The New Ethics Council will Work Alongside Beckley Waves to set the Standard for Sustainable and Ethical Operations in the Burgeoning Psychedelics Sector
Experts Involved in the Council Include Paul Stamets, Rick Doblin, Pam Kryskow, Sean Lennon, Amanda Feilding, and More.
LONDON, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beckley Waves, the first venture studio explicitly formed to build and invest in the thriving psychedelic ecosystem and advance mental health and well-being, has announced the formation of a new Ethics Council to help guide wider industry standards and best practices in the psychedelics sector.
The inaugural meeting hosted by Beckley Waves was led by Amanda Feilding, founder and executive director of the Beckley Foundation. Amanda was aptly named the “Queen of Psychedelics” in 2022 by The Economist, for her more than 55 years of researching and advocating for the therapeutic usage of psychedelics as a tool for enhancing human consciousness.
Alongside Amanda Feilding, the new Ethics Council includes Rick Doblin, founder of MAPS, and mycologist and entrepreneur Paul Stamets, both longtime friends and professional collaborators of Amanda’s and seminal figures in the psychedelic renaissance. Others announced as members of the new Ethics Council include experts from within the psychedelic sector, Dr. Dingle Spence, who is also a lead facilitator at Beckley Retreats, Dr. Gita Vaid, and Dr. Pamela Kryskow, as well as mission-focused philanthropists, such as Sean Lennon, and Stephen Apkon and Marcina Hale of Reconsider.
The topics and issues addressed by the council included maintaining an emphasis on sustainable working practices and equitable access, balancing company expansion with safety, reciprocity with indigenous cultures and local communities, and ongoing scientific research and ethical IP strategies. Rock Feilding-Mellen and Daniel Love, co-founders at Beckley Waves, Neil Markey, co-founder at Beckley Retreats, and Cosmo Feilding-Mellen, co-founder at the leading psychedelic drug development company Beckley Psytech, were also named as initial members and were in attendance to facilitate the discussions about how to balance mission-driven and sustainable growth and wider public benefits, specifically around topics such as equitable access to psychedelic-assisted therapies. Looking ahead, many more leaders with expertise in specific fields will be invited to join the council as it grows and develops its agenda.
“With this council of advisors and experts, we have access to a great resource that will enable Beckley Waves to expand upon our established foundation and strengthen our capabilities and offerings across this nascent sector,” said Amanda Feilding. “Drawing upon their knowledge, experience, and insight has been very valuable as we continue to help shape industry standards and best practices that will enable safe and equitable access to these transformative tools and programmes.”
“These leaders have been laying the foundations of the current renaissance for decades, and we’re just now beginning to see the widespread public interest in and demand for transformative capabilities of psychedelics,” said Rock Feilding-Mellen, co-founder and Managing Partner of Beckley Waves. “By gathering these leaders and other renowned experts in psychedelic ethics, we are making a conscious effort to ensure that our continued expansion and growth occur sustainability and ethically and to check that our shared mission stays front and centre of everything we do.”
As interest in and demand for access to guided psychedelic experiences and therapies continues to grow - much of it based on the scientific research that the Beckley Foundation initiated over the last 25 years - Beckley Waves has realized that there is now as great a need to think about safe and responsible access and care delivery as there is for more ground-breaking research into other potential benefits of expanded states of consciousness.
“There is still so much work needed to ensure that the people who need access to psychedelic-assisted therapy can get it lawfully and affordably. I am thrilled to be witnessing a new generation of pioneers ready to pick up and carry on the torch,” said Feilding. “It has been heartening to see how in recent years, more people are willing to listen to what the science is telling us about the powerfully beneficial potential of these compounds.”
The demand and expectations for the psychedelics industry are growing rapidly. With that growth comes a responsibility to ensure that the industry is held to a high standard of ethical and sustainable practices. Beckley Waves is helping to foster a flourishing psychedelic industry, harnessing Amanda Feilding’s historic legacy to pave the way for the continued psychedelic renaissance.
“While the psychedelics industry is in its infancy, these compounds and practices have been used for millennia by Indigenous peoples. As we look to set the standards for industry best practices, we must look to modern science and ancient wisdom,” said Neil Markey, Co-founder, and CEO at Beckley Retreats. “We are committed to a process of engagement rooted in listening and discourse -- collaborating with those who have been paving the way in the conversation around ethics and in close partnership with the communities where we operate. We hope that others will join us in working to these standards.”
For more information about Beckley Waves and their commitment to the psychedelics industry, please visit www.beckleywaves.com.
About Beckley Waves
Beckley Waves, a venture studio co-founded by Amanda Feilding, funds, supports, and mentors emerging leaders and entrepreneurs working to foster the operational infrastructure of a global psychedelic ecosystem. Beckley Waves is building the psychedelic ecosystem to advance mental well-being and foster a thriving psychedelic industry rooted in science, innovation, and compassion. Beckley Waves leverages research showing that psychedelics can be the tools to usher in a new paradigm of mental health and well-being that is needed by our society and the planet.
Neil Davies
neil@broadsheetcomms.com
