Black Rainbow

Flowers are probably the way to go. It would be great if you could share any pics, descriptions or links relating to typical flowers for each of these species in this thread

My favourite cannabis covid moment was when this; https://youtu.be/MFzW5Zjxbl4 Turned into this; https://youtu.be/UshEeyv8YZM

The TGA announcement https://www.tga.gov.au/update-psilocybin-and-mdma-scheduling If only the opinions of scientists and the psychedelic community mattered as much as the opinions of wealthy business people.

Doubt it Raver, if you're keen for an alternative an APS event is probably your best event. @Flux?

Can anyone suggest stock for grafting Pseudolithos? Ideally stock that is easily accessible in Australia. Bonus points if you can recommend a vendor.

Great afternoon, thanks everyone

See ya there

Hope to see you guys tomorrow night

I posted the other day about an episode of The Psychedelic Salon podcast that contained an interview with Keeper Trout. I was surprised to hear KT is an advocate for the reintroduction of cultivated Lophophora to some areas. I had the understanding that reintroducing cultivated plants was typically a bad idea, but KT is definitely an authority on the subject so I did a bit of a review of the literature. I couldn’t find much relevant material, at least using the search terms ‘conservation’ and ‘reintroduction’ alongside 'Lophophora' and 'Peyote' in Google Scholar. The one relevant paper I did find is here https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.03.023515v1.full.pdf This paper implies that the ultimate goal of Lophophora conservation is to reintroduce plants to their native habitat, but that more data is needed before moving forward with this to determine appropriate locations and the potential impact. I recently came across this campaign in the Loph Growers Worldwide Facebook group https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-peyote?pc=fb_co_campmgmtbnr_w&rcid=r01-158775808205-d7938f80697644a7&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_lico%2Bbanner&fbclid=IwAR3cGO36eTjTAb2ZeMaC6BTEVZtwO_7qROshlooyxc7uvISHqDLAA0OeKA0 The campaign aims to cultivate Lophophora, both to satisfy a demand that is troubling in-situ populations and to reintroduce in-situ. The Cactus Conservation Institute and Sia: The Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological Initiative, the Piah Puha Kahni, Mother Church of Comanche Native American Church 1918 Charter Association. I’m really interested in in-situ reintroduction of Lophophora. If anyone can suggest further resources so that I can learn more about it, please hook me up!

Just linking some relevant discussion from another thread: No, I don't believe this situation has a parallel with these First Nations Australian issues. As a colonial white person I'm always hesitant to discuss indigenous issues, especially from a different country from the one I reside in, but I respect KT as an expert on this, he has dedicated his life to these plants. I've heard similar arguments being made by Martin Terry, most recently in the Peyote Files series. I'm yet to be convinced conservation is at the heart of the NAC's involvement of this issue.

https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/15-million-for-development-of-innovative-therapies-for-mental-illness?fbclid=IwAR1y7LwCz2oQjmUVm4Ei2mS3oaM1hiJMjciKLO0bv13uKTKGNhOYIeju9eQ Thought this deserved it's own thread. Can't get any detail via the grant portal yet, will update as I learn more.

I'm sure MMA's lobbying has helped make this opportunity occur, I think public attention to psychedelics is the silver lining of their assholery. Fingers crossed MMA will continue to know nothing about science - shouldn't be too hard.

Landrace seems like a bit of a murky concept but I would assume most/all landrace seed is OP, so it is always going to be a lucky dip purchasing such seeds based on the appearance of the mother plant alone. There is a still chance that they will become spineless over time, good luck!

Thanks KT. Those greenhouse plans are making me absolutely salivate...

'Trichocereus Auctions Australia', 'Shaman Australis Botanicals', 'Trichocereus Lophophora & Ariocarpus' and/or 'Australian cactacea buy/sell/swap' might be worth a shot.

The sadistic and voyeuristic version of myself is enjoying watching the psychedelic drama surrounding this upload unfold on social media. One of my favourite parts was where Octavio Rettig stepped into defend Martin in a Facebook post. Octavio also told another commenter who posted about the Octavio controversy to 'prove it'

The first episode in EGA's new webcast series 'Society, Psychiatry & Psychedelics', featuring Dr Nigel Strauss is on tomorrow. Make sure to register before 5pm to get a free ticket. "Psychedelic medicines are finally on the agenda in Australian academic circles, particularly in the areas of psychiatry and psychology. Dr Nigel Strauss will be joining us for a lecture and Q&A to explore the potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. We hope you can join us for some discussion on Australian psychedelic research and the challenges to be faced in the near future." https://www.trybooking.com/BOFVG

