Russell, Normie, Pace and James debut a new podcast format covering the latest developments in psychedelics, drug policy, and politics. Today, they review the latest Church of Sacred Synthesis lawsuit news, misperceptions of the "psychedelic Left", Purdue Pharma's collapse, the Trump administration's cuts to fentanyl test strip funding, vaccine and ivermectin discourse, and worsening conditions in veterans' mental healthcare.

Footnotes:

Michelle Lhooq — "We Have Entered the Era of Conservative Psychedelia"

https://ravenewworld.substack.com/p/we-have-entered-the-era-of-conservative

Associated Press — "OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to dissolve in opioid settlement"

https://apnews.com/article/oxycontin-purdue-pharma-criminal-sentence-settlement-b8aa94eaab3d9d8efed520f272f6d810

Vocal Politics — On Jake Lang being arrested for psychedelic mushrooms

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYNljTRjdRI/?igsh=OXpkeGVxMDQ0OGo3

The New York Times — "Trump Administration Restricts Funding for Fentanyl Test Strips"

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/health/trump-fentanyl-test-strips.html

The New York Times — "FDA Delays Publication of Vaccine Safety Research"

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/us/politics/fda-covid-vaccine-studies.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

ProPublica — "Veterans Who Depend on Mental Health Care Keep Losing Their Therapists Under Trump"

https://www.propublica.org/article/veterans-affairs-mental-health-therapists-quit-trump

Drug Policy Alliance — Harm Reduction Form Letter

https://engage.drugpolicy.org/secure/take-action-protect-funding-treatment-overdose-prevention-lifesaving-services

Psymposia board member Dr. Neşe Devenot's presentation at the Ohio State University "Religion and Psychedelics" conference, recorded March 28, 2026. In this talk, Dr. Devenot presents their research on the reliance on unscientific telepathic attunement in many popular schools of psychedelic therapy.

Professor Dave is a well-known science communicator and prolific debunker of pseudoscience. Despite building his platform on combatting misinformation, he continues joining conversations that promote false claims about the FDA's rejection of MDMA-assisted therapy — one of which he republished on his own channel. In this episode, Psymposia responds to the latest of these conversations on the Danny Jones Podcast. We encourage Professor Dave to do his homework on the psychedelic industry before aligning himself with the very pseudoscience promoters he's built his career opposing.

Three psychedelic companies received vouchers for expedited FDA review: Usona, Compass Pathways, and Otsuka—NOT Resilient Pharmaceuticals. This voucher announcement is yet another vindication of our reporting on major problems and pseudoscience within Lykos'/Resilient's trials. Update to episode #68.

Psychedelics are the next front in Big Tech's dystopia. Psymposia developed this primer for leftists in response to Donald Trump's April 18 Executive Order, which accelerates review of psychedelic drugs deemed "Breakthrough Therapies" and makes Schedule 1 drugs more accessible under Right to Try laws. This announcement made a splash in psychedelic media, where praise for the Trump administration mixes with false claims about an "end to prohibition." In this discussion, we provide important context about this Executive Order and the people who engineered this moment behind the scenes. We highlight concerns about how this initiative will be rolled out by the Trump administration, which has been accused of pay-to-play tactics at the FDA and stacking the Department of Health and Human Services with psychedelic industry evangelists. This move represents a crystallization of far-right interest in the psychedelic industry and step towards oligarch monopolization of psychedelic medicine by figures including Peter Thiel and Musk lieutenant Antonio Gracias. We end by discussing the risks of elite control over drugs that have been developed to shift identity — especially when those elites are simultaneously devoted to killing the so-called "woke mind virus" and remaking the global order in Palantir's image.

Foot Notes:

Executive Order (White House): https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/04/accelerating-medical-treatments-for-serious-mental-illness/

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Accelerate Psychedelic Research and Access (Psychedelic Alpha): https://psychedelicalpha.com/news/president-trump-signs-executive-order-to-accelerate-psychedelic-research-and-access/

Over-the-top psychedelic promos could undermine the field's drug development efforts (STAT): https://www.statnews.com/2026/03/31/psychedelic-biotech-promotion-scrutinized-helus-atai-influencer-marketing/

Archived: https://archive.is/bv1oU

Pharma lobbyists focus on a surprising new target: the FDA (STAT): https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/23/fda-lobbying-efforts-grow-under-trump-administration/ Archived: https://archive.is/wQav7

Wohin treibt die Renaissance von LSD & Co.? (WOZ)

https://www.woz.ch/2609/psychedelika/wohin-treibt-die-renaissance-von-lsd-co/!NBCC4R4K3E06

It has become a problematic standard practice in the psychedelic therapy industry to increase drug dosages after patients display red flag symptoms. Psymposia discusses a recent Wall Street Journal article about these practices as they manifest in the ketamine industry; the psychedelic industry's historic normalization of these practices; and recent attempts to convince lawmakers to protect psychedelic providers from liability for standard forms of medical malpractice. Together, these developments highlight why allowing a therapy cult to influence the norms of psychedelic medicine puts the public at risk.

Footnotes:

She Hoped Ketamine Would Rewire Her Brain. She Didn't Live to See It Work. (WSJ):

Live link: https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/ketamine-telehealth-dangers-4a7bc8da

Archive link: https://archive.is/qLxwO

The Psychedelic Syndicate (Psymposia): https://www.psymposia.com/psychedelic-syndicate-executive-summary-silicon-valley-maps-lykos-mdma-fda-billionaires/

Hamilton's Pharma Cope Series (Psymposia): https://www.psymposia.com/hamiltons-pharma-cope/

Colorado has a chance to get ibogaine policy right (Colorado Newsline): https://coloradonewsline.com/2026/02/17/colorado-get-ibogaine-policy-right/

In this final episode, we explore the attempts made by Hamilton Morris to attack the work, integrity, and character of our team.

Psymposia discusses Hamilton Morris's misinformation about their funding, his relationship with Compass Pathways, his claims that the nonprofit Usona has planted protestors at conferences to make him look bad, and claims that Psymposia encouraged terrorism.

Psymposia discusses their history with the Church of Psilomethoxin and addresses Hamilton Morris's misinformation about their funding and the alleged elder abuse of psychedelic funder George Sarlo by MAPS Board Chair Vicky Dulai.

Psymposia addresses Hamilton Morris's misinformation, including his speculation that they are DEA informants, their behavior at the FDA advisory committee for Lykos' Therapeutics' MDMA application, and more.