The killing of George Floyd has once again put the spotlight on the ongoing systemic issues of racial injustice, police violence, and criminalization of marginalized BIPOC communities. The psychedelic community must stand in solidarity with wider activism for collective liberation, including and extending far beyond ending the war on drugs.

Where do we go from here? How do we build a better, more equitable and caring future?

Part 1: History of the Drug War, Colonization, & Racism (June 20)

First we'll look at the history to understand how we got to this moment and how we can advocate for policy that repairs the harms of the past, from colonization to the drug war and modern policing.

Featuring Camille Barton, Neill Franklin, Mohawk Greene, & moderated by Kwasi Adusei

Part 2: Decolonization, Collective Liberation, & Intersectional Solidarity (July 4)

How do we embody decolonization at the individual and collective level? On “Independence Day,” we’ll offer a roadmap via the intersections of Indigenous rights, intergenerational healing, and environmental, migrant, and racial justice.

Each utilizing a harm reduction lens, join psychedelic psychotherapist Danielle Herrera, decarceration strategist Paula Kahn, researcher Yarelix Estrada, and community educator Mohawk Greene as moderator.

Part 3: Defunding Police & Ending Prohibition (July 25)

What does the world look like after ending prohibition and all its systems of harm, including over-policing, surveillance, and mass incarceration?

What do the new systems look like, including restorative/transformative justice and reparations for drug war victims?

What can we learn from recent protests and Black Lives Matter?

How can the psychedelic community support the transition?

Featuring Kassandra Frederique, Roman Haferd, Neill Franklin, & moderated by Ifetayo Harvey

Part 4: Challenges & Opportunities of Psychedelic Therapy Within the System (August 8)

How do we make psychedelic healing accessible to people of color and marginalized communities in an ethical way? What are the blind spots in protocols designed by white-only practitioners? What are the pros and cons of psychedelic medicalization? To what extent is working within the system effective and transformative vs playing into harmful structures?

Featuring Sara Reed in conversation with Ismail Ali

Camille Barton (they/them) is an artist, writer and somatic educator, working on the intersections of wellness, drug policy and transformative justice. Camille is the director of The Collective Liberation Project and the creator of a trauma informed approach to diversity and decolonization work that centres the body and lived experience. They are also an advisor for MAPS, ensuring that MDMA psychotherapy will be accessible to communities of colour, most harmed by the war on drugs.

Neill Franklin (he/him) is Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP, formerly Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) and a retired Major of the Maryland State and Baltimore City Police Departments. Following the tragic murder of his close friend, Corporal Ed Toatley, while making an undercover drug buy, Neill resolved to reform failed drug war policies.

Mohawk Greene (they/them) is an Outreach Coordinator for DanceSafe, President of New York DanceSafe, and the Technical Program Manager at NEXT Distro. They organize and oversee harm reduction, health & safety outreach in festival and nightlife settings, give lectures, collaborate with drug reform agencies such as Drug Policy Alliance, and, through their page MohawkTheEducator on social media, spread awareness on topics related to harm reduction and drug policy.

Kwasi Adusei (he/him) is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and the Founder of the Psychedelic Society of Western New York, out of which he developed a local psychedelic harm reduction organization. Kwasi is a trainee of the MAPS sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and was part of the first ever therapists of color cohort.

Danielle M.📷 Herrera, MA, MFT (she/her), is a mixed-indigenous Harm Reduction Psychotherapist with Harm Reduction Therapy Center on their community programs team in San Francisco and a Psychedelic Psychotherapist with Sage Institute in Oakland, the first ever low-fee/sliding-scale psychedelic therapy clinic prioritizing access to those with historical inaccess to psychedelic integration and medicines.

Paula Kahn (she/they) is Decarceration Strategist at Freedom for Immigrants and co-founder of Cosmovisiones Ancestrales, a pan-indigenous mutual aid collective that advocates for indigenous rights and environmental justice. Their early politicization in decriminalization and decarceration was shaped by Black & Brown community organizers that initiated the Black Lives Matter movement, Dignity and Power Now, the LA Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, and the Justice LA Coalition.

📷Yarelix Estrada (she/her) is a harm reduction researcher and outreach worker with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Director of the New York City Psychedelic Society. She received her Master of Science in Public Health Policy at Johns Hopkins University.

📷Kassandra Frederique is the incoming executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a national nonprofit that works to end the war on drugs. During her time at DPA, Frederique has built and led innovative campaigns around policing, the overdose crisis, and marijuana legalization—each with a consistent racial justice focus.

📷Robert "Roman" Haferd is a restorative justice practitioner, civil rights lawyer, and organizer. He has focused his career on advocating and building capacity with marginalized families, and on facilitating cooperative and beautiful interactions in challenging circumstances. Roman serves as the Restorative Justice Coordinator for the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, where he has helped build a first-of-its-kind restorative justice program inside Washington D.C.’s justice department.

📷Ifetayo Harvey is the Marketing Coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance and Founder of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective. In Ifetayo’s free time, she enjoys TV, fitness, crafts and playing her euphonium or listening to music.

📷Sara Reed is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Director of Psychedelic Services at Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Tolland, CT. She provides individual therapy and supervises and trains clinicians in providing culturally responsible mental health treatment. Sara has previously been involved in research for psilocybin- and MDMA-assisted therapy.

📷Ismail Lourido Ali, J.D., is Policy & Advocacy Counsel for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and former Chair of the Board of Directors for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

Psychedelic Community & Racial Justice