PSA Sunday Morning Sound-Off

October 26, 2025

As the second wave of psychedelics pushes ashore, something integral is missing. Large sectors of the population are being left behind. While media coverage and information are on the rise, appropriate understanding around psychedelics is not, leaving a gap that continues to fill with stigma and misconception.

From my point of view, “appropriate understanding” means that an average person can understand a generalized psychedelic experience (and the personal impact of it) without having had one. This level of understanding is key to expanding public consciousness around psychedelics.

Many believe that a psychedelic experience is necessary to understand its foundation. I respectfully disagree – appropriate understanding is within reach for most people. It just requires changes in how we think and talk about them – a common language that yields common ground understanding. 

Don’t get me wrong, my goal isn’t to have everyone take psychedelics. It’s to foster a better understanding, so messaging is more impactful to the uninitiated. For this, we need shifts in how we communicate. When we meet people in the language of their own experience, understanding naturally follows.

At the end of the day, the purpose of the psychedelic community is to find common ground with people of different ideals, and that ground is made of language. I’m all for normalizing the conversation about psychedelics, but first, we must refine it. 

If you share this sentiment, then you are in the right place. This article explores the “What”, “Why”, and “How” of psychedelics as one way to expand public consciousness.

Read the Full Op-Ed Here

Julian Fox, co-founder of the Entheogen Melanin Collective (EMC), brings a unique and multifaceted perspective to the burgeoning conversation around psychedelics. Growing up biracial, queer, and neurodivergent in rural Western Massachusetts, Fox’s early life was marked by a determination to forge a different path. This drive led them from a challenging start in community college to pursuing acting in NYC and later film studies in Santa Fe. It was in the latter that Fox’s journey intersected with the psychedelic community, sparking a deep engagement with the field.

Initially an “outsider looking in” and an enthusiastic user, Fox’s interest evolved into a commitment to informed harm reduction and integration education. This dedication led to the establishment of a Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) chapter at Santa Fe University of Art and Design and an internship with Synergetic Press. Those experiences ultimately paved the way for the creation of the Entheogen Melanin Collective, a testament to Fox’s passionate and informed approach to psychedelics. 

That work is paying off. Among other highlights, Fox and his EMC Co-Founder Imani Turnbull-Brown took the stage in Denver in June at the biannual Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Psychedelic Science conference. Their presentation, Plant Power to the People: Healing Black and Melanated Minds and Souls, headlined the first-ever Black Liberation Track at the world’s largest psychedelic conference. With their message in mind, I spoke with Fox about their movement and much more.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

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Until next time,

The Psychedelic State(s) of America Team