Breaking the silences and delving deeper into the culture of avoidance within the psychedelics community regarding allegations against Ben Sessa.

“The idea of ‘giving the drug war more arguments to exist’ is a common retort in the psychedelics world used to shut down people who speak about abuses.” - Kayla Greenstein

This quote hits home, highlighting how discussions about misconduct and abuses are often met with dismissal or defensiveness.

You may have noticed comments that give themselves away, appearing within threads, sometimes on posts as old as 4-5 years. These comments are often vague, generic, and slightly personable, appearing under a person's comment with their name tagged as a personal response, as though they are referring you to their buddy/dealer. Facebook groups seem to be set up for the sole purpose of establishing these purported ‘psychedelic marketplaces.’

As Dr Stephen Bright points out, ‘This decision makes Australia the first country in the world to recognise MDMA and Psilocybin as medicines.’ This means people who would benefit from these therapies have a chance at accessing them through legal channels.

Read on to learn the facts of the TGA decision as well as the implications for patients and people who use psilocybin and MDMA in non-clinical settings.