Hi everyone!
This is what happened last night and at least it gives us something to be thrilled about!
Voters in Washington approved psychedelics decriminalization
Also in another historic moment, Oregon has taken huge steps towards ending the war on drugs.
My guest on the show today is JR Rahn, the Founder & Co-CEO of MindMed, a global company that discovers, develops and deploys psychedelic-inspired medicines and experiential therapies through FDA clinical trials.
JR and I talk about the current status of mental health in the US, and the world, which seems to have never been near as bad as it is currently. “11% of Americans seriously considered suicide this June,” Rahn observed—a figure that’s doubled since June last year. “We’re not OK,” says JR.
This is why JR became a passionate founder to help research LSD and MDMA in a new way and turn them into modern mind medicine. We also address JR’s personal history with trauma, the Ritalin and the Xanax generation and why they are often the ones ending up taking antidepressants later in life.
I always enjoy talking to JR, I love how passionate he is in bringing the psychedelic industry and renaissance forward, and I love how he thinks I sound like a German spy from Homeland ;)
MindMed pledged $5 million to NYU Langone Health for developing a psychedelic research center, the first of its kind in New York. MindMed also has a partnership with University Hospital Basel's Liechti Lab which just announced the completion and publication of a Phase 1 study on the acute dose dependent effects of LSD. The completed Phase 1 study will help MindMed in dose-finding and the planning of future Phase 2 clinical trials of LSD in patients with anxiety disorders and other medical conditions. The company is currently listed on Canada’s NEO exchange and has a market cap of $190 million, and has now applied for an up-listing to the Nasdaq.
And here are the European scientists MindMed is working with right now:
Kim Kuypers Ph.D
Kim PC Kuypers is affiliated as an Associate Professor with Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience
Dr. Mathias Liechti
Matthias Liechti is a professor for clinical pharmacology and internal medicine at the University Hospital Basel.
TECH OPEN AIR (TOA) IS TODAY!
Come and meet Christian Angermayer and myself at Europe’s leading technology festival Tech Open Air! You’ll find us online from 5.50 - 6.15pm CET
KETAMINE!
Just a little teaser before next week, where we shift our focus this month at the New Health Club to discuss all things ketamine. On a personal note, I recently started Ketamine Therapy as a new version of psychotherapy and it is a very interesting experience, as an addition alongside talk therapy.
Next week, I’ll also be talking and discussing Ketamine Therapy with Elias Dakwar, associate professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University in NYC.
And finally we’ll be having Reid Robison the co-founder and medical director of Cedar Psychiatry joining us on our show. He is also a founding board member at the Utah-based non-profit Psychedelic Institute.
A Research Round-Up by Ewan Waddell.
In ketamine news: A study from Switzerland’s University of Bern discovered that a notably specific outcome of ketamine therapy can be reducing levels of ‘self-dislike’ within a patient. The research is broken down excellently by the Psychedelic Science Review.
Why is this so significant? Self-dislike is a powerful component in the negative feedback loop of depression. It can perpetuate and intensify other symptoms and so by discovering means to reduce it at a fundamental level, we will have a stronger tool for fighting depression.
In German-research news: the first Psilocybin study in Germany since the 1970s is set to commence with the support of Canadian biotech company HAVN Life and German psychedelic non-profit MIND Foundation. The study will take place through partnerships with institutions in Mannheim and Berlin.
What’s the aim? To investigate the efficacy of psilocybin in a controlled, randomised, double-blind design, in order to add to the growing body of research proving the therapeutic value of psychedelic medicine.
In more ketamine news: A new wearable ketamine delivery device developed by Bexson Biomedical and Stevanato Group might become a meaningful weapon against the opioid crisis in the US.
What does ketamine have to do with the opioid crisis? Postoperative pain management through opioids is the leading cause of the opioid epidemic. And since research is emerging suggesting low dose ketamine may be a viable alternative for pain management, this kind of delivery device may help to reverse the opioid crisis.
In treatment methodology news: A paper published in Frontiers in Psychiatry speculates that Mindfulness Meditation may offer a synergistic complement to Psilocybin therapy in treating depression.
How can they be certain? Well sadly, they can’t. There are currently no studies combining the therapeutic effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Psilocybin-assisted therapy. However, they pooled data from 93 studies relevant to each of these areas of research to form their speculations, so at the very least, we can be hopeful that when these studies finally are undertaken, that these speculated complementary benefits are proven.
All for now. See you next week!
🍄 The New Health Club #41 - We got you! JR Rahn from MindMed talks LSD, Xanax and the US mental health crisis, voters in DC and Oregon approved psychedelic decriminalisation last night!