PsySoc:Australia

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The Australian Psychedelic Society (APS) is an organisation formed in late 2016 and officially launched at Rainbow Serpent Festival on Sunday the 29th of January 2017. APS have begun running events and are seeking to be an incorporated association in Victoria, Australia.
The society has been setup to complement activities by other organisations and provide a grass-roots forum for discussing a wide variety of issues relevant to the psychedelic community.

Objectives

  • Advocacy
    • Advocate for the interests of users of psychedelics including religious or spiritual, therapeutic, recreational, and personal growth.
    • Work with individuals and groups in the community to create and contribute to policy, legislation and community development based on science, human rights and harm reduction best practice.
  • Representation
    • Provide an informed and balanced public voice for the psychedelic community in political and social forums, and in the wider community.
    • Comment on and engage with policy development and scientific research into psychedelics.
  • Engagement
    • Build community engagement with the issues surrounding psychedelic use.
    • Facilitate the creation and delivery of resources to strengthen community education, cohesion and direction with a focus on reducing harms and maximising benefits.
    • Support self expression of individuals and groups in the psychedelic community.
  • Education
    • Safer use of substance; policy; set, setting, substance, sitter, session, situation. (eg. “Know your body, know your mind, know your substance” - Erowid)
    • Empower people who use psychedelics with knowledge into the nature of the psychedelic experience scientifically and experientialy.
    • Provide the community with the knowledge and language to engage those outside the community with confidence about their use of psychedelics.
    • Work within the psychedelic and broader community to bring about greater understanding of a wide variety of issues unique to the Society.
  • Network
    • Provide a hub from which related groups can meet and coordinate group projects.
    • Foster connections between other individuals and organisations locally and internationally.

Psychedelics in Australia

APS has been established to complement the work of other organisations in Australia and help to grow and develop the grass-roots community.

Organisations

Psychedelic Research In Science and Medicine (PRISM) is an Australian non-profit research association that develops, initiates, coordinates and supports formal research into mainstream medical applications of psychoactive compounds, known as psychedelics. PRISM was founded in March 2011 as an incorporated association and is a government approved tax-exempt charity.

Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) is a not-for-profit association that exists to create a supportive environment to foster mature, open discussion about psychoactive plants and chemicals. We seek to explore ways to assess societal impacts and examine the positive applications of plant-based psychoactives and entheogens through our conferences and journal publications, our videos, our email announcement list and other psychedelic research initiatives.

DanceWize is one of Harm Reduction Victoria’s (HRVic) many outreach programs. DanceWize utilises a peer education model to reduce drug and alcohol related harm at Victorian dance parties, festivals and nightclubs. Our Key Peer Educators [KPEs] attend dozens of events per year: hosting a chill-out space; discussing safer drug use with peers and disseminating health resources.
The DanceWize goal is to provide peers with accurate, credible information through face-to-face discussion or through the provision of resources (which always include information about the harms associated with illicit and licit drug use).

Students for Sensible Drug Policy Australia (SSDP Australia) represent a grass roots network of students and allies working towards meaningful drug policy reform grounded in evidence, compassion and human rights.
SSDP Australia recognises that the legacy of our current drug laws are steeped in historical racism and prejudice and the harms of drug use and of prohibition tend to affect already disadvantaged and marginalised groups disproportionately.

Law

In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the Commonwealth authority responsible for regulating medicines, medical devices, blood, and tissues. Schedule 8 (controlled drug) and Schedule 9 (prohibited substance) of The Poisons Standard (SUSMP) contain most common drugs, including psychedelic substances.
Each state and territory in Australia have their own drug control laws, which often (but not always) reflect the SUSMP. New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia passed broad laws to prohibit anything considered a psychoactive substance. The definitions commonly used in these laws are:

    • Psychoactive effect, in relation to a person who is consuming or has consumed a psychoactive substance, means:
  • (a) Stimulation or depression of the central nervous system of the person, resulting in hallucinations or a significant disturbance in, or significant change to, motor function, thinking, behaviour, perception, awareness or mood, or
  • (b) Causing a state of dependence, including physical or psychological addiction.
    • Psychoactive substance means any substance (other than a substance to which this Part does not apply) that, when consumed by a person, has the capacity to induce a psychoactive effect'

Activities

APS currently maintain a website, social media presence on Facebook and Twitter and regular radio spots on Enpsychedelia on Melbourne's 3CR 855AM and http://www.3cr.org.au
The society will be making submissions to government inquiries, including the Commonwealth Inquiry into the status of the human right to freedom of religion or belief and Victoria's Inquiry into Drug Law Reform.
Monthly social events are held in the afternoon on the last Sunday of every month and other special events are planned.

Links and contacts

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