The Dark Side of Psychedelics: The Media's Role in Confronting Shadows

The benefits of psychedelics are without question, but the dark side of bad trips, weird ceremonies and dodgy shamans has not received the attention it deserves. Nor have issues of misinformation, hidden conflicts of interest or growing tribalism within the psychedelics community. As the legal and gray market psychedelic industry expands across the world, a promising new frontier is emerging, but often without adequate safety measures or oversight, and with plenty of money at stake. Accordingly, increasing numbers of people tell of destabilising psychedelic journeys, unsettling encounters in otherworldly realms, and even in some cases the death of loved ones. The media has an important role to play in exposing inaccuracies, incompetence and abuse, while attempting to make sense of contemporary psychedelic culture and science — but journalists reporting on psychedelics operate in a challenging environment defined by criticism, legal threats and economic pressures.