Plus Three

Plus Three

70 episodes

Plus Three dives deep into the world of drugs, from local decriminalization and emerging psychedelic corporations to leftist politics and mass incarceration. Each week the team and guests attempt to make sense of the complex connections between drugs, science, capitalism, policy, and culture.

What's a year of Psymposia worth to you?

Dec, 29, 2021
Dear Plus Three listeners,    Thanks so much for your continued support throughout the year. We couldn't do it without y'all. Psymposia is a small 501(c)(3) non-profit entirely funded by people who believe in our work. We're a volunteer organization and 100% of the funds we raise go into...

Power Tripping #4: Bad Hug

Dec, 26, 2021
Many people are familiar with MK-ULTRA, the CIA's illegal human experimentation program, which involved psychedelics and resulted in torture techniques that have since been used at CIA black sites around the world. What if someone tried to tell you these techniques were, in fact, a novel therapy...

Power Tripping #3: I Am the Wolf

Dec, 19, 2021
Michael Pollan, Tim Ferriss, Gabor Maté, and a number of other "thought leaders" have offered glowing endorsements of Françoise Bourzat and her approach to training psychedelic guides. However, amidst the wave of allegations and revelations about Bourzat, her husband Aharon Grossbard, and their...

Power Tripping #2: That's an Old Story

Dec, 12, 2021
Power Tripping is Psymposia's weekly deep-dive into New York Magazine's Cover Story: Power Trip podcast, co-produced with Psymposia.   The Psymposia team, discusses how the "Psychedelic Community" responded to T's abuse of Lily in the Ecuadorian Amazon and her attempts to call attention to the...

Power Tripping #1: I See a Sh*tshow

Dec, 05, 2021
Power Tripping is Psymposia's weekly deep-dive into New York Magazine's Cover Story: Power Trip podcast, co-produced with Psymposia. This week, Lily Kay Ross introduces the Psymposia team, all of whom have been working on a variety of projects in addition to supporting the research and release of...

#45 - Part Two: Digital Capitalism on Psychedelics with Emma Stamm

Sep, 08, 2021
In part two of our conversation with Villanova visiting professor of philosophy Emma Stamm, we discuss the "psychedelic industry's" increasing fixation on digital capitalism. Looking at apps like MyDelica and hardware like Kernel's brain-scanning helmet, we discuss how the social implications of...

#44 - Part One: Talking Acid Communism with Emma Stamm

Aug, 12, 2021
In part one of our conversation with Villanova visiting professor of philosophy Emma Stamm, we discuss Mark Fisher’s Acid Communism, leftist thought in psychedelia, Jacques Derrida’s hauntology, and Byung-Chul Han’s Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New Technologies of Power. Co-hosts:...

#43 - Part Two: Dave Rubin Courts Right-Wing Psychedelic Billionaire Christian Angermayer

Aug, 05, 2021
In Part Two, the crew continues their break down of Atai Life Sciences' founder and COMPASS Pathways investor Christian Angermayer's recent appearance on right-wing YouTuber Dave Rubin's "The Rubin Report." Co-hosts: Brian Normand, Neşe Devenot, David Nickles, Brian Pace, Russell Hausfeld, Sarvesh...

#42 - Part One: Dave Rubin Courts Right-Wing Psychedelic Billionaire Christian Angermayer

Jul, 29, 2021
In Part One, the crew breaks down Atai Life Sciences' founder and COMPASS Pathways investor Christian Angermayer's recent appearance on right-wing YouTuber Dave Rubin's "The Rubin Report." Co-hosts: Brian Normand, Neşe Devenot, David Nickles, Brian Pace, Russell Hausfeld, Sarvesh Ramprakash....

