Contemporary Issues & Challenges Facing Australian Psychedelic Users and Community
This panel will bring together members of The Australian Psychedelic Society together with the EGA attendees, to explore the evolving issues that psychedelic users and various intersecting communities, currently face. It will focus on safety, legal, ethical, cultural, economic, spiritual, equity, justice and access issues alongside harm reduction gaps.
In 2023, Australia became the first country to allow the prescription of MDMA & psilocybin for PTSD and depression. Despite this re-scheduling of psychedelics, the reality & perception of the legal implications remains ambiguous, patchy and inconsistent. Venture capitalist pharmaceutical companies are steering the legislative narrative and issues of accessibility, safety, who benefits and who remains excluded, are ever pertinent.
The TGA change is not the central topic here, however it has created a FALSE public perception that psychedelics are entirely legal now. Clinical psychedelic therapy is mostly superfluous to the people excluded by their medical commodification and who still risk ongoing criminalisation. This point provides an impetus for deeper and more nuance topics of discussion, thus our panel will address a myriad of other issues.
As pill-testing finally expands across the country, a need for education around of re-agent test kit use at home remains as well as the need for fixed-testing sites. Ongoing social media warning systems are vital and have been bolstered by the new app Night Coach. Increased harms from heavy and continuous nitrous oxide use have made headlines without vital information on how to mitigate potential neurological damage.
Several high profile tragedies have occurred since the last EGA. Recent deaths involving Kambo at NSW retreats have occurred from what appears to be lack of medical care a/o reluctance to call emergency services. Underground ceremonies being held by people presenting themselves as experienced beyond their abilities and hiding their highly unethical pasts have come to our attention., Reports have surfaced of cases where victims were lured to apartments on the Gold Coast under the guise of shamanic healing, drugged unconscious and sexually abused. The somewhat mysterious death from psilocin at a recent VIC healing circle shocked many ! WLP research and education is ongoing, with the challenge being to reach the broader community. Safe practices for ceremony, ethical guidelines & red flags for practitioners/attendees will be addressed.
As more people turn to psychedelics for healing, spiritual insight, or self-exploration, many do so without adequate support networks: undergoing these experiences alone, or attending supervised sessions and being left to their own devices afterwards. Access to experienced, culturally competent, affordable, and non-judgmental integration support services is limited (though gradually growing). This provides opportunity to discuss emerging community-led solutions, peer support models, and harm-reduction strategies.
Psychedelic mainstreaming has outpaced public education, leading to an influx of content that may glamorise them as a panacea or trivialise them as entirely harmless. While these substances hold promise for many mental health conditions, they also carry risks, particularly for individuals with certain psychological vulnerabilities or contraindicated medications. The importance of balanced education, informed consent, and a nuanced understanding of set and setting in mitigating harm will be explored as response.
Lack of awareness around psychedelic preparation poses serious risks with mental health screening, and aftercare too often overlooked by retreats. Individuals face many risks for their first experiences and there are increased presentations to emergency services, as well as increased outright scamming online. Community-based initiatives, such as peer support networks, chill-tents at festivals, and grassroots, remote trip-sitting initiatives play a critical role in their specific contexts, but much of this knowledge needs to reach isolated individuals.
As a longstanding APS volunteer, panel convener Jeff Baker aims to bring experienced voices from the Australian Psychedelic Society with expertise in harm-reduction, research, policy, advocacy and social work, to spark a deep conversation about the issues most affecting us all and how we might meet these arising challenges. Through this panel discussion, we hope to foster a wide dialogue, offer helpful tools and resources, and inspire voices to come forward and share lived experiences and offer suggestions for a more ethical, equitable, and informed psychedelic ecosystem.
Panellists:
Sam Douglas - Sam is an APS lead working on policy and procedures, as well as forming partnerships with other organisations. He is also an academic philosopher, teaching critical thinking and professional ethics at University.
Darryl Greensill - Darryl has been involved in psychedelic harm reduction and advocacy with the APS since 2018. He has a strong commitment to the autonomy of consciousness with experience in community justice and social work.
Antanika Hoberg - Antanika is the (outgoing) President of the APS and has a commitment to creating a safe, stigma-free environment for others seeking psychedelic healing. Antanika also works in Psychedelic Integration Support and is a Consumer Board advisor for Monarch Mental Health Group.
