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The Corroboree

Black Rainbow

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Posts posted by Black Rainbow

  3. Posted · Edited by Wile E. Peyote

    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' :bong:

     

  4. Posted

    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
    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    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 :/

  6. Posted


    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: 


    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:

    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:

    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!

    • Like 1

  7. Posted · Edited by Wile E. Peyote

    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/

  8. Posted

    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 ;)

  9. Posted

    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.

  12. Posted

    The progress is still happening, don't worry Slocombe! Phase 3 trials of psychedelic assisted psychotherapies should be complete within 12 months. This evidence will really get things moving.

     

    If it's any consolation, if this change went ahead the cost would have been so prohibitive that only the most fortunate could access these therapies, kind of like cannabis in Aus but probably even more pricey. What this proposed amendment did achieve is promotion of psychedelics on a national scale, and I'm grateful for this. It's been a long fight but we're slowly getting there. Don't give up! 

    • Like 2

  13. Posted · Edited by Wile E. Peyote

    Also not to be a hater but I don't think MMA are really 'championing' research. They paid for the TGA to consider rescheduling even though it was obvious to any experienced researcher or healthcare practitioner there was insufficient clinical data (no completed phase 3 trials) for the change. They've thrown a little bit of money at some other people's research and while they use terms like science and evidence it seems all they are really interested in is getting more people to buy their overpriced and underdeveloped training program and to otherwise position themselves to profit from psychedelic liberalisation. 

    I appreciate that the actions of MMA have helped make psychedelics more prominent in Australian public discourse, but a lot of their behaviour is very concerning and I am worried they could bring the movement into disrepute. They've lied and defamed great people who have been working for psychedelic reform for years and pissed off just about every stakeholder in the scene. They are dictators, and are not open to debate, or critical perspectives. To top it off their board director is a racist covidiot. Yuck.

     

    Supporting MMA is not supporting psychedelic research. If this is important to you, support PRISM or MAPS! 

    • Like 4

  16. Posted · Edited by Wile E. Peyote

    Awesome, thanks Boof! I'll get some and share my review :D

    I really like the chili olives from the deli at Woolworths, but I feel there has to be locals that do it better, cheaper and more ethically.

  21. Posted · Edited by Wile E. Peyote

    The NPWS senior conservation officer myself and others have been in contact with regarding courtii holds a PhD and has 20+ publications – I think it is safe to say she is a scientist! Perhaps resource limitations were the reason she expressed the view that illegal ex situ courtii offered some conservation benefits.

     

    I’m not sure the hybridisation issue has really come to a head with courtii yet, although that is surely a possibility for the future. A vast majority of ex situ courtii has been grown from seed harvested from the in situ population and I estimate there are currently less than 20 ex situ plants that are producing seed. I think a monitoring or cataloguing system would be useful to have in place before seed starts appearing everywhere and things get really messy.

     

    If cultivators were interested in becoming licensed this could perform a similar function to cataloguing, as this produces some record of lineage. On that note, if any courtii cultivators are reading this and would like to pursue a growers licence please get in touch. Myself, the NPWS employee in question and the NPWS licensing team are all happy to try and work through this process with you. If we were successful, you would be the first legal distributor in the country! The few cultivators I have approached about this have not shown much interest so far.

     

    I agree fyzygy, I think establishing ex situ populations is still a worthwhile endeavour. If the aim is to contribute to conservation, an ability to trace the provenance of your propagation material, either through genetic analysis or simply by keeping track of where your material has come from, is particularly important. If your population sets seed it would be important to share provenance with anyone you give the seed to, as well as information regarding other nearby Acacia and potential hybridisation.

  22. Posted

    Don't wear tie dye, hide your dreads, carry a camera. Shit, if you're really concerned wear a collared shirt. Take a backpack and keep your finds in there, rather than out in the open. 

     

    Pick a variety of mushrooms, or at least learn the names of a few that you can list when you discuss your mycological interest. 

     

    I think the odds of 5-0 being knowing anything detailed about fungus are very low, so if you don't fit their stereotype of a 'druggo' and say a bunch of complex mushroom information I'm sure they'll get bored of you quick...

    • Like 4

  23. Posted

    I don’t want to encourage wild harvesting, but I guess I see this issue with a few more shades of grey. ‘Resist the urge’ feels a bit like ‘just say no’ - my concern is that this type of messaging misses an opportunity to have a compromise type influence on people that won’t or can’t stop wild harvesting, i.e. rather than cutting down trees, collect fallen twigs and phyllodes.
     

    I also think leaving conservation solely to ‘professionals’ misses an opportunity for collaboration and discounts the important work of hobbyists and lay people. The divide between community cultivators of courtii and National Parks and Wildlife Service is an example. NPWS are not able to condone this cultivation as it is technically illegal, but they have also (privately) expressed hopes that this illegal conservation offers an additional protection to the wild population. Furthermore, I think these cultivators have greatly advanced propagation techniques that could be of use to NPWS and their conservation efforts in the future. These community efforts could be improved with some kind of database and tracking, alongside more organisation and planning with the involvement of diverse stakeholders, of course. Community contributions could also have a lot to offer in contexts like Loph in Mexico, where there are incredibly limited public resources being contributed to conservation.
     

    Again, please don’t interpret me as encouraging wild harvest of anything, I’m just really interested in the murky nuances around these issues.

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