#41 - We (Still) Hope Michael Pollan Changes His Mind

Jul, 22, 2021
The crew reviews Michael Pollan’s recent New York Times Op-Ed "How Should We Do Drugs Now?”   Co-hosts: Neşe Devenot, Brian Normand, David Nickles, Brian Pace. Editor: Matt Payne   Additional links:    Michael Pollan: Not So Fast on Psychedelic Mushrooms | New York Times   #1 - We Hope...

#40 - Part Two: Has Atai Taken the Psychedelic Throne from MAPS? (The Murderous Dictator Episode)

Jul, 20, 2021
In Part Two Normie, Dave, Russell, and Sarvesh continue their conversation about Atai Life Sciences and how the introduction of for-profit psychedelic pharmaceutical corporations have shifted capital away from non-profits. This episode gets extra wacky and dark as they dive into Atai Founder &...

#39 - Part One: Has Atai Life Sciences Taken the Psychedelic Throne From MAPS?

Jul, 15, 2021
Brian Normand, David Nickles, and Russell Hausfeld are joined by new team member, Sarvesh Ramprakash, to discuss Atai Life Sciences' recent IPO on Nasdaq. They also discuss and provide updates on Russell's previous 2020 report exploring how the introduction of for-profit psychedelic pharmaceutical...

#38 - Part Two: The Psychedelic Capitalism Debate That Wasn't

Jul, 07, 2021
In Part Two, the Psymposia crew continues to deconstruct a conversation between two self-described entrepreneurs who recently discussed psychedelics and medicalization during an event called Psychedelic Capitalism with Alexander Beiner [Rebel Wisdom] and Lars Wilde [COMPASS Pathways, Atai Life...

#37 - Part One: The Psychedelic Capitalism Debate That Wasn't

Jul, 01, 2021
The Psymposia crew deconstructs a conversation between two self-described entrepreneurs who recently discussed psychedelics and medicalization during an event called Psychedelic Capitalism with Alexander Beiner [Rebel Wisdom] and Lars Wilde [COMPASS Pathways, Atai Life Sciences]— while studiously...

#36 - Part Two: Ioan Grillo - Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels

May, 12, 2021
Ioan Grillo is a journalist who has reported on the Mexican Drug War and cartel violence for the last 20 years. His books include "El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency,” "Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America,” and "Blood Gun Money: How...

#35 - Part One: Ioan Grillo - Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels

May, 12, 2021
Ioan Grillo is a journalist who has reported on the Mexican Drug War and cartel violence for the last 20 years. His books include "El Narco: Inside Mexico's Criminal Insurgency,” "Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America,” and "Blood Gun Money: How...

#34 - Psychedelic Anarchy with Thought Slime

Apr, 15, 2021
Psymposia sits down with Thought Slime to chat about carving out a leftist space in psychedelia. Co-hosts: Neşe Devenot, David Nickles, Brian Pace, Russell Hausfeld. Editor: Matt Payne   Support us on Patreon or make a tax-deductible donation Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/NoIX8Gj30HQ ...

#33 - Queering psychedelics and tripping out on gender with Jae Sevelius

Mar, 24, 2021
Psymposia advisory board member and psychedelic researcher, Jae Sevelius, joins us to talk about queer theory, psychedelic research with transgender and gender diverse people, and what happens when political assumptions go unexamined in both research contexts and the world at large. Drawing on the...

#32 - It's All Red Flags: 5-MeO-DMT with Dr. Martin Ball

Mar, 18, 2021
Psymposia editors discuss Dr. Martin Ball’s “session info” document that the retired 5-MeO-DMT practitioner sent to Psymposia. Dr. Ball has referenced the document in defense of his practices and cites it as evidence that his clients consented to him touching their genitals or vomiting on them...

#31 - Alex Zaitchik on Degrowth and Big Pharma

Feb, 11, 2021
Psymposia Advisory Board member Alex Zaitchik drops in to chat about his work and experiences as an investigative journalist with a critical analysis of capitalism. Alex has covered topics ranging from the effects of extractive industry on Indigenous communities, to the existential need for...