With the countdown to the 2024 US election entering its final fortnight, psychedelic advocates around the world are keeping a close eye on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where the outcome of a psychedelic-focused ballot initiative could either accelerate or further hinder the political progress of the psychedelic renaissance at large.

With just three weeks left until Election Day, the University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB Poll that was released on Tuesday found that 43 percent of residents are in favor of the proposal and another 43 percent are opposed. That leaves a significant percentage of the electorate (14 percent) undecided.

With just over one month to go until Americans head to the polls, Psychedelic Alpha takes a look at federal lobbying on psychedelics-related matters. See data on formal lobbying activity among psychedelic drug developers and nonprofits, which have collectively funnelled over $1.5 million into such efforts in the last two years.

Despite FDA Setback, Vietnam vet Bob Parsons gives another $5 million to psychedelic therapy research.

Privately-owned Lykos Therapeutics continues to reel from its devastating rejection by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the company’s MDMA drug. The company announced that its Chief Executive Officer Amy Emerson is stepping down from her role and will transition into a senior advisor role through the end of the year.

Colorado regulators have completed the first round of rulemaking for the state’s regulated Natural Medicine program, laying the foundation for the program’s launch on January 1st, 2025.

Following FDA’s rejection of Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD New Drug Application (NDA), the company has today announced a significant reorganisation.

The move came just days after the agency announced it intended to investigate factors around the use of the two substances. The American Kratom Association called the decision a reflection of the FDA’s “biased attacks.”

Let’s not kid ourselves: medical access is merely a stepping stone to legality.

FDA has issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL) to Lykos Therapeutics regarding its New Drug Application (NDA) for MDMA-assisted therapy in PTSD, meaning the agency is not prepared to approve it at this time.

Supporters of a Massachusetts psychedelic decriminalization and legalization measure scored a big win on the night of August 5, as Cambridge City Council voted to endorse it. The measure is due to be put to Massachusetts voters as Question 4 on the November 5 ballot.

More than 700 veterans and 80 lawmakers are calling on the top official for the Food and Drug Administration to approve MDMA-assisted therapy as the first-ever psychedelic drug treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Participants who received a high dose of psilocybin reported stronger feelings of inner healing compared to those who received a placebo.

Jamaican pharmacy chain Fontana Pharmacy has partnered with the country’s first legal psychedelic consumer packaged good company PATOO to sell PATOO’s suite of legal and lab-tested psilocybin-infused products at seven locations across the island.

Spiritus Oregon, maker of the Horizon Edibles brand of psilocybin products, said that earlier this month it was “granted the state’s first Psilocybin Edibles license, making it the first legal psilocybin edible company in the United States.”

Military veterans have spent years lobbying for the use of psychedelic drugs to treat PTSD and other hard-to-treat mental health conditions. But a sharply critical review of the club drug MDMA has put the drug’s approval in doubt.

The latest advisory also cited “one potentially associated death under investigation.”

Sergey Brin’s non-profit funds research into using ibogaine for mental health treatment.

A new paper exploring the role of psilocybin mushrooms in the evolution of human consciousness says the psychedelic has the “potential to trigger significant neurological and psychological effects” that could have influenced the development of our species over time.

The University of Colorado is the latest mainstream university to create a dedicated center for the study of psychedelic drugs, and its leaders are already dreaming up new experiments.