Psychedelics take over scientific journal, cannabis progress in Colorado Springs, and new MKULTRA documents
January 21
buzzed is off to a fun start in 2025—cannabis and psychedelic news never disappoints, and I’m here to bring you the important, sometimes under-the-radar stories and expert analysis.
If you haven’t subscribed to buzzed yet, I encourage you to do so! It’s free, and goes a long way in supporting me in this endeavor.
Let’s dive in to this week’s stories! I’ve prioritized the Science portion of the newsletter this week, and The Archive is a spooky adventure into some shady mid-century events.
Policy & Advocacy
Adult-Use Cannabis Finally Coming to Colorado Springs?
After Colorado became one of the first two states to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2012, the state’s conservative bulwark—Colorado Springs—may be finally progressing toward allowing adult-use cannabis sales in the city. However, the past few months have been contentious, to say the least.
In November 2024, the city’s voters passed a measure to allow medical dispensaries in the city to transition to adult-use sales, narrowly beating a competing measure proposed by the City Council to ban adult-use sales. This voter approval comes after more than a decade of the City’s resistance, likely making Colorado Springs one of the longest-lasting local holdouts against adult-use cannabis in the nation—if not the sole leader. On the heels of November’s approval, the City Council now seems poised to overturn the will of the voters, with many locals expecting officials to continuously put a ban up to Council vote until it passes. The Council next meets on January 28, where it would surprise no one if a repeal of adult-use sales was on the table.
Barring a last-ditch effort by city officials to impede the democratic process and overturn the will of the people, applications for existing medical cannabis retailers to transition into adult-use sales will open on February 10. Successful implementation of this measure will certainly lead to increased sales for Colorado Springs cannabis businesses, and in turn, additional revenue for the city. It’s a win-win for city residents and local government.
Microdoses 📍
⛓️💥 President Biden issues mass commutation of sentences for drug offenses. Before departing the White House, President Biden issued one more major drug sentence commutation, this time affecting nearly 2,500 people with nonviolent drug offenses. The primary issue targeted by these commutations involves unjust sentencing discrepancies between crack and powdered cocaine.
🦡 Wisconsin on the verge of cannabis reform? The Badger State is showing continued signs of momentum toward some form of cannabis legalization. Governor Tony Evers (D) is an outspoken advocate for full-scale adult-use legalization, and has recently called for an overhaul of state law to allow citizens to bring statutory changes to the ballot box, including cannabis reform. However, with the Republican-led state Legislature, Gov. Evers has also expressed support for incremental reform with a limited medical program—if that’s all the Legislature is willing to accomplish.
🔏 Psychedelic medicine advocacy picking up in Europe. The organization PsychedeliCare is launching a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), a legal model whereby citizens of the European Union can directly propose policy changes. PsychedeliCare’s ECI is targeted toward allowing funding, standardization, and rescheduling of psychedelic compounds for medical care. The initiative will need to gather one million signatures over 12 months to be successful.
Industry
OSHA Eyeing Allergen Risk to Cannabis Workers
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently held a webinar in partnership with state and local officials in Colorado, aimed at addressing the risks of allergens in cannabis workplaces in addition to broader efforts at improving workplace safety.
It places a much-needed emphasis on a lesser-known safety topic, especially following the recent occurrence of the nation’s first cannabis worker death attributed to occupational asthma from the inhalation of airborne cannabis dust and plant matter.
The cannabis industry’s workplace safety focus has traditionally been targeted toward dangerous equipment, chemicals, and robberies, for example. However, as markets across the country continue to mature, these traditional safety concerns have in many cases been sufficiently addressed—especially those concerns that are commonly encountered in other industries. This recent focus on allergens and airborne safety issues is, by my assessment, indicative of continued maturation of cannabis markets. Not only will it hopefully spark a renewed push for standardization of certain practices that might generate allergen-related safety issues, there is hope that increased attention to the issue may prompt the scientific community to further investigate associated dangers and solutions.
Microdoses 📍
🚫 Leafly de-listed from NASDAQ. The online cannabis e-commerce giant Leafly has officially had its shares de-listed from the NASDAQ stock exchange, after falling short of the $500 million net income requirement for listing
🤝 Industry lobbying groups join forces. Two of the largest lobbying groups representing state-regulated cannabis industries—the U.S. Cannabis Council and the National Cannabis Roundtable—have formed a combined lobbying giant now known as the U.S. Cannabis Roundtable. The merger is a major consolidation of lobbying power on Capitol Hill, and comes amidst the federal rescheduling effort.
Science
Psychedelics Take Center Stage in Psychiatric Research
Formal scientific interest in psychedelic medicine is continuing to gather momentum, with The American Journal of Psychiatry dedicating its first issue of 2025 entirely to psychedelics.
“…the enthusiasm, interest, and pursuit of scientific and medical research on the psychiatric applications of psychedelic compounds has exploded in recent years, leading to the declaration of the current phase as a “renaissance” period for psychedelic research. There is objective data to support this view.
