Volunteer, Robert Hoberg, holding a copy of ‘Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs’ at the Synergetic Booth.
The First of its Kind
We were delighted to attend the first-ever conference related to the medicinal and therapeutic properties of psychoactive substances in the state of Arizona: The Arizona Psychedelics Conference! The conference, hosted by Entheogenic Research Awareness (ERA) at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) at the University of Tempe, Arizona, took place February 8-10th 2019. While there, we met and connected with many like-minded and inspiring people who are dedicated to furthering the discussion on this important topic.
The 3-day event featured over 40 speakers including, among many others, Bia Labate, Brad Burge, Joe Moore, Mike Magolies, Kyle Buller, and Joe Tafur. The lineup was far-ranging and diverse, with speakers from varied backgrounds and disciplines such as anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience in addition to therapeutic practitioners, indigenous healers, herbalists, and veterans. Among the specific substances discussed were MDMA, cannabis, ayahuasca, ibogaine, psilocybin, 5-meo-DMT, kambo, peyote, ketamine, and San Pedro cactus . While the therapeutic use and potential risks of these visionary plant medicines and psychoactive substances was the focus of many workshops, attendees also had the opportunity to discuss important issues related to the responsible use of psychedelics in modern societies in workshops on issues of cultural appropriation, ecological sustainability, and healthcare as a human right.
A Revolution in Medicine
As the general public and medical practitioners become more aware of the age-old use of psychoactive substances as tools of spiritual and mental well-being, many previously stigmatized substances are increasingly viewed as valuable to our future growth and development. Conferences like this provide a beneficial opportunity for enthusiasts and experts to come together to expand their knowledge in order to continue to work with these powerful substances from an informed standpoint.
Congratulations are in order to the event organizers, Amanda and Raymond Ryskowski, for their massive personal efforts to make this inspired dream a reality. The event itself was so well-received, both by members of the university’s medical faculty and the general public, that it sold out quickly and more tickets had to be issued to enable more people to attend and learn about this growing field of research. We expect that this was the first in a succession of ‘Arizona Psychedelic Conferences’, and we look forward to being at more in futures to come!
Interested in learning more? Check out the conference video below, queued to the section in which our publisher, Deborah Snyder, discusses some of our featured titles:
About the Organizers
The conference was hosted by Entheogenic Research Awareness (ERA), a student-run organization based at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) at the University of Tempe, Arizona. ERA is led by Amanda Ryskowski and Elliot Zyglis. ERA’s vision is to help create a new paradigm for healthcare which honors indigenous peoples and their knowledge of the natural world, integrating such understanding with the highest standards of evidence-based medicine. Their focus is to educate medical professionals and the general public about entheogens, and their potential applications in medicine through the integration of traditional uses alongside the current research on these powerful substances.
Check @ERA.SCNM out on Facebook to keep up-to-date with their future events.
