Opinion – Psychedelic Turn: Company waives patent against traditional use of mescaline

The issue of intellectual property (patents) and reciprocity with traditional communities in the psychedelic revival has always been thorny. A little creativity and courage, however, can move the controversy forward, as Journey Colab has attempted with its “patent pledge and statement”.

Founded in 2020, Journey develops a synthetic mescaline to test as a treatment for alcohol use disorder (alcoholism). He named the compound JOUR-5700. Like other companies in the area, it has included intellectual property in its business plan, but not without first consulting with various stakeholders, including indigenous peoples.

Substances such as mescaline (peyote), psilocybin (mushrooms) and dimethyltryptamine (the DMT of ayahuasca and jurema-preta) have been used for centuries or millennia by indigenous peoples. In principle, this would preclude talking about technological innovation that deserves patent privilege, exclusivity of rights over the alleged invention.

After the consultation process, the company published a “white paper” (white paper) in which it assumes a series of commitments regarding patents, equity and recognition of the role of indigenous communities with a tradition in the use of these medicinal resources from nature. There, he committed to establishing a Reciprocity Fund, setting aside 10% of the initial capital and revenues to support these peoples and initiatives that expand access to “power plants”.

“It is our intention never to enforce our mescaline patents against the non-commercial use of naturally derived mescaline or mescaline-containing plants, or against certain ceremonial and traditional practices, including and in particular the indigenous use of peyote,” reads the pledge.

“Moreover, it is our intention that all future patent holders be bound in the same way.” Journey then declares that the promise is legally binding and irrevocable, including any partner or licensee.

The firm decided to pursue a risk-free development approach by seeking consent from communities using natural psychedelic compounds. He believes that Journey’s success in this way will create enormous value for its shareholders, including indigenous communities, through the fund.

Until the publication of the commitment, the company had raised US$ 15.7 million (R$ 83 million) from investors. The trust is also irrevocable, even by future owners.

“Journey Colab strongly believes that a fully synthetic production of mescaline, which completely avoids the use of peyote and San Pedro cacti, or any other plant in which mescaline occurs naturally, both respects cultural and ecological concerns and paves the way for a source sustainable for the clinical market.”

The Journey Reciprocity Fund will be managed independently by a management committee, separate from the company’s executive body. Committee members will preferably be of indigenous origin, and the company undertakes to include representatives of ethnic groups in corporate management as well, but this representation will only be defined when funds are available for transfer.

Journey claims the initiative is the first of its kind and stems from having assembled a diverse team that understands the potential importance of these therapies as well as sharing value with impacted and marginalized communities. He admits, finally, that this could be an obstacle for potential partners.

“Developing a corporate structure that challenges the status quo is not easy. Journey Colab needs allies and investors aligned with the mission, who understand capital as a tool to facilitate cures. (…) Journey Colab’s experience demonstrates that the How you build something is just as important as what you’re building.”

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To learn more about the history and new developments of science in this area, including in Brazil, look for my book “Psiconautas – Viagens com a Ciência Psychedelica Brasileira”.

Be sure to also see the reports from the series “A Ressurreição da Jurema”:

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrissima/2022/07/reporter-conta-experiencia-de-inalar-dmt-psicodelico-em-teste-contra-depressao.shtml

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrissima/2022/07/da-caatinga-ao-laboratorio-cientistas-investigam-efeito-antidepressão-de-psicodelico.shtml

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrissima/2022/07/cultos-com-alucinogeno-da-jurema-florescem-no-nordeste.shtml

It should be remembered that psychedelics are still experimental therapies and certainly do not constitute a panacea for all psychic disorders, nor should they be the object of self-medication. Speak with your therapist or doctor before venturing into the area.