In April last year, hikers who took magic mushrooms in the Lake District had to be saved by mountain rescuers after some of the group fell ill. Ella, like most of the parents I spoke to for this article, did not want to give her real name. "Being a mum's not bad - it's amazing - but it can be hard... and psychedelics have helped me as a parent massively," said one. "But I'm a single mum - and it is a drug. It's frustrating as it's something I'm passionate about, but I can't risk [speaking publicly about it]."
He didn't know anything about psychedelics, just that Cote had told him he would help when Downie was ready. "I got tired of going to those doctors and tired of talking to them," Downie said. "Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying doctors are bad. I'm just saying, in my personal experience, what I went through, it wasn't positive. And it just comes to a point where you got to try something new, and that's why I'm here." Those decisions -- which Nixon adviser John Ehrlichman later said were politically motivated -- continue to have a ripple effect today. Research into psychedelic treatments was put on hold for 30 years.
Pham Thi Cau is a poor farmer in the mountainous area of Yen Bai in northern Vietnam. But now, thanks to the Vietnam Challenge Fund programme, Deadhead LSD supported by UK aid from the Department for International Development (DFID), Cau is starting up her own business to produce high quality mushrooms, at the age of 67. A person taking a moderate dose with friends in a familiar environment is more likely to feel a sense of happiness, euphoria, and oneness with all life. In contrast, someone taking a large dose or someone who is anxious and lacks trust in the setting is more likely to have a disturbing experience.
That decision was followed this May with Denver’s vote to in effect decriminalise magic mushrooms, making it the first US city to do so, followed last week by a similar measure for several psychedelic plants in Oakland, California. Activists are pushing for a state-wide vote in Oregon next year on whether to legalise psilocybin for medical use. Meanwhile, Compass hopes to request marketing authorisation for the drug within three years, if its trials are successful. It is proceeding slowly, though, having treated around six people since trials began in January, and Malievskaia says the process could take a decade until approval. She aims to accelerate progress, with new treatment sites recently opened at Columbia University, as well as in New Orleans and the Netherlands, among others.
