The Psychedelic Renaissance Will Not Be Contained
Psychoactive hallucinogens are making a comeback—and that’s good news for mental health treatment
Psychedelics are primed to go mainstream in 2019. Riding positive media hype and the tentative approval from the cultural elite, industry leaders are starting to bank on the “psychedelic renaissance,” the coolest drug since marijuana. Already embraced by pop culture leaders, such as Joe Rogan and Vice, psychedelics are now receiving the long-awaited endorsement from modern scholars, as evidenced by famed food and botany author Michael Pollan landing his exploration of psychedelics at number one on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. Pollan has put together some of his most in-depth work in recent decades, building on the scientific discoveries of influential researchers with the cultural grounding of famous psychonauts.
Receiving such a calm and measured outlook from Pollan is an important step in the effort to bring psychedelic molecules out from the dark internet forums and silk roads of the online marketplace to the front pages of respectable newspapers and science journals. After 50 years of banishment, these drugs are no longer dismissed. Instead, they’re proving to be a remarkable counter to modern malaise.
