Last year, Denver hosted researchers, scientists and other professionals in the psychedelics space alongside enthusiasts who wanted to learn about the emerging sector during the Psychedelic Science conference. And the city will do so again in 2025.
On Tuesday, organizers at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) announced the week-long event will return to the Colorado Convention Center. It’s slated for June 16-20, 2025.
Last year, Psychedelic Science brought more than 12,000 people to the Mile High City for workshops, lectures and panel discussions touching on various facets of the psychedelic industry and culture. Those included the latest research into substances like psilocybin and ibogaine as mental health tools, information about the legal landscape throughout the United States, and conversations with celebrities like Aaron Rodgers, Jaden Smith and Tim Ferriss.
While the conference has yet to announce its lineup of featured speakers, the format appears similar to 2023. Psychedelic Science will kick off with two days of workshops on June 16 and 17, which may require advance registration and an additional fee beyond the conference pass. Then the event will open to general ticket holders, who can attend a myriad of sessions and peruse a 100,000-square-foot exhibit floor.
Programming will explore topics including science, medicine, culture, policy, business, spirituality, and more, per the announcement.
The Mile High City is an apt location for such discussions. In 2022, Colorado residents voted to legalize psilocybin for medicinal use, paving the way for a brand new psychedelics industry which is expected to take shape by the time Psychedelic Science arrives again. That measure also decriminalized five different psychedelic substances.
“Colorado is a leader both in moving forward with the research, but also moving forward with having legal opportunities to have these experiences in supported ways,” MAPS founder and president Rick Doblin previously told The Denver Post.
In a statement, Doblin said the conference is convening at a pivotal moment for psychedelics.
Recently, the Food and Drug Administration accepted a new drug application from Lykos Therapeutics, which has been running clinical trials using MDMA-assisted therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The company, formerly known as MAPS Benefit Corporation, was founded by MAPS.
The FDA is reviewing Lykos’ research and is expected to decide the medicinal potential of MDMA by August. Depending on the decision, it could prompt the Drug Enforcement Agency to reschedule the substance. MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, is currently listed on Schedule I as a drug with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
“Never before has there been so much scientific momentum and promise for the treatment of trauma and other mental health conditions,” Doblin said in his statement.