Ground Game

Dr. Matthew Hicks: Making the Case for Low-Income Access

Most of the research done on psilocybin has happened at elite institutions with carefully selected participants. Dr. Matthew Hicks did something different. He ran the first clinical trial ever conducted inside a state-regulated psychedelic program. He focused on a low-income population that clinical trials have systematically failed to reach and that public payers have systematically failed to serve. And he did it for a fraction of the cost and timeline of a typical federal trial. The findings are striking. A group treatment format that cut the cost of care by more than half. Meaningful drops in severe depression scores across the cohort. And one of the strongest measured outcomes was something the team didn't expect going in: participants' ability to function socially. In this episode, Matt and Sam dig into the design choices behind the study, what surprised them most, the follow-up study Matt wants to fund next, and why this work is exactly the kind of evidence that could move the needle on Medicaid coverage for psilocybin therapy. This is the kind of research that's not just asking "does this work." It's asking "does this work for the people who actually need it most, in a system that could actually pay for it." That's the question that defines the next phase of psychedelic policy. About the Guest Dr. Matthew Hicks is a naturopathic doctor, an Oregon-licensed psilocybin facilitator, and a member of the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board. He's the founder of Synaptic Institute, one of Oregon's leading facilitator training programs, and was the lead investigator on the first clinical trial of psilocybin therapy conducted within Oregon's state-regulated program. Resources Mentioned * Synaptic Institute [https://www.synaptic.care/] * Oregon Psilocybin Services Program [https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/preventionwellness/pages/oregon-psilocybin-services.aspx] * Study: Low-Income Group Psilocybin Assisted Therapy for Depression [https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06372197] * The Center for Psychedelic Policy [https://cppolicy.org/] Sponsors: * Tricycle Day [https://www.tricycleday.com/], the leading psychedelic newsletter * Althea [https://withalthea.com/], the trusted guide to legal psychedelic care in Oregon and Colorado

Lt. Diane Goldstein: How Law Enforcement is Rethinking Psychedelics

Retired police lieutenant and Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) Executive Director Diane Goldstein joins Sam Chapman to discuss drug policy reform, the role of psychedelics in addressing law enforcement trauma, and LEAP's advocacy for psychedelic access and mental health support. The conversation also covers the fiscal case for legal psychedelic access and the broader psychological and societal costs of current drug policy. As always, feel free to reach out to Sam with any feedback, comments, or ideas for future episodes at sam@cppolicy.org [sam@cppolicy.org].

Dr. Adie Rae: Inside Oregon's First Federally Funded Psilocybin Study

To launch Ground Game, Sam Chapman speaks with Dr. Adie Rae, co-director of the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus, the team at the center of a historic $3.3 million NIDA grant to track outcomes in Oregon's legal psilocybin program. The conversation covers what Oregon's program has already revealed about safety and efficacy, why real-world data matters, the economic realities of building psilocybin research infrastructure from the ground up, and what this federal investment signals for the future of psychedelic access nationwide.