We are sorry for the delay on this statement of solidarity. Sometimes, action must come before political statements. We have been busy actively showing up, wearing our activist hats, listening and learning, trying to figure out the best way to actually help reach a solution. If the last few months in quarantine didn’t give us enough to think about, the last few weeks certainly should have.
We at Altered States Integration stand in solidarity with the BLM movement. We have seen the continuation of transgressions against BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) occur again and again with seemingly no change or repercussions for those involved.
This is not OK! We at Altered States Integration denounce systematic racism and violence (in all forms).
Giving back to the global community has been our commitment here since before our first dollar was earned. As we join in the collective voice asking to practice our civil rights, we also ask how we can do more in our specific field of psychedelics and altered states.
As an organization operating in the psychedelic space:
We recognize that the war on drugs is (and always has been) a way to continue to enforce systematic racism. The war on drugs primarily exists to further marginalize people of color.
We acknowledge that BIPOC have specific Harm Reduction needs in the Psychedelics space.
We see the lack of diversity within psychedelic communities and lack of representation leadership BIPOC have had on psychedelic research and the adjacent festival scene.
We honor the influences BIPOC have had on global psychedelic culture and research.
We value the ancestral medicines and desire to reduce acculturation surrounding indigenous cultures.
We have decided to dig deeper into this issue and call for a community conversation about diversity and how we can expand diversity in the psychedelic community. We don’t have any answers but would like to use our platform to create discussion and challenge viewpoints. We are currently curating a panel composed of diverse voices in the psychedelic community.
We need YOUR HELP! We would love recommendations of voices you’d like to hear from on this topic. Please leave a comment or email us at AlteredStatesIntegration@gmail.com