2023 Psychedelic Predictions
Am I too late on this? I don’t think so.
The psychedelic space is changing and growing rapidly, and welcoming a ton of new faces. Hi, I’m one of them! I’m a freelance writer who started working in the psychedelics space in 2022, which isn’t long, but it’s been long enough for me to see a bit of what’s going on and come up with some predictions for the future. What does 2023 have in store for the psychedelics world? This is what’s on my bingo card. I don’t know if I’m that much of an insider, but I’m definitely not an outsider. Check back at the end of the year to see how many I got right.
A serious effort to send people on psychedelics to space
This article made the rounds last year, but I think they’re really going to do it. And why not? Sounds pretty cool to me.
More growth of the psychedelic grey market
Psychedelics are entering the mainstream with a bang. Canadians already have dozens of magic mushroom brands and shops to choose from — some of which have been in operation for years. Not everyone can afford to or even wants to go on a retreat or seek a therapeutic experience. Why even leave the house when we can get Shroom Bros delivered right to our doors? The rise of psychedelics in mainstream will push people to search for the products. The lack of legal products will send some people to the grey market, whether that be online shops, medicinal mushroom stores, or confusing magic mushroom dispensaries (that are sometimes raided, sometimes not).
Attempts at legalization in Vancouver
BC has always been ahead of the game when it comes to drug law reform, and they’ve already decriminalized psychedelics. I think we’ll see a definite push for total legalization in the city, if not the province, by the end of the year.
The rise of the psychedelic influencer
How long before the psychedelic influencer’s voice has more weight than a seasoned reporter, scientist, or mycologist and they’re invited to speaking gigs at psychedelic conferences? And who gets to be an influencer? A 21-year-old TikToker with a DMT pen or basic understanding of microdosing, or an author sharing their story? Wasn’t Paul Stamets, like, the OG mushroom influencer? Is that a fair statement? I guess we’ll find out who’s who by Wonderland Miami 2023.
Magic mushroom growth kits
This isn’t really new — magic mushroom growth kits have been around for a long time. In fact, I have one of these at home, but I think soon we’ll see these kits being sold from the same brands that sell regular mushroom grow kits online. I think the conversation around growing shrooms will become louder. This goes hand in hand with another prediction — I think as the psychedelic industry continues to expand and become more and more corporate and regulated, those who feel left behind might want to connect more to their psychedelics and take a bigger interest in growing their own shrooms or even making their own DMT. You know what would be next? Psychedelic influencer magic mushroom growth kits.
More psychedelic events
Ready for more conferences? I sure am — I love them. We’ll probably be seeing more and more business, culture, and science-focused conferences centred on psychedelics worldwide as the mainstream conversation gets louder and louder. I’m not the only one who thinks so.
A boom for Amanita muscaria
This mushroom already got a lot of traction last year when everyone realized that the Alice in Wonderland fungus is completely legal in most places (sorry, Louisiana). The high has been described as “distressing,” but many other people claim to have had healing effects from it. I think we’ll see a rise in people consuming and talking about more “obscure” psychedelics in 2023 as they try to push the envelope more and more. I covered the Amanita last year here and here, and I plan to take it and offer a trip report in the next few months.
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Thanks for tuning in. I’m Sofie Mikhaylova, a freelance travel and psychedelics writer and explorer, among other things. Feel free to follow me on here, on Instagram, or LinkedIn to see where I am in the world and what I’m up to. I also have a weekly newsletter called Sofieland that is a bit more personal than this blog, which will mostly exist to host ideas for articles around psychedelics, wellness, travel, and the underground that weren’t able to find a home with another publisher.
Thanks for reading. I’m glad you’re here.
