Voting against Proposition 122, a controversial psychedelic law that limits the distribution of illegal darcotics in Colorado
This proposal is arguably the most controversial law in an expanding patchwork of state psychedelic legislation. It has fractured communities in Colorado and beyond, and independent polling suggests voters may be equally divided.
Critics said the campaign was moving too fast. People like Martha Hartney, a Colorado attorney who supports Proposition 122, worry it will produce corporate monopolies like those of state cannabis industries. Matthew and Melanie Rose Rodgers say that out of state interests caused the proposal to be shaped and funded by them, without including Colorado residents who were excluded from the cannabis industry. A majority of black and multiracial voters will reject the proposition, potentially indicating that they weren’t adequately involved in its development.
Do adverse events in psychedelics research violate the privacy of private research? Comment on the Colorado Patient Experiences in Proposition 122
Federal research and health privacy laws set standards for safety, ethics, and privacy. There are some state programs that have policies in line with federal policies. The health insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a law that protects patient information, as well as the federal Common Rule, which protects people participating in FDA-sanctioned or federally funded research. Published in 1991, the Common Rule outlines basic requirements for obtaining informed consent and ensuring that research proposals comply with ethical standards.
Colorado healing centers will most likely avoid federal drug policies and research practices in order to fall outside the health care system, according to a bioethicist. Spector-Bagdady adds that Proposition 122’s data collection mandate may have more in common with commercial data practices—think Google, Facebook, or 23andMe—which are generally governed by corporate terms of service, privacy policies, and contracts between companies and consumers. Because companies make the rules, they often provide fewer privacy protections.
The results were promising, if not painting the picture of a miracle cure. A majority of patients in the 25 dose group were in a cure after three weeks compared to just 8% in the placebo group. After time, the positive effects waned: After 12 weeks only 20 percent of the high-dose patients were still responding—an improvement over the placebo group that wasn’t statistically significant.
178 of the 233 patients in the trial report headaches, nausea, fatigue, and insomnia, but they’re not a huge cause for concern. But 12 patients experienced serious adverse events. These were defined as displays of suicidal ideation, including self-harm. There were at least five patients in the highest-dose group who displayed suicidal behavior. This was compared to just one in the placebo group.
The fact that there were adverse events associated with the drug is a good thing, says a PhD candidate who studies patient experiences of the drug at the University Medical Center in the Netherlands. In August 2022, Breeksema published a review that looked at how adverse events in psychedelics research have been flagged, and found that they have been inconsistently and probably underreported. It was an unlikely reality that many of the trials were looked at no adverse effects at all. He says the research reported adverse effects more rigorously than many of the other trials.
Voter Pushback Ctrp: Oregon psilocybin is an alternative to depression and hope: The case of Dela Cruz
I was feeling lonely and sad and I needed to do something else in my life, but I didn’t have any ideas or desire to do that.
Her next option would be a remedy the commercial real estate professional never imagined she’d end up advocating – and one that, while considered a therapeutic and healing drug by a growing number of health care professionals, has come under fire in Oregon ahead of next week’s election.
Before her Jamaica retreat, DelaCruz also wasn’t sure about psilocybin, even as Silo Wellness pledged an experience with psychedelics that would help find “peace and purpose.”
During most psilocybin studies, trained counselors are present to establish a supportive setting, set expectations and stop the trip from turning “bad,” which might feel like losing oneself or going crazy. They help the person with their outlook on life through talk therapy.
A common theory is the drugs somehow break down the brain’s typical boundaries, so parts of the brain that don’t normally connect to each other suddenly do. The areas of the brain that deal with thoughts of melancholy were quiet. This may allow the depressed person to break free from self-criticism and see new possibilities, that is the opinion of experts.
Psilocybin can be taken in a pill form, smoked, ground and mixed with other foods, put into a smoothie or liquid, or even infused into chocolates and other sweets. A typical dose is a 25-milligram pill, which creates the full-blown psychedelic experience.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/04/us/oregon-psilocybin-voter-pushback-ctrp/index.html
A medical practitioner in Jamaica who had experience with pseudoephedrine and schizophrenia consulted with a consultant at the Silo Wellness retreat
Dela Cruz and a few other people who met medical qualifications for the Silo Wellness retreat started meeting on the internet two months before travelling to Jamaica for the five-day experience.
