No combination of letters in the English language carries more weight than L-S-D. Speak those letters aloud, and visions may come to mind of free-spirited individuals creating art from flowers or of a young person’s psyche fracturing under the influence of hallucinogens. Or perhaps just poorly executed art.
Psychedelic substances face a significant branding challenge, yet preliminary research indicates that compounds like LSD and MDMA hold potential for treating conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The crucial term being “potential.” Poorly perceived branding translates into limited funding, which is why, despite some promising early findings, comprehensive studies remain scarce.
In response, an initiative called Fundamental is kicking off a crowdfunding effort to support a series of well-designed studies—conducted with oversight from the FDA—exploring how psychedelics could address various mental health issues. Those interested can contribute funds to what promises to be an innovative and unusual avenue in medical inquiry.
Founded by Rodrigo Niño, a real estate developer in New York, Fundamental emerged after Niño’s own brush with melanoma in 2011. After undergoing two surgeries and grappling with the fear of death, he ventured into the Peruvian jungle to experiment with ayahuasca, a potent psychedelic known for its intense physical effects and profound spiritual experiences. While not the most empirically-based start for a psychedelic research campaign, Niño’s journey began here.
“After my first ceremony, I was completely liberated from my fear of dying,” Niño recalls. “It vanished entirely. I needed to determine whether this transformation was merely a placebo effect or if I had genuinely experienced a physiological change.”
However, securing federal funding for studies involving a Schedule 1 drug is no easy feat, and pharmaceutical companies generally shy away from natural substances that can’t be patented. “The problem is that these substances aren’t profitable, which causes traditional funding sources to overlook them,” Niño says. Consequently, he established Fundamental to bring psychedelic research to the public.
The process is straightforward: individuals can contribute through the fundraising platform CrowdRise, indicating their preferred area of psychedelic research. The funds go to Charities Aid Foundation America, which manages the allocation and oversight of the grants to researchers. Niño is initially targeting $2 million, with the potential for future fundraising efforts.
Among the first beneficiaries of this initiative will be Amanda Feilding, a prominent figure in the psychedelics movement and a countess with a distinguished British accent. Feilding argues that the UN erred dramatically when it ratified the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs in 1961, essentially establishing a blanket prohibition on drugs. “For the past two decades, our goal has been to provide scientific evidence to inform governments and the UN so that they can amend or retract these prohibitive conventions or downgrade these substances to lower schedules, allowing for medical prescriptions and research,” she explains. Achieving this has necessitated reliance on individual donations and grants from various organizations.