A Rhode Island House committee approved a bill that would legalize the possession and cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms, while taking steps to prepare for regulated therapeutic access pending federal reform.

The House Judiciary Committee, which held an initial hearing on the legislation from Rep. Brandon Potter in March, passed the bill with amendments in a 12-2 vote on Tuesday. Here’s more: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/rhode-island-lawmakers-approve-bill-to-legalize-psilocybin-and-prepare-for-regulated-therapeutic-access/‍

Algernon Pharmaceuticals announced that its subsidiary Algernon NeuroScience (AGN Neuro) successfully completed dosing of the third and final cohort in its escalating dose Phase 1 clinical study of an intravenous formulation of AP-188 (“N,N-Dimethyltryptamine” or “DMT”). AGN Neuro is the world’s first company to investigate DMT for both the treatment of stroke and traumatic brain injury. Check it out: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/06/05/2681818/0/en/Algernon-NeuroScience-Announces-Successful-Completion-of-Highest-Planned-Single-Dose-in-DMT-Phase-1-Trial-Accelerates-Plans-for-Phase-2-Stroke-and-TBI-Studies.html‍

The psychedelics industry got more mainstream media coverage this week with a new piece in Bloomberg that highlighted how US veterans are accelerating the push for psychedelics. It’s a fascinating read, and you can check it out here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-06-05/us-veterans-are-accelerating-the-push-for-psychedelics

Did you know that Italy holds the world record for having carried out the largest number of clinical studies on patients with psilocybin and LSA (a psychedelic substance that is structurally similar to LSD but does not need to be synthesized) during the twentieth century?  

Besides being the birthplace of the Renaissance, Vespa scooters, and Gina Lollobrigida, Italy is also where LSD and LSA (and LSD and psilocybin) were first administered simultaneously, and where LSA was first administered intravenously. Here’s more on Italy’s history of ground-breaking psychedelics research: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20503245231179687