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Psychedelic Capitalism
Psychedelics have long been sanctioned as dangerous substances. Today, psychedelics are enjoying a new found appeal, even being idealized as wonder drugs. As part of the so-called psychedelic renaissance, reports abound about the benefits of these substances for remedying individual mental health issues and bringing about social change.
Offering a critical view of these developments, Psychedelic Capitalism locates this renaissance in the context of corporate capture, medicalization, and the war on drugs. Wealthy entrepreneurs are investing billions in the psychedelics industry. Biotechnology firms are racing to capture intellectual property and monopolize psychedelic supply chains. Venture capitalists are leveraging the prospects of a lucrative mass market. Together, these actors are appropriating Indigenous knowledge and claiming ownership over substances that have been in the public domain for centuries.
Brownlee and Walby ask if corporations and the medical establishment are suited to steward the mainstreaming of psychedelics, raising concerns with how the psychedelic renaissance is entrenching systems of inequality, limiting access and affordability, and increasing the reach of drug war surveillance and criminalization. Interrogating the consequences of psychedelic capitalism, the authors point to what could be gained from a just and equitable psychedelic future rooted in the public interest.
Offering a critical view of these developments, Psychedelic Capitalism locates this renaissance in the context of corporate capture, medicalization, and the war on drugs. Wealthy entrepreneurs are investing billions in the psychedelics industry. Biotechnology firms are racing to capture intellectual property and monopolize psychedelic supply chains. Venture capitalists are leveraging the prospects of a lucrative mass market. Together, these actors are appropriating Indigenous knowledge and claiming ownership over substances that have been in the public domain for centuries.
Brownlee and Walby ask if corporations and the medical establishment are suited to steward the mainstreaming of psychedelics, raising concerns with how the psychedelic renaissance is entrenching systems of inequality, limiting access and affordability, and increasing the reach of drug war surveillance and criminalization. Interrogating the consequences of psychedelic capitalism, the authors point to what could be gained from a just and equitable psychedelic future rooted in the public interest.
342 pages, Paperback
Published May 6, 2025
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January 15, 2026capitalism ruins everything part 1 million!!!
June 26, 2025
everyone involved in the psychedelic world should read this book
March 7, 2026
such an awesome read that brings such hard data it's unbelievable. very admirable to put this body of information and research together, I think it's something the psychedelic field/community has needed for a long time.
the amount of information they bring to the table along with anecdotal tails that are told we're enough for me to heavily reconsider some of my stances on psychedelics. a wonderful piece for conversation
the amount of information they bring to the table along with anecdotal tails that are told we're enough for me to heavily reconsider some of my stances on psychedelics. a wonderful piece for conversation
August 9, 2026
As far as recent coverage on the psychedelic renaissance goes, this book knocks it out of the park. The picture that the authors present challenges the neoliberal paradigm that figureheads such as Michael Pollan (whom I once revered) put forward, and infuse the discourse on psychedelics with a much needed critical lens.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews