Integrating Psychedelics into American Culture and Law: A Post-Prohibition

Thursday, October 6th, 2022 from 6:00pm-11:00pm PST

Mercury Caffe

2199 California St.

Denver, CO.

Program (PST)

6:00pm: Open doors

6:00 – 7:00pm: Socialization

7:00 – 8:00pm: Panel I

8:00 – 8:30pm: Break

8:30 – 9:30pm: Panel II

9:30 – 11:00pm: Socialization

Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate (Bia Labate) is a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco. She has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her main areas of interest are the study of plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). She is also Adjunct Faculty at the East-West Psychology Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and Visiting Scholar at Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Studies. Additionally, she is Diversity and Inclusion Chair at Veterans of War, member of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board’s Research Subcommittee, and Advisor at the Synthesis Institute and at InnerTrek. Dr. Labate is a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and editor of its site since. She is author, co-author, and co-editor of twenty-five books, two special-edition journals, and several peer-reviewed articles (https://bialabate.net).

Sean T. McAllister is an attorney specializing in the intersection of regulatory and corporate law, and also is an experienced commercial litigator. He has been a leader in the emerging industries of cannabis, hemp, and psychedelic medicines. Sean is licensed to practice law in Colorado and California. His work in psychedelics has included: Advised clients on what is allowed in cities that have decriminalized psychedelics; Advised clients looking to obtain a religious exemption from criminal law for the use of psychedelics under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act; Seeking DEA licensure for companies to manufacture Schedule I drugs lawfully in the United States; Steering committee member on Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act; Executive Officer of the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel, 2020; Chair of the Board of Directors for the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants.

Jamie Beachy PhD, MDiv, is assistant faculty in Wisdom Traditions and co-director of Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Studies. Jamie is an ordained christian minister and buddhist practitioner committed to earth-based and contemplative approaches to professional spiritual care. After completing her clinical chaplaincy training at the University of Washington Medical Center, Jamie served as a chaplain, ACPE educator, and ethics consultant in hospice, palliative care, and trauma contexts in Washington and Colorado. Jamie is certified as a teacher of Cognitively-based Compassion Training through Emory University’s Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion Based Ethics, and currently serves as a therapist with the MAPS MDMA-assisted therapy study site in Boulder, Colorado. Jamie aspires to work with the plant elders to help heal the relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world.

Kevin Matthews is a father, a Denver native, and leading advocate for liberating access to psychedelic plant and fungi medicine nationwide. He is a co-Designated Representative of the Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022, the Coalition Director for Natural Medicine Colorado, and currently serves as the President of the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel. He believes informed personal use and safe access to naturally occurring psychedelics is fundamental to creating a world where people can heal and tap into their fullest gifts and creative potential.

Veronica Lightning Horse Perez is Co/chief proponent of the Natural Medicine Healing Alliance of 2022 in Colorado. She believes awareness, equity and harm reduction in the psychedelic realm is paramount to our relationships with each other, our ability to heal individually and as a community and our shared relationship with our very wounded Mother Earth. She has served in a healing capacity most of her life but only fully stepped into that role for the past decade and is now Certified in 8 different healing modalities. She is called a Medicine Person. She is also an entrepreneur, wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, activist and volunteer. Her mission is to serve in any capacity she is called to, in order to alleviate suffering and help people through their trauma back into their strength and power. She is of mixed Indigenous ancestry, and speaks for herself as a woman of color, not for Indigenous people or any BIPOC community.

Sara Gael is a psychedelic therapist, harm reductionist, and teacher. Sara started working with MAPS in 2012, coordinating psychedelic harm reduction services at festivals and events worldwide with the Zendo Project and serving as the Director of Harm Reduction at MAPS from 2016-2020. She is a therapist for the MAPS clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in Boulder. Sara is the Lead Instructor for the Integrative Psychiatry Institute Psychedelic Therapy Training. Sara serves on the board of directors at DanceSafe and as the Harm Reduction advocate on the city of Denver Psilocybin policy review panel. Sara believes that developing a comprehensive understanding of psychedelic medicines through research and education is essential for the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and the planet

Clancy Cavnar has a doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) from John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, CA. She currently works in private practice in San Francisco, and is Co-Founder and a member of the Board of Directors of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. She is also a research associate of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP). She combines an eclectic array of interests and activities as clinical psychologist, artist, and researcher. She has a master of fine arts in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, a master’s in counseling from San Francisco State University, and she completed the Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She is author and co-author of articles in several peer-reviewed journals and co-editor, with Beatriz Caiuby Labate, of eleven books. For more information see: http://www.drclancycavnar.com

Martha J. Hartney is a private practice attorney in Colorado. She has a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law. Her firm, Hartney Law, is a Boulder favorite, receiving the “Best of the West/Law Firm” award six years in a row. She was named a SuperLawyers Rising Star in 2020 and has published and presented on the art and science of death and dying for more than a decade. Martha is a certified death doula and the first attorney to be admitted to and graduate from the CIIS Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Research program. Martha is also a mediator and has served as a guardian ad litem. She found plant medicines later in life—becoming a drug policy reform advocate after experiencing profound spiritual healing through our plant teachers. She champions the religious use of ayahuasca; and advocates for excellent standards of care, best practices, integration work, and weaving of modern trauma science with the powerful indigenous practices being stewarded into the western world. Martha lives with her partner and has two grown sons. She is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants and the first steward of the Religious Use Subcommittee of the Psychedelic Bar Association.

Bob Otis has over 35 years of direct experience with family, traditional and Western teachers who guide his work with entheogenic sacraments. Bob holds a Master’s in Divinity (University Chicago) and is an ordained Pastor and Chief Garden Steward for Sacred Garden Community. He was founding Chairperson for Decriminalize Nature Oakland, is a co-founder of Chacruna’s Sacred Plant Alliance, and is Chief Sacrament Officer for Mimosa, a Public Benefit Corporation. He is an invited Advisory Committee member to Oregon’s PMHA, California’s SB519, and Colorado’s NMHA decriminalization / legalization policy initiatives.

Devon Phillips helps lead creative strategy for MAPS. There he serves to help bridge communities by cultivating strategies that highlight different cultural touch points. Before joining MAPS, Devon founded a virtual reality software company that was acquired in 2018.

For more information visit our event webpage

Event Venue

Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street, Denver, United States