1. Start Within: We pledge to ground our work in this field with work on ourselves, and to treat our personal growth as a lifelong process. Included in this is working to understand our full selves and recognizing that we have undiscovered biases, blind spots, desires, motivations, and intentions that influence our decisions and actions. We will work to explore, understand, and resolve these. We will seek mentorship and guidance from people in the field who we trust and we have made commitments to ethical action public to our team, organization, stakeholders, customers, and community.
2. Study the Traditions: We pledge to grow our knowledge of the history of psychedelics and their many traditions of use, in a good-faith effort to appreciate both the potential of these substances and the conflict and complexity around them. Included in this is studying the history of indigenous use of psychedelics, and listening to the perspectives of indigenous people on psychedelic use today. We also understand and appreciate the sacrifices made in time, resources, and, in some cases, lives towards the mainstreaming of psychedelics possible. We are committed to exploring the history of psychedelics in the West, including the scientific research and cultural uses so that we understand the controversy around these substances. We will continue to learn about the history of drug policy, including the history and implications of prohibition, the social and political consequences that continue today, and the drug policy reform movement.
3. Build Trust: We pledge to invest in building trust in our relationships across the psychedelic field and repairing trust where possible. We start from a place of trust and assume the best intentions in others. We remain open to difficult conversations and honest dialogue. We take steps to understand and engage with the people impacted by our work, to be sure to know their perspectives.
4. Consider the Gravity: We pledge to consider the implications of the choices that we make, understanding the potential consequences of unethical behavior to individuals, communities, and the psychedelic field at large. We will put patients first, recognizing the need to make high-quality treatment accessible and affordable for all those who can benefit. We will study the history, including the precarious legal standing and the enduring cultural stigma of psychedelics, asking questions on where we can minimize risk.
5. Focus on Process: We pledge to make the process as important as the outcome, letting the future we hope to see guide the approach we take in getting there. We ask people that we care about to hold us accountable to our goal of being a model of ethical behavior. We are transparent in our thinking around decision-making in key areas, creating a window for community input to ho build accountability. We are committed to choosing what is right, not what is easy.
6. Create Equality & Justice: We pledge to actively take steps to make the world more equitable and just. This means examining the places we have personal, organizational, and societal power and, whenever possible, using our position to lift others up. We empower diverse leadership within our organization. We appreciate that everyone’s worldview has limitations, and we work to seek out and empathize with perspectives that are different from our own.
7. Pay It Forward: We pledge to support the flourishing of the psychedelic field and the communities in which we work, and to give back should our work lead to personal gain. We commit to giving a percentage of profits to support the people whose effort and sacrifice the field now stands. Where applicable, we will share learnings, tools, resources, and assets in the public domain in the service of advancing the field at large.
