Intellectual Property in Psychedelic & Alternative Medicine

A Conversation with Anya Oleksiuk, Graham Pechenik & Murphy Halliburton

As psychedelics move into mainstream culture, their medicalization is beginning to follow the pharmaceutical model of company ownership. This trajectory is raising deep concern among the psychedelic community. Is it right to claim a monopoly over molecules that come from the earth? Or to mark ownership of medicines that have been used for religious and healing purposes for millennia? Investigating this emerging and growing discussion will be leading experts in the field of psychedelic culture, intellectual property (IP) law, and where the two intersect, including co-director of the Psychedelic Society Anya Oleksiuk, patent attorney Graham Pechenick, and Anthropologist Murphy Halliburton.This panel will explore the ongoing controversies around our current patent system, and how to best navigate the interaction between this system and traditional non-Western medicines such as ayurveda in light of psychedelic mainstreaming. What are the parallels between psychedelic plant medicine in the Americas and practitioners of ayurvedic medicine in places like India and how they struggle to interpret their practice and control of their wisdom in relation to IP law? How can we bring psychedelics into contemporary culture in ways that both meet the public interest, provide large-scale accessibility, and ensure reciprocity to Indigenous communities who have historically used plant medicines? Join us as we review the history, explore the present and question the future around the ongoing battle for dominance in the psychedelic field.

Anya Oleksiuk is a documentary filmmaker, host and educator. She is a Co-Director of the Psychedelic Society UK, leading on video production, harm reduction and education about psychedelics. She curates and hosts talks and panel discussions for the Psychedelic Society and for Anthropos Festival. She is also associated with the Psychedelic Society of the Netherlands and is a consultant for the Polish Psychedelic Society (Polskie Towarzystwo Psychodeliczne). Anya is a founder and director of Triptika Studios, which is a collective of independent filmmakers with interests in health, science, innovative solutions, mental health, drug advocacy, social and racial justice and environment-friendly lifestyles. She is also the creator, director and producer of The Psychedelic Renaissance – a not-for-profit documentary film about the worldwide re-emergence of the psychedelic movement and the crucial role of psychedelic substances, plants and mushrooms in human culture.

Graham Pechenik is a registered patent attorney, and the founder of Calyx Law. He has a BS from UC San Diego, where he chose his Cognitive Neuroscience and Biochemistry majors after his first psychedelic experiences inspired deep curiosity about the bases for changes in consciousness, and a JD from NYU, where he initially pursued interests in bioethics and cognitive liberty. After a decade at large law firms representing companies in the agricultural, chemical, pharmaceutical, biotech, and technology industries, including litigating patents at trial and on appeal, Graham started Calyx Law to work with cannabis and psychedelics ventures. Graham is also editor-at-large of Psilocybin Alpha, where he tracks patent filings and writes about IP in the psychedelics space.

Murphy Halliburton, PhD is Professor of Anthropology at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) specializing in medical anthropology, science and technology studies, anthropology of law and South Asia studies. His book India and the Patent Wars (Cornell University Press, 2017) examines struggles between global big pharma companies and Indian pharmaceutical companies over patents and biopiracy of traditional medical knowledge.

This talk will be recorded and immediately available for rewatch for all attendees.

Do you love Chacruna? Want free entry to events, access to our online member community and exclusive events, free merchandise, and much more! Become a member!