Pharmacological Dystopia: A Critique Of The Commodification Of Psychedelics / David Nickles

David Nickles—Managing Editor of Psymposia, underground researcher, and harm reduction advocate—joins me to discuss the ongoing commodification, medicalization, and corporatization of psychedelics and the intersections between the far right, conspirituality, and psychedelia. 

Psychedelics have gone mainstream. With major corporate interests now pushing for the legalization and commodification of psychedelic compounds in the US and abroad, David, along with his colleagues at Psymposia, have been critiquing the various claims these well-funded groups have been making in their effort to profit off the normalization and broader public acceptance of these controlled substances. In this interview, I ask him to elaborate on the various issues he has raised in his work, including the various forms of misinformation that have been presented to the public about the efficacy of psychedelic therapy in treating metal health disorders, particularly within the broader socioeconomic context we currently live under. Also, we discuss the intersections between psychedelia and the far right, using the Capitol siege as a jumping off point into this subject.

Bio:

David Nickles’ work focuses on the social and cultural implications of psychoactive substances, utilizing critical theory and structural analysis to examine the intersections of drugs and society. He is a vocal opponent of the mainstreaming and commodification of psychedelic compounds and rituals, believing that such approaches inherently obscure the liberatory potential of psychedelic experiences.

Episode Notes:

Learn more about David and follow him on Twitter @D__Nickles

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The song featured is “beforeigo_” by Knxwledge from the album VGM's . PRT_1