Psychedelics

This year is set to be the year of psychedelics – Trump’s trip, you could call it. Since the President signed an executive order supporting the use of psychedelic medicines in April, no fewer than six federal agencies have announced initiatives to help usher the industry along. The agencies, mainly connected to the Department of Health and Human Services, have approved multiple million-dollar initiatives to research, approve and roll out psychedelics. A whole fleet of startups are now circling the Food and Drug Administration. Three of these have Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers from the FDA, which means that when they submit their new drug applications, the agency will make a decision within two months of filing.

The first time I took LSD was alone on Christmas Day in a snowed-in Montana cabin. I watched my skin crawl and the walls melt. It was the first time since childhood I didn’t hate my own body, and a nice break from the depressing bioethics I was studying in school. I took deep breaths and stretched. As the effects took hold, I watched illustrations fly out from a gorgeous, tattered copy of Mark Twain’s biography of Joan of Arc. Four hours later, after smoking an entire pack of cigarettes, I was convinced I was descending to hell. I watched fake flames lick the yellow wallpaper. It was miserable and listening to Nick Cave didn’t help. At dinner with friends later that night, the elk roast resembled human meat and the bread rolls made to commemorate St.