Most of the support for P sychedelic therapies comes from the right. The emerging drug industry has been invested in by Peter Thiel. He is a fan of the drug. The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (Maps) received a $1 million donation from the Mercer Foundation.
Climate crisis denial and the American right wing are supported by the family. Maps is glad for any support they can get, even though they are a long way away from Woodstock.
There are many liberals and left-wingers who support the use of drugs. In July, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offered an amendment to the new defense spending bill to increase research into the treatment of veterans and active-duty service members with drugs. The navy veteran and Republican representative from Texas did the same thing. The amendment was offered by Matt Gaetz.
There have been utopian experiments associated with the use of drugs. Some researchers would like to find a scientific basis for the hypothesis that psychedelics could end political conflict. Maps and Imperial College London organized a trip to Israel and Palestine. Imperial College received a lot of attention for a small study suggesting that one dose of the drug reduced support for authoritarian attitudes. Is it possible that the cure for anti-democratic tendencies could be the use of drugs? According to Rick Doblin, founder of Maps, there is a correlation between the use of drugs and the environment.
Hippies can increase openness, but they can also be open to Nazism, eco-fascism and other cults. Julius Evola, an Italian philosopher and fascist, was a big fan of the drug. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who recently made headlines for sending buses of migrants to New York, Washington and Chicago, signed a bill into law to study the medical benefits of drugs. Steve Bannon supports the legalization of certain drugs.
As professors Brian Pace and Nee Devenot point out in their work, psychedelics have never had a leftwing fan base. Andrew Anglin, the founder of the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer, used to experiment with drugs as a child. The creator of 8chan was inspired by a mushroom trip.
The American right is interested in these substances. Money is the most obvious solution. As they are absorbed into mainstream medicine, they promise to become cash cows. Money will come from patents on novel formulas and related treatments.
Political factors may be involved. The Mercer Foundation donated to Maps because they wanted to shore up American military resources so they wouldn't have to fight again. The pharmaceutical sector is more profitable than the military-industrial complex. The continued viability of American wars around the world is in question.
If MDMA is helpful in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder, why aren't veterans given priority? The trauma of racism, of poverty, of police violence, and mass incarceration are all related to rightwing policies.
People can be helped to break out of destructive thoughts with the help of psuedo drugs. The effects of drugs cannot be separated from their setting.
It is foolish to think that positive transformation can be achieved with the help of Rebekah, Steve or Greg. The same people who deny climate change are vociferously opposed to universal healthcare. We can expect a tool of state power or an engine of conspiracy theories instead of a liberationist movement with their support. Most Americans don't have access to the benefits of psychedelic therapy.
When they're a gift of the right wing, or when they're offered within a framework of gross inequality, it's not likely that you'll change your mind. The Burning Man has become a playground for Silicon Valley's rich. It leaves the desert strewn with thousands of abandoned bicycles and creates 12-hour traffic jams in the desert because of our profligate burning of fossil fuels. A journey of self-discovery can lead to deeper solipsism. The illusion of transcendence can be used to justify a lot of things.
All forms of care should be available to those who need them, not only those with money and connections. There is a lot of discussion about integration in the community. It is too limited to the individual. To be truly beneficial, psychedelics should be integrated into a social vision of equality and justice, one that is against the sacrifice of human life and health at the altar of military spending and empire building.
Magic mushrooms are not a cure for society's ills and can be dangerous if it gets into the wrong hands. They need to stop cozying up to the right and focus more on social justice.
Ross Ellenhorn founded and is the CEO of Ellenhorn. The book is called Purple Crayons: The Art of Drawing a Life. Mugianis is a harm reductionist, activist, musician, poet, writer, and anarcho, with over two decades of experience as a hippie. The creators of Cardea are Ellenhorn and Mugianis.
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