This three-part web series joins Dr. Bia Labate on an eye-opening road trip through West Texas to meet Dr. Martin Terry, one of the world’s leading experts on Lophophora williamsii (peyote). Episode 1: https://youtu.be/NYGivLwfCkA In episode one (Peyote Territory) Bia and Martin trek through peyote’s natural habitat and discuss its unusual morphology, psychoactive nature, history of human interest, and Martin’s irrepressible zeal for all things cacti. Martin’s rigorously scientific understanding of peyote’s evolutionary context challenges the mystical assumptions often underpinning the role of its psychoactive properties. Episode 2: https://youtu.be/Y6NZUH-ooNY Returning from the desert to Alpine, Texas, Martin shows Bia the collection of peyote cacti he nurtures and studies in his fortified greenhouse—following strict DEA regulations—and explains the current threats to peyote populations (currently listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN Red List), such as the destruction of peyote’s habitat and the pressures of overharvesting. This series represents a testament to Martin’s tireless conservation efforts and a call to action to recognize and respect the right to exist of this extraordinary cactus, before it’s too late. You can watch the other episodes from this series now using the links below. Also, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing, so our videos can reach an even wider audience! Episode 3: https://youtu.be/9IPaC08gwEc Martin outlines the research and action he is carrying out, along with the Cactus Conservation Institute, to mitigate the threats faced by peyote, including spreading awareness of sustainable harvesting techniques, the impact of frequent, repeat harvesting, and the urgency of cultivation. This series represents a testament to Martin’s tireless conservation efforts and a call to action to recognize and respect the right to exist of this extraordinary cactus, before it’s too late. You can watch the other episodes from this series now using the links below. Also, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing, so our videos can reach an even wider audience!

Wow, what a great watch. Really exciting for me was the accentuation of some of the ethnobotanical politics that I have touched upon elsewhere around the tension between colonial, indigenous people and plant relations. I’m no closer to any conclusion, but the neo-liberal vibes are so strong. Business screws over the peyote population. No one can do shit about this, so consumers begin copping responsibility for solving the problem. Scientists tell indigenous people to change their traditions, psychonauts begin growing threatened lophs. It’s impossible to take on the businesses raping the land so we point the fingers at each other. Fuck you modernity. Glad to see Bia acknowledge that we need a plant-based ethics committee. But what will they have to say about vegans :/

Trucha, could you please help me understand which localities are the most threatened? Is the ‘Taliban’ comment implying that the NAC are focusing on protecting their ability to profit from, rather than conserve, wild peyote populations? Maybe that is too blunt of a statement as the NAC are such an important stakeholder in this… I was unable to find even the title of the Anna/Anya Ermakova’s paper in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, I even searched the archive spreadsheet located at https://www.brit.org/jbrit/archives for ‘Ermakova’, but had no luck. Any suggestions for figuring this out? For those playing along at home the pre-print link is here https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.03.023515v2.full.pdf I also found another piece by Ermakova and Terry on Chacruna in my search, which makes for a lighter read on peyote sustainability https://chacruna.net/a-word-in-edgewise-about-the-sustainability-of-peyote/

Interested in good olives sold online or south east QLD. Any suggestions?

Moogy, sorry for the delay in my reply, somehow I missed your post. I have seen Hamilton’s Loph episode, I enjoyed it but I thought more emphasis could be given to conservation, considering he was effectively publicly promoting peyote harvest. I was pleased to see this conservation slant came out strong in his recent episode on Bufo. I do get a little frustrated at how much easier people seem to care about the lives of animals than the lives of plants though – something about anthropomorphism I expect. Very special plant in your profile pic btw ;)

Thanks so much for your input KT, I’m very grateful to hear from you on this topic. I don’t have enough knowledge of peyote habitat and stakeholders to suggest anything but generic dangers of repopulation – my real motivation for starting this thread was to learn how myself and others on this forum can contribute to Lophophora conservation efforts. Is there any point in community members cultivating particular varieties so that they can contribute to repopulation? Obviously living internationally makes transport complicated – perhaps it would be more practical for members to cultivate these varieties for seed to send back to the Americas than engaging in the politics and effort of sending live plants? Or perhaps our distance and isolation here in Australia means we can’t really contribute in this way. If there is some point to this, how can we source the appropriate seed ethically and ensure provenance? I’ve had my fun with weird inbred Loph genetics, it would be nice to start growing peyote for conservation purposes rather than then just personal interest and monetary value.