After the Revolution: Natural Psychedelics & the Right to Symbiosis with Dennis McKenna

Within the last decade, we have witnessed a remarkable shift in cultural perceptions and narratives with respect to psychedelics. Once vilified and prohibited, psychedelics are now being hailed as catalysts for a new revolution in mental health care – even as they remain largely prohibited on the federal level. An explosion of scientific research and well designed clinical investigations over the last 20 years have identified a spectrum of therapeutic targets – ranging from addictions to PTSD and intractable depression – that psychedelic therapy may be able to treat more eHectively than other medications or existing modalities. Unsurprisingly, this growing body of research, funded largely by private companies or nonprofits, has attracted a wave of investment by venture capitalists, eager to cash in on the revolution. This has created significant moral and ethical dilemmas. Many of the substances showing the most promise occur in plants or fungi that are integral to indigenous cultures. Very little attention is being paid to providing some form of fair compensation to these cultures for their stewardship. Biopiracy and misappropriation of indigenous knowledge and genetic resources has been a shameful legacy for over 500 years. There is little evidence that the commercialization of psychedelics will not repeat these historical wrongs. At the same time, regulatory restrictions may limit access to these remarkable medicines to a wealthy and well-heeled clientele; making them inaccessible, under threat of prosecution, to those who claim them as a cultural legacy. Symbiosis is defined in biology as the close association of different species, for mutual benefit. A culture’s use of medicinal plants in the context of traditions and practices is an example of symbiosis. One possible solution to this ethical and moral conundrum may be to recognize a legal ‘right to symbiosis’ for beneficial alliances between any human and any other organism.