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College is a time of psychedelic experimentation for many young adults, but an event at Metropolitan State University of Denver this weekend will expose students to the professional side of mushrooms, MDMA and other mind-altering substances.
FutureCon, a day-long conference that “delves into the multifaceted medical, business and policy issues” facing psychedelics, will debut at Metro State on Saturday, May 6. The lineup includes attorneys, government regulators, therapists and thought leaders in the psychedelics space, who will provide insight on current developments in psychedelics and advice for students interested in pursuing careers in similar fields.
The regional conference was organized by Students for Liberty, a Libertarian organization for college students. Colorado is a hotbed for the psychedelics industry after becoming the second state (Oregon was first) to legalize medical psilocybin and the first to open the door to legal DMT, ibogaine and mescaline, so Denver was a clear choice for the event, according to Students for Liberty event associate Hunter Fox.
“We knew we wanted to do something on drugs, but didn’t know exactly what direction we wanted to take it. We eventually decided psychedelics would be the place people would go to,” he says. “You see MDMA getting passed through the FDA. Once it’s passed, it will be rescheduled in with other drugs that are used recreationally but are also pharmaceutical drugs. I think it gives the more direct outline to having pharmaceutical drugs with recreational applications.”
Fox believes that psychedelic policy reform can “build on what cannabis provided” in Colorado by protecting ceremonial uses and personal cultivation. However, college students are more focused on the professional opportunities, as they were with marijuana a decade ago, and FutureCon’s host, Metro State, has been offering a handful of courses pertaining to the legal pot industry.
Fox wouldn’t be surprised to see classes built around MDMA, psilocybin and other substances in the near future, either.
“That was the inspiration for the title of our conference. It’s about the future of psychedelics. We basically see college students and young people being the future of psychedelics. These organizations, pharmaceutical companies and businesses need young people going forward,” he notes.
According to a market report from InsightAce Analytic, the psychedelic therapeutics industry could be worth $8.31 billion by 2028, although much of that depends on decriminalization and legalization efforts in states beyond Oregon and Colorado, including Hawaii, Missouri and New York, which are all exploring the issue. Denver has emerged as a hotbed for industry meetups, with two major psychedelic industry conferences scheduled for the Colorado Convention Center in June.
Debates over commercialization and cultural appropriation are expected and encouraged at FutureCon, adds Fox, who currently attends Utah Valley University. There will also be speakers offering “both sides” of Proposition 122, the voter-approved measure legalizing medical psilocybin in Colorado.
“I know there are a lot of people who just want to get rid of the legal aspect of psychedelics entirely, completely decriminalize them, and let plants be. That’s a great objective and end goal, but we can’t expect to see that immediately,” Fox says. “It’s a conversation I’m only really understanding on the surface level. I think any move in the right direction is good. We just need to make sure that we build systems so that they’re in the right place and can expand further.”
FutureCon will run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Metropolitan State University portion of the Auraria campus. Registration is free.