In an introductory note, the Journal’s editors emphasize that we are in a renaissance era for psychedelic science, highlighting that the total combined sample size in modern research evaluating a psychedelic compound’s effect on at least one mental health condition has now surpassed 1,000 research subjects—primarily psilocybin studies. They state that the goal of this issue of the Journal is to highlight the “ongoing challenges and looming questions in the field of psychiatric psychedelic research and treatment”.
The dedication of this entire publication to psychedelic research is a testament to the field’s state of modern acceptance. Researching these compounds in a formal setting is no longer taboo in academia like it once was; all signs are pointing toward science prevailing over stigma. While there are more commentaries, literature reviews, and analyses to be found in this issue of the Journal, I’d like to highlight just a few of them.
Toward Translatable Biomarkers of Psychedelic-Induced Neuroplasticity
In this commentary, David E. Olson, Ph.D. extensively explores the importance of identifying robust measures and biological indicators of neuroplasticity (i.e., the ability of the brain to form new and complex neuronal connections) following psychedelic use. He argues that by establishing translatable and reliable measures for these psychedelic-induced brain changes, scientists can better understand the efficacy of varying dosages, differences between specific compounds, and—most notably, in my opinion—the available pathways that might exist for developing new drugs that have similar effects.
While this research is imperative for the future of psychedelic medicine advancement, it prompts a question that I’ve personally struggled to find solid footing on: how much value should medicine place on the subjective psychedelic experience, as opposed to the biological changes that might result from them? I’m not alone in this struggle, as this exact question has garnered much more debate in recent years.
Some rigid-thinking pharmacologists and psychiatrists may posit that once we identify the precise biological mechanisms of psychedelics and how they lead to changes in the brain, we can mimic them and create targeted, carefully manufactured compounds for treating a range of mental health conditions—and at that point, we can do-away with organic psychedelics altogether and the trips they induce. Other views would suggest that the subjective experience of a psychedelic compound plays at least a partial role in its efficacy, and that removal of this experience could entail a decrease in efficacy.
In my humble non-Ph.D.-holding opinion, to entirely separate the psychedelic experience from the molecules behind them would be a sacrilegious loss for humanity, even if considered a medical breakthrough. Regardless of the influence that biological pathways and structural brain changes may have on the effectiveness of psychedelic treatments, the experiences these compounds offer can be profound, both emotionally and spiritually. Even in instances of frightening, uncomfortable, or negative experiences during a psychedelic trip, patients have often reported a net positive effect on their life after reflection and integration of the experience. No matter how subjective they may be, it is clear that these experiences can have immense impacts on the human condition, and lead to lasting positive change. In that sense, I argue that the organic psychedelic experience should be the baseline for treatments, and non-experiential compounds (when developed) should be secondary options for individuals who may be exceptionally sensitive to or frightened by the psychedelic journey, or especially for applications in pediatric medicine. There is a space for “non-psychedelic psychedelics”, if you will, but I don’t believe it should be the default.
Benefits and Challenges of Ultra-Fast, Short-Acting Psychedelics in the Treatment of Depression
In this scientific review, authors Ramaekers, Reckweg, and Mason provide an overview of the clinical pharmacology of DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and 5-MeO-DMT, and their “potential benefits and challenges in the treatment of depression”.
The review highlights the vast differences in treatment protocols and efficacy between traditional antidepressants, longer-lasting psychedelics (like psilocybin), and short-acting compounds like DMT. While traditional antidepressants take potentially months to achieve desired results, psychedelic treatments have demonstrated much more immediate impacts. Early clinical trials of psilocybin have demonstrated significant success in the treatment of depression, and have therefore prompted much more interest in shorter-acting (albeit more powerful) psychedelic compounds like DMT.
As the authors highlight, a primary area of interest lies in dosing and length of treatment. While psilocybin may take up to an hour to become active, and last upwards of 3-6 hours, DMT is much faster-acting, with immediate activation upon inhalation or intravenous injection, and typically lasting less than 20 minutes. This difference in effect timing may paint compounds like DMT in a more favorable light under assumptions of similar efficacy, as outpatient treatments become much shorter-lasting and likely carry less expense as a result. However, the differences in these compounds (DMT vs. psilocybin) also introduce some challenges. While they are chemically quite similar and act on the brain in similar ways, DMT is generally considered a much more powerful compound, due to its immediate and often world-shattering effects. Low-dose psilocybin might be considered a comparably “gentler” substance for the psychedelic uninitiated, while high-dose psilocybin can often approach the realms of DMT.
So, while DMT may be short-lasting and more desirable as a treatment option in that sense, the subjective experience of the patient may be quite different. That is, the more powerful nature of DMT may require longer “come down” times, allowing patients and their providers to integrate the experience, process, and re-establish a baseline. Some patients may even find the fast-acting DMT to be subjectively less effective, as many experiencers report a difficulty in “finding their footing” and settling into the experience. As the authors note, the “intensity and quality of the psychedelic experience may be relevant”.
