Pα+ Psychedelic Bulletin #189: Psychedelic Philanthropists Weigh In on New Administration; Washington Lawmakers, Experts, Residents Debate Psychedelics Bills; Compass and GH Share Updates
- “I’ve Never Been More Hopeful” — Psychedelic Philanthropists Weigh In on New Administration
- Psilocybin and Ibogaine Bills Spark Debate Among Washington State Lawmakers, Medical Experts, and Psychedelic Community
- Psilocybin Bill Draws Opposition from Medical Establishment, Psychedelic Community
- Other Stories
- Johns Hopkins Opens Clinic to Treat Individuals Experiencing Post-Psychedelic Difficulties
- Letter to the Editor: MDMA “Super-Soldiers”
- Compass Shares Q4’24 and FY’24 Results, PTSD Development Back on the Agenda
- GH Research Shares FY’24 Results, Hopes to Submit FDA Hold Response By Mid-Year
- More Headlines
- ICYMI
“I’ve Never Been More Hopeful” — Psychedelic Philanthropists Weigh In on New Administration
A YPO call hosted by Julie Simon earlier this week saw members of the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC) discuss its ‘Strategic Roadmap’, which earmarks $130M of ‘Collective Philanthropy in the Psychedelic Field’.
That roadmap, which we first reported on back in December (see SCOOP: PSFC’s $130M Roadmap to Shape the Future of Psychedelic Philanthropy), is now publicly-available.
After discussing various aspects of PSFC’s focus and their personal interests in the field, the call opened up to Q&A. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first question asked how the panel viewed the new U.S. administration, at least as it pertains to psychedelics.
Genevieve Jurvetson volunteered to chip in first, reminding the audience that there are still ‘a lot of critical roles to be filled’. Some of those spots might be familiar faces to the psychedelics field, she again suggested: “Many of you on this call know several of the candidates who are being considered for top top roles”, she said, adding that this “gives me such tremendous hope.”
She reminded listeners that the first Executive Order signed by President Trump after RFK Jr.’s confirmation earlier this month mentioned in its very first paragraph that an estimated 1/5 adults in the U.S. live with a mental health condition. “They’ve stated that this is a priority area”, she continued, adding: “all signs point to being curious about understanding the root cause.”
Jurvetson believes that bodes well for psychedelics. She suggested that for ‘things like addiction’, the root cause might be trauma. Psychedelics, she hopes, might address trauma, and thus the root causes of at least some mental health issues.
“I’ve never been more hopeful”, she told the YPO crowd.
She also expressed sadness around the work they did with the Biden administration, which she says didn’t really go anywhere. Several people Psychedelic Alpha have spoken to have echoed similar sentiments about the Biden administration. “I think that there were actually people in the way of this work in that administration”, she added, “and I’m hopeful that things are changing.”...
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