The Legality of Psychedelic Therapy with Courtney Barnes
My unofficial Vital Study Zine #9 with observations from Vital Psychedelic Training and recent happenings in the space
NO. 63 by Norbert Schoerner from Gallery 46
This week Vital students heard from hero lawyer Courtney Barnes of Barnes Caplan LLC, state policy advisor for Decriminalize Nature, and associate attorney at Denver cannabis specialists Vicente Sederberg LCC.
When Brits now based in the USA visit me in London nowadays, they’ll chuckle “I forgot weed is still illegal here!” as if that’s quaint and amusing. So I spent most of this week checking out UK legislation and musing on that. Muse upon this week’s insights including the opening of the world’s first psychedelic ‘amazement park’ in my home town of Bristol, where Ben Sessa’s Awakn just secured UK government funding and a green light for Celia Morgan’s addiction treatment using ketamine in North America.
Psychedelic attorney Courtney Barnes. I only use lawyers who wear Pucci, personally
I did pick up: in the US and undoubtedly here in the UK, you can get busted for supply for leading a ceremony even if you’re not the actual supplier, although ‘duty of care’ legally obliges professionals to point enquiring patients towards the safest route to psychedelic experience they know of. Any kind of illegal activity whatsoever is unthinkable for any professional in a US state where psychedelics remain illegal. “I’m a member of my local emergency services and can’t possibly get involved in anything beyond the law,” said one Vital student.
Screening potential voyagers, ideally via a spoken reference is highly recommended. From a licensed US facilitator: “My clients come from two close and respected community sources. Many have experience from their youth and would like to undertake a significant, intentional experience for the right, realistic reasons, in the forest, with someone trained to look after them.” Interestingly, when this Vital student evaluated possible experients he covered all the bases recommended for both the legal treatment he was licensed in his state of residence to provide, and the canny, no-stone-unturned, word-of-mouth recommendations for underground practitioners.
Next issue: Kylea Taylor charts a path through the ethical warpstorm of psychedelic therapy
Savvy brits are sussed to self-care and change is happening. But the vulnerable are being left behind.