non-medical use (register.)
• March 9 SXSW 2024 with several panels on psychedelics, including "FDA Approved Love? Exploring MDMA’s Psychedelic Journey" (browse schedule.)
• March 10 MAPS Canada event: "Cafe Scientifique on Psychedelics and Health Equity: An Interactive Public Dialogue with Leading Researchers in Canada" (register.)
• March 13 The Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP) event: Bridging the gap – Reassessing drug policy through a human rights lens (register.)
• March 19 Harvard event: New Ideas for Substance Use Condition Treatment: Could Psychedelics Help? (register.)
• March 20 The Drug Education Forum launch: Join the new national community of drug education professionals from across the UK's Spring 2024 launch event (register.)
• The Loop UK is offering a series of online drug testing and harm reduction training courses (see list.)

Panorama Pulse

• Optimi Health OPTHF announced the closing of the first tranche of its non-brokered private placement.
• Filament Health FLHLF completed the first export of botanical psilocybin to Israel.
• Silo Wellness SILFF announced extension of the Kaya Holdings-NUGL LOI, plus an annual filings delay.