Hamilton’s Pharma Cope

In this conversation we address Hamilton Morris’ misinformation head on, exposing Morris’ lies and his lack of journalistic integrity.

A Comprehensive Breakdown of the Lies of Hamilton Morris

For nearly two years, former Vice journalist and Compass Pathways consultant Hamilton Morris has spread misinformation about Psymposia with false claims about our funding, our interactions with government agencies, and our research and reporting.

In this four-part conversation — “Hamilton’s Pharma Cope” — we address this misinformation head on, exposing Morris’ lies and his lack of journalistic integrity. But even more than a comprehensive rebuttal to Morris’ propaganda campaign, this series represents a robust primer to our work at Psymposia and to the problematic dynamics at play across the psychedelic industry.

Part 1: “DEA Informants”

In this episode, we respond to Hamilton Morris’ claims that we are DEA informants and that we colluded with the FDA to get Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA therapy application rejected.

0:30: Hamilton Morris’ career trajectory

4:15: Discussing Hamilton’s obsession with Psymposia and DEA informant claims

9:10: Rebutting claims that Psymposia announced plans to out underground therapists

21:00: Correcting misinformation on FDA advisory committee claims

29:00: Exposing coordinated PR campaign and false Usona funding claims

Part 2: Psychedelic Cult Defenders

In this episode, we examine previous smear campaigns against us related to our reporting on the Church of Psilomethoxin and Martin Ball, as well as false claims about who funds us and why.

1:50: Unpacking the Church of Psilomethoxin controversy

7:59: Church of Psilomethoxin lawsuit and Martin Ball’s facilitation methods

17:40: Church of Psilomethoxin founder Greg Lake’s unethical legal maneuvers

23:34: Debunking Hamilton’s misinformation about George Sarlo, MAPS, and elder abuse

36:48: Debunking Hamilton’s claims about Usona funding

Part 3: Paid Protestor Paranoia

In this episode, we continue the conversation about our funding and explore Hamilton Morris’ conspiratorial claims about the company Usona.

0:00: Hamilton’s misinformation about Psymposia’s funding

12:40: Hamilton’s false lawsuit claims and speculation patterns

25:10: Hamilton’s false claims that Psymposia encouraged terrorism

36:00: Hamilton’s false harassment claims and paranoia

Part 4: “The Face of Psychedelic Journalistic Ethics”

In this final episode, we explore the attempts made by Hamilton Morris to attack the work, integrity, and character of our team.

0:00: Unpacking Hamilton Morris’ character assassination attempts about Psymposia

10:15: Brian Pace confronts Hamilton on misrepresenting academic paper

14:35: Neşe Devenot and Brian Pace break down why they wrote “Right Wing Psychedelia”

22:30: Hamilton’s conflation of Sasha Sisko with Psymposia

33:45: Addressing Hamilton’s exploitative claims about domestic violence and abuse

51:10: Hamilton’s self-admitted lack of journalistic training

Prequel: Andrew Callaghan Isn’t Devastated

We discuss flaws in Andrew Callaghan’s journalism, his shifting response to sexual abuse allegations, and how these issues relate to our experience as the subjects of targeted reporting from Channel 5.

00:24: Channel 5 coverage of Psymposia

02:20:Andrew Callaghan’s interview with Nick Shirley

04:00: Coordinated campaign against psychedelic industry whistleblowers

05:36: Andrew Callaghan and Hamilton Morris — parasocial perception vs. reality

11:20: Andrew Callaghan sexual abuse allegations and response

19:30: Psymposia’s coverage of MAPS/Lykos’ MDMA clinical trials

22:30: Leftist terrorism tropes + what Leftists miss about the psychedelic industry

31:58: Information literacy and journalistic corrections (or lack thereof)

38:10: Andrew Callaghan incites his audience to target and “destroy” Psymposia

#Wonderbanned at Wonderland (Psymposia Reacts to Hamilton Morris) (2022)

On November 3rd, the “Wonderland Miami” psychedelic conference banned the entire Psymposia team from the event. Hamilton Morris then took to the stage to distort and misrepresent our research.

The Curious Life and Mind-Altering Death of Justin Clark (New York Magazine, 2022)

The article recounts the life and 2021 overdose death of Justin Clark, a key researcher and associate producer for “Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia,” whose deep involvement with dissociative drugs eventually spiraled into addiction. The article reveals interactions between Morris and Clark, which Clark describes as “cruel.” In one instance, Clark asks for a raise, and Morris responds:

“‘If you were my full-time assistant, you would doubtlessly get ‘suicidally depressed’ or injure yourself skateboarding or relapse on some dumb addiction or delude yourself into a false romance or pick any number of dumb things from a hat of ways not to live a productive life. So no.’” COMPASS Pathways Is Trying to Patent Psilocybin for More Mental Health Conditions Than You Can Name (Psymposia)

COMPASS Pathways’ Psilocybin Patent Questioned By UK Patent Examiner (Psymposia)

Lykos’ Complete Response Letter from FDA

The Psychedelic Syndicate (Psymposia)

Correcting the Record: What The New York Times Got Wrong (Psymposia)

Correcting the Record: Addressing The New York Times’ Deceptive Coverage of Psymposia (Psymposia)

FDA Widens Probe of Ecstasy-Based Drug Studies (Wall Street Journal)

Jamie Brownlee and Kevin Walby on Psychedelic Capitalism (Columbia University Press Blog)

FDA Grants Citizen Petition Request to Extend Open Public Hearing on MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD (AP/EIN Newswire)

MDMA-AT as facilitated communication for the “inner healing intelligence” (Chemical Poetics)

Veronika Gold’s unsuccessful request for corrections (Chemical Poetics)

Church of Psilomethoxin, Part 1: Sacramental Skepticism. Is the Church in Denial? (Psymposia)

The Church of Psilomethoxin Part 2: Unraveling the Sacred Chemistry (Psymposia)