“In looking at the current psychedelic landscape in such a way, one might notice a few roadblocks to progress. While there are many noble institutions, organizations, and companies in the emerging psychedelic field, it’s clear a few perceive psychedelics as nothing more than a shiny new object on the stock market—just another vertical in which to launch a sleazy pump-and-dump scheme and take advantage of shareholders. There are also plenty of ethical questions around patenting compounds that exist in nature, compounds humans have been using, well, forever. Corporate greed and battles over intellectual property have the potential to stand in the way of the current wave of progress (as they do in every industry), and I believe both are downright antithetical to the spirit of these drugs. But then again, so is my pessimism. Things that are in the spirit of psychedelics: accountability, access, peace, love, reciprocity, and safety (just to name a few). I believe that no one comes to psychedelics without first being called to them, and I am not here to stand in anybody’s way. I only hope that those with psychedelic business endeavors value what is in the spirit of these medicines as much as the rest of us do.
Call me naive, but I also believe that psychedelics have the potential to affect how we do business, and ultimately, how we interact with one another, thanks to their incredibly reliable ability to generate feelings of interconnectedness and empathy. By continuing to examine our relationship to psychedelics meaningfully and holding truth to power, we can build a path forward that incorporates all facets of knowledge—one paved with respect for those who came before us and hope for those who will come after us.”
— AMANDA SIEBERT
From the AFTERWORD of PSYCHED: Seven Cutting Edge Psychedelics Changing the World, by Amanda S..
Based on unceded Qayqayt territory in New Westminster, British Columbia, Amanda Siebert (Instagram: @amanda_siebert) is an award-winning journalist and photographer and owes her life to the plants and fungi she writes about. She is also the author of The Little Book of Cannabis: How Marijuana Can Improve Your Life.. Amanda received a of a Cosmic Sister Emerging Voices Award in recognition of her work in the field.
Thank you, Amanda!
Thank you, Greystone Books !
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