By Dustin Marlan
Following a recent wave of unbridled positivity culminating in a “shroom boom,” the psychedelic renaissance now finds itself under fire amidst concerns of predatory capitalism, cultural appropriation, adverse psychological effects, and sexual abuse and boundary issues by guides and therapists.
Nonetheless, the psychedelics industry is moving ahead at full speed. Oregon will begin accepting applications from businesses to run psilocybin service centers in January 2023. MDMA clinical trials are nearing completion and expected to result in FDA approval. And corporations are readying psychedelic compounds — natural and synthetic — to produce and deliver to the masses.
All of this begs the question of how psychedelics dosage should be regulated, particularly where, as journalist Shayla Love points out, “there’s reason to worry that there hasn’t been enough preparation for negative outcomes amidst the hype.”