Pandemic spurs unprecedented interest in psychedelics (Patreon)

Many of you may not be fully aware of what is happening right now so I wanted to share a little bit about what I've been seeing recently.  You might have noticed in the last 2 years that there has been a lot of new interest in psychedelics - there are so many reasons for this, Michael Pollan wrote a very popular book and did countless interviews about the subject including with mainstream media like NPR. Then 60 minutes did an episode on the work they are doing with psilocybin at Johns Hopkins, these two alone reached millions of mainstream Americans who were previously in the dark about psychedelics and suddenly people seem to have started looking at these compounds with a new sense of legitimacy. Then Joe Rogan interviewed Paul Stamets which has racked up 2.5 million views, and documentaries like Fantastic Fungi have come out, and even a goofy Netflix show The Goop Lab did a psilocybin mushroom episode which reached another demographic.  Not to be upstaged, ESPN did an interview about 5-MeO-DMT with Mike Tyson that garnered 2.4 million views! This brought awareness of psychedelics to yet one more entirely new demographic (note that ESPN called it 'DMT' but maybe that's actually for the best since 5-MeO is far more dangerous than DMT). 

Three cities decriminalized one or more psychedelics last year and many more are considering this as the "decriminalize nature" movement grows stronger.  Oregon is putting up for vote the first statewide plan for legal access to psilocybin mushrooms (they just submitted the required signatures for the ballot vote LAST WEEK, the culmination of five years of work).

So there was building interest going into this year, but then the pandemic hit and something seems to have just "clicked" in many people's minds - interest in psychedelics seems to have exploded.  I have never seen anything like this before.  The top spore sellers (Sporeworks and Mushrooms.com) have had multi-week backlogs.  The top kit seller has had to hire more employees, cancel all advertising, shut down some sales channels, and cut off sales daily to keep up.  Mimosa hostilis root bark vendors are reporting multiweek backlogs.  Even syrian rue seed sellers have multi-week backlogs.  One reason I mention this is because I have actually been working for a few months now on two mushroom kit review videos that are complete and already privately up on YouTube, but the vendor asked that I hold off on publishing the videos because he can't even keep up with existing demand.

Why has the do it yourself psychedelic movement just gone into hyperdrive?  Perhaps it just comes down to the fact that when people can't travel in real life, they want to travel in their minds?  Perhaps it's the fact that people think more about their own mortality during times like these, and psychedelics  are increasingly something more people want to try as a response to that?  Perhaps there is a spiritual void in people's lives that many have decided to address with psychedelics, and maybe it took a pandemic and the abrupt end of the "rat race" for people to realize this void existed in their lives?  Or maybe people are just trapped at home and feeling kind of bored, looking for something new and interesting to do?  It could also have something to do with the huge spike in anxiety and depression that has occurred with some people choosing to self medicate using psychedelics.  

I don't know the reasons for sure, it's probably a combination of many different factors. But regardless, we live in fascinating times and it may go down in history as one of the most prolific moments in the modern era for psychedelic explorations.  It is my hope and mission that people find an abundance of helpful knowledge to conduct these explorations of the mind as safely and productively as possible.  Along those lines, I am currently working on producing a video detailing the Hopkins/Griffiths approach to using psilocybin and meditation to achieve long lasting positive change.  I've been having a lot of impactful dreams during the pandemic, and I actually had a dream this week related to the Hopkins protocol so I figured I need to prioritize that content ;)

I hope you are all hanging in there during these tumultuous times, I know many people who are out of work, and some who have lost loved ones from the pandemic.  You are in my thoughts, be strong.  I should also note that using a powerful mind altering substance while you are in a state of fear or elevated anxiety probably isn't a very good idea at all.  As always, proper preparation of the body and mind are very helpful if not required for a successful outcome.  I should also note that I don't actually believe that psychedelics alone can truly fill a spiritual void in one's life.  I worry a bit that many people will be misled and ultimately disappointed from their journey down that road.   I do however believe (based on science) that psychedelics combined with a spiritual practice can be beneficial, not to mention the long list of medicinal properties that may very well help many fight depression, addictions, and more.

Regards,

Gordo