In any case, this review is a noteworthy endeavor for psychedelic science—a field that was once ridiculed, now beginning to not only examine the efficacy of these compounds for mental health treatment, but also examining the comparative benefits and challenges of using different psychedelics.
Microdoses 📍
🐶 FDA seeking input on cannabinoid products for pets. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking public comment, particularly from veterinarians, on the use of cannabinoid products (especially CBD) for pets. The request seeks information on “usage trends, quality standards, benefits of use, potential drug interactions, adverse events and safety problems, and toxicological concerns”. The request may be indicative of future FDA action on pet-focused cannabinoid products.
The Archive 📚
New Documents Offer More Insight into Infamous CIA Mid-Century Program
In this week’s trip through drug history, we’re getting a little spooky.
In late December of 2024, the National Security Archive unveiled a newly-declassified trove of documents shedding more light on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) secretive mid-century program dubbed MKULTRA.
MKULTRA was a top-secret program aimed at discovering, testing, and implementing inhumane mind-control techniques. The initiative ran from the 1950s through the early 1970s, with the underlying impetus of the Cold War, and CIA efforts to find new ways to counter Soviet spying campaigns. While the studied techniques involved a range of inhumane tools and methods like electric shocks and paralytic drugs, the most famously-explored methods involved the use of psychedelics such as LSD. Most of the time, participants in this secretive and illegal “research” were non-consenting. One of the more unscrupulous initiatives under MKULTRA was a program known as “Operation Midnight Climax”, which entailed the use of undercover sex workers to lure unwitting men into CIA facilities, before dosing them with LSD and secretly observing the effects of the drug from behind two-way mirrors. Numerous other programs existed under the MKULTRA umbrella, each with their own sinister goals. You might even recognize some surprising names of participants who (knowingly or not) took part in these CIA escapades. Ted Kaczynski—yes, the Unabomber—is thought to have unknowingly participated in an MKULTRA experiment while attending Harvard University. Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, volunteered to take part in LSD-centered experiments while at Stanford University.
Countless other individuals were victims of these programs over the course of two decades. It was later discovered, in true CIA fashion, that a majority of documents regarding MKULTRA were destroyed shortly after the program’s conclusion. Later, following the Watergate scandal, President Ford established the Church Committee—tasked with investigating the illegal actions of the CIA, as well as the FBI and other government agencies, during and after the events of Watergate. These Committee hearings, along with dedicated journalism and Freedom of Information Act requests, are what brought MKULTRA and all of its misdeeds into the limelight.
Now, coming back to the National Security Archive’s recent reveal of new records. In a batch of over 1,200 newly discovered documents, the collection sheds light on topics ranging from CIA involvement with foreign intelligence agents on human mind control experimentation, to MKULTRA leader Sidney Gottlieb’s direct approval of LSD tests on incarcerated “volunteers” in Georgia. While there aren’t any major history-changing revelations in this latest batch of documents, its nonetheless an intriguing addendum to the problematic history of the CIA and its tenuous relationship with mind altering drugs.
Head over the National Security Archive’s site to read more, directly from these new records.
The Bad Trip 😵💫
Virginia’s Uphill Battle for Adult-Use Cannabis Sales
For this week’s Bad Trip, I’m shining the spotlight on Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin (R).
While delivering his State of the Commonwealth address on January 13, Gov. Youngkin emphasized his continued opposition to permitting adult-use cannabis sales. In 2021, the Virginia Legislature legalized adult-use cannabis possession and home-grow, and slated adult-use retail sales to begin by January 1, 2024. However, the legislation required lawmakers to revisit the topic of sales prior to that date, which did not occur after Republicans secured the majority in the House of Delegates.
Since then, the state Legislature succeeded in passing legislation to permit adult-use cannabis retail sales in 2024, before the bill was promptly vetoed by Gov. Youngkin. Now, amid the backdrop of yet another legislative package being introduced for retail sales, the Governor has straightforwardly restated his disdain for the idea.
Gov. Youngkin’s continued fight against the launch of an adult-use market has made Virginia the only state in the U.S. with legalized cannabis possession and use, but no regulated market to purchase cannabis from (or active preparations to do so). It’s a giant missed opportunity for consumers, businesses, and the state itself (i.e., tax revenue). Not to mention, the current medical cannabis market in Virginia is dominated by a handful of large multi-state operators, with noted struggles in maintaining patient access and affordability. Implementation of adult-use sales would likely improve patient outcomes across the board, given sufficient license quantities. Overall, Virginia’s journey toward regulated adult-use cannabis sales, is, well, a bummer—and to be frank, there’s simply one man to blame.
Thanks for reading!
That concludes this week’s publication of buzzed.
If you’d like to support the project, share this post with your friends, and give buzzed some love on social media: LinkedIn and Bluesky.
And if you’re reading buzzed for the first time, don’t forget to subscribe! See you next week!
-Keegan
A brief disclaimer about the views expressed in this publication. While I am employed in the cannabis policy consulting space, buzzed is a personal endeavor. The opinions, analysis, critiques, and predictions expressed in this newsletter are mine, and mine alone.