PSA's Sunday Sound-Off: January 11th, 2026

Psychedelic medicine has a long, complex history in Latin America. Indigenous groups across Mexico, Central, and South America have used psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, peyote, and other plant medicines for centuries. In Mexico, the Mazatec people’s use of psilocybin mushrooms was first documented by Western researchers in the 20th century, though their sacred ceremonies predate colonization. 

Across the region, these traditions are at the core of both cultural identity and community health. Brazil’s regulatory framework protects ayahuasca practices through Indigenous knowledge and constitutional rights. 

As psychedelics gain mainstream acceptance in medicine and wellness, Latina voices are stepping forward to ensure these movements respect cultural lineage, increase representation, and create pathways for responsible participation. Latinas in Psychedelics (LiP) is one such organization, founded to uplift, empower, and connect Latinas with a personal, professional, or spiritual relationship to psychedelics.

“Latinas in Psychedelics was created to protect space, visibility, and leadership for Latinas within a rapidly evolving movement,” said Susie Plascencia, founder of both Latinas in Cannabis (LiC) and LiP. “Just as Latinas in Cannabis was founded to ensure Latinas were not left out of an emerging industry tied deeply to our culture and communities, LiP is here to ensure we’re not left behind in psychedelics.”

LiP’s mission is rooted in representation and responsible participation, with a focus on education, cultural respect, access, and ethical leadership. “Psychedelics are gaining support from research and lived experiences, especially in conversations about wellness, healing, mental health, and creativity,” Plascencia said.

The founding of Latinas in Psychedelics in 2020 is a direct extension of the work begun by Latinas in Cannabis which launched the same year. “These conversations are connected, and our community deserves continuity, not silos,” said Plascencia. She says the  organizations are intentionally woven together, building on a proven infrastructure of community-driven events, professional visibility, business support, and strategic partnerships.

“Latinas in Cannabis and now Latinas in Psychedelics are community-first organizations created to ensure Latinas are visible, valued, and supported in industries and movements that are shaping the future of wellness, policy, and culture,” said Mary Carreon, Editor-in-Chief of DoubleBlind magazine who is a member of the group. “What sets us apart is our longevity and integrity. Latinas in Cannabis was founded before it was ‘safe’ or popular to do this work. That same courage and commitment guide Latinas in Psychedelics today.”

LiP is charting a course forward by reflecting many of the initiatives that have made its sister organization trusted and effective. These include: community-driven events and panels, professional visibility and storytelling, business and collective support, strategic brand and nonprofit partnerships.

“Opportunity, community, and cultural accountability are at the center of what we build,” said Carreon. “If you believe in connection over competition and progress rooted in purpose, you belong here.”

For 2026, LiP is expanding its programming to include more culturally responsive education, increased advocacy for policy informed by lived experience, and robust support for Latinas entering or already working in the psychedelics space.

“Policies must be guided by those with lived experience, carried by a strong remembering of heritage and ties to the medicine and traditional knowledge, rather than being driven only by regulators or academic frameworks,” said founding member Amorinda Martinez. “As a Latina in the plant-medicine space, I’ve seen healing rooted in community, ceremony, and lineage. Brazil’s approach, protecting ayahuasca practices through Indigenous knowledge and constitutional protections, shows that policy can honor culture while upholding safety.”

Martinez also emphasized the importance of culturally congruent care: “Ceremony-informed programs should operate with clear safety measures, informed consent, and harm-reduction standards that honor community, traditions, and well-being. Let cultural responsiveness breathe through all policies and training, guiding design, evaluation, and ongoing refinement hand in hand with communities.”

Note: Lucid News provides informed, honest and transparent journalism that covers the growing integration of psychedelics into society and their broad implications for human wellness.

From our friends at The Xylom, with support from The Ferriss – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship.

The guest, wearing his trademark red bandana, fumbles through his bag and produces a transparent container the size of his palm. It is filled three-quarters with a brown, viscous liquid, topped off with a bright yellow cap — the color signifying caution. 

“Now this looks like store-bought honey because there’s a label there,” teases Will Sonbuchner, creator and host of Best Ever Food Review Show. “What that truly is, I transferred the honey to this grocery store bottle so if I went through customs, I wouldn’t have any issues.”

“Good move,” the host, Joe Rogan, the comedian and sports commentator, responds.

Honey becomes “mad” when it contains grayanotoxins, a class of compounds naturally present in nectar that bees collect from rhododendrons, the national flower of Nepal. In a now-viral clip with 15 million views, the two influential creators try mad honey in front of the camera, as Sonbuchner, also known as Sonny Side, reads out texts his brother in Minnesota sent him while he was on his own trip. 

“So my brother woke up feeling hungover the next day, he felt stiff,” describes Sonbuchner to a giggling and dazed Rogan. “So your next question might be, ‘why the fuck do people wanna take this?’ I don’t know. I couldn’t figure it out.”

In an unlikely twist, mad honey is also known as bheer maha in Nepal, meaning “cliff honey”. Guarded with traditional knowledge, the honey is a precious gift in ceremonies and an offering in rituals. Among Indigenous Himalayan communities — the Gurung, Kulung, Thakali, Rai, and Lhopa — medicinal mad honey use grew alongside tribal hunting traditions.

Note: This story is produced by The Xylom, a nonprofit news outlet covering global health and environmental disparities, and co-published by The Himalayan Times.

Until next time,

The Psychedelic State(s) of America Team