She said that it was almost like she could see the life around her. “It sounds weird, but it’s like (I could) feel what it really is like to feel alive.”
DelaCruz said the biggest change was that he had more trust and confidence in himself as a result of the ceremonies.
It’s a very hard job and you have to do it too, it can be very uncomfortable. So, after you’re done with it, even if you have a great session and you feel like you’re connected to nature and everything’s beautiful and easy … still, you gotta put in the work afterward.
After having an experience with pseudoephedrine, Arnold founded Silo and began retreats in Jamaica.
In addition to a strict intake process that screens for underlying medical issues that might be worsened by psilocybin – such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – medical professionals on-site throughout the retreat keep close watch over participants before, during and after the ceremonies, he said.
Drugs are not the answer, but certain molecule can be a tool to find the answers if used appropriately and safely.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/04/us/oregon-psilocybin-voter-pushback-ctrp/index.html
Oregon Psilocybin Voter Pushback ctrp: A Retreat Model for the Jamaican Farmer in New Frontier Ranch
Two years after the vote, the application process to become a service center is expected to start in January, and participants would have to complete a “preparation session” before receiving any psilocybin or a designated driver. The rules also require any center to have a safety and security plan in place for each client and allow for, but do not require, a “client support person” to be present during the session.
Even under the tight rules, Arnold wants to bring Silo Wellness’s Jamaica retreat model to Oregon and has identified New Frontier Ranch in rural southern Jackson County as an ideal setting. In a small, lab-like space, he could grow mushrooms and make retreats for an entire year.
“There are laws and rules that are written out,” Lampman said. “This is safe, (and) it is extremely expensive to get into this and there are very strict rules.”
There will be a large investment to get licensed and trained, as well as build infrastructure to comply. He hopes he’ll be able to recoup the investment swiftly and add to profits from his other small crops, like hemp, hazelnuts and apples.
He pointed across the street to his neighbor’s vineyard, asking if he worried about having to give his wife and their three toddlers too much poison on the same property where they live.
“There’s a winery right there,” he said. “People can drink as much alcohol as they want and drive down this road. I think that’s a big deal that I’m gonna have.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/04/us/oregon-psilocybin-voter-pushback-ctrp/index.html
The lingering unknowns surrounding psilocybin: Stayton mayor Henry Porter explains why he worries about the state rollout
“We just want to say no; we want to opt out for a while,” said Stayton Mayor Henry Porter. “The health, safety and welfare of the community, that’s my main responsibility.”
After seven terms as mayor and more than three decades as a high school civics teacher, Porter’s worry is rooted in the lingering unknowns surrounding psilocybin, he said, adding he fears the January start date for state applications is too soon.
“I don’t know what it does. I don’t know how it would be controlled. I don’t know how to keep kids away from it,” he said. “I guess it’s the fear of things we don’t understand.”
Oregon officials did not respond to CNN’s specific questions about human trafficking and water use in the marijuana industry but recently started requiring those working on grow farms to report suspected human and sex trafficking.
Meantime, Angela Allbee, who helps manage the Oregon Psilocybin Services Section of the state’s public health division, acknowledged “many lessons learned” from the state’s cannabis rollout and touted the robust rulemaking and feedback processes implemented this time around for psilocybin.
“These folks are scared and they’re concerned and rightfully so because they had experiences with another ballot measure that promised good things that didn’t necessarily deliver,” he said.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/04/us/oregon-psilocybin-voter-pushback-ctrp/index.html
When did I go to Jamaica? A tribute to DelaCruz, O.M., and a friend of hers
“There were a lot of different reasons (I went on the Jamaica retreat), and it was not to just go and trip out and have a good time,” DelaCruz said. “I was battling internally.”
She said she felt a lot of healing and processing during the ceremony and afterwards.
Since the retreat, DelaCruz has reconciled with her longtime partner and no longer finds herself incessantly seeking external validation. She’s also reduced her reliance on alcohol.