This introduction from Anjali Vats’ book, The Color of Creatorship, gives a brief overview of how intellectual property law continues to be shaped around whiteness and colonialist ideals. She discusses the issues of race and lack of diversity that are present when looking at intellectual property laws and opens up the conversation for people to confront and discuss unjust racial hierarchies.

This article exposes the dark realities of the commercialization and globalization of substances. Indigenous communities in Latinoamerica face an increasing struggle to rightfully access natural resources due to the fight for territory between illicit drug traffickers. Many Indigenous people have lost their lives, and the media has done little to talk about these issues. Diana Negrin gives examples and also explains parallels between these issues and substance problems faced in the U.S.

Dr. Monnica Williams, Dr. Darron Smith, Dr. NiCole Buchanan, and Cristie Strongman, members of Chacruna’s Racial Equity and Access Committee and leading researchers and...

The roots of Mazatec shamanism, widely recognized for ritual use of psilocybin mushrooms, extend to the ancient Mesoamerican tradition.

In this personal account, Reilly Capps recounts his experience doing Ayahuasca and the way he grappled with understanding Shipibo wisdom through a White American lens. When reading the book Ayahuasca Healing and Science, he came across an interview between Bia Labate and Adam Andros Aronovich which shifted his understanding of Shipibo knowledge.

This excerpt from the book Palabra de remedio y otras historias de yagé (Word of Remedy and other Yagé Stories), by Carlos Miguel Gómez, is a narrative example of the intercultural relationships and practices that have occurred surrounding the historical use of Yagé, which is a sacred brew, better known as “ayahuasca” in Amazonian culture.

This community letter is written in response to recent allegations that have been made regarding abuse of power by therapists. In the letter there is a discussion surrounding what abuses of power entail, the repercussions of these types of situations, steps that can and must be taken to ensure an ethical future for psychedelic practice, and resources in regards to these situations.

Through an understanding of significant histories, social justice issues, and ideas presented by psychedelic thought leaders such as Aldous Huxley and Humphrey Osmond, this anthology focuses on the potentials of psychedelics in providing insight to individuals and the collective whole so that we may make an attempt at a social justice revolution and work through inequalities more thoroughly.

NiCole T. Buchanan uses the new Chacruna anthology, Psychedelic Justice: Creating a Socially Just Psychedelic Renaissance, edited by Beatriz C. Labate and Clancy Cavnar, to reflect upon the nuance and meaning of the term “psychedelic justice.” For Buchan-nan, psychedelic justice is of increasing importance as we see psychedelics gain wide-spread acceptance and recognition for their radical healing potentials in that with social justice in mind we have the ability to address intersectionality, and dismantle multi-generational paradigms of op-pression.

On the 500th year commemoration of the fall of Mexico-Tenochtitlán, this article recounts the destruction of the Aztec empire. This history is often overlooked when discussing the use of sacred plants today. We reflect on these roots as a way to understand how cycles of colonization have affected indigenous peoples and their traditions.