🗨️ This Week’s Edition

Psychedelics are stepping further into the mainstream—and the conversation is evolving…

📰 This week, we will explore peyote, a sacred cactus with deep Indigenous roots, and examine how its ceremonial use has endured through centuries of adversity.

As interest in mescaline grows, questions arise about sustainability and cultural respect.

⚖️ We also demystify decriminalization, a term frequently in the headlines but often misunderstood.

From local initiatives to state-level reforms, we look at what decriminalization truly means for communities and individuals.

📺️ In recent news, Colorado has completed its psilocybin supply chain, with the first testing lab licensed and sessions potentially beginning this month…

📚️ Meanwhile, the California Institute of Integral Studies is launching the nation's first undergraduate degree in psychedelic studies, reflecting the growing academic interest in this field…

📔 Psychedelics 101: Terms Everyone Should Know

Decriminalization ⚖️🌱

What happens when a substance is no longer criminal—but still not quite legal?

🧠 Decriminalization means removing or reducing criminal penalties for the possession, use, or cultivation of a substance—without necessarily making it legal to sell or distribute. In the world of psychedelics, it’s a growing movement aimed at shifting the focus from punishment to public health.

Why does this matter?

🚫 For decades, psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD have been classified as Schedule I drugs—deemed dangerous and without medical value. But growing research shows their potential for healing trauma, depression, addiction, and more.

🌎 Cities like Denver, Oakland, and Seattle—and even entire states like Oregon and Colorado—have passed decriminalization measures. These reforms don’t make psychedelics fully legal, but they deprioritize arrests and prosecution, paving the way for therapeutic access, harm reduction, and cultural healing.

Decriminalization isn’t the endgame—it’s a stepping stone toward a more compassionate, evidence-based approach to psychedelic use. It’s about reframing drug policy through the lens of wellness, not war.

🎧️ The Webdelics Podcast

📜 Top Article

🌵 Peyote - A Sacred Cactus with a Story to Tell

Before LSD. Before psilocybin. There was peyote.

Used for thousands of years by Indigenous communities across Mexico and the American Southwest, peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a small, spineless cactus rich in mescaline — a powerful psychedelic compound known for inducing visions, deep introspection, and spiritual awakening.

But peyote isn’t just another psychedelic…

It’s a plant teacher with a legacy, a lineage, and a threatened future.

🪶 Indigenous Roots & Ritual

The ceremonial use of peyote dates back nearly 6,000 years, with archaeological finds in both Coahuila, Mexico and Shumla Cave, Texas.

Early accounts from 16th-century missionaries describe tribes using it to stave off fear and hunger — and to connect with the divine.

Despite colonization, displacement, and attempts to suppress sacred plant rituals, Indigenous communities preserved their traditions.

In 1918, the Native American Church was officially recognized, protecting peyote’s ceremonial use for generations to come. Today, over 250,000 members carry that torch forward.

But this ancient plant is now under threat…

Peyote grows slowly — taking 10 to 30 years to mature — and wild populations are dwindling due to over harvesting and habitat loss.

Conservation is no longer optional; it’s essential.

🧪 Mescaline - Peyote’s Psychedelic Heart

Mescaline is the primary active alkaloid in peyote — also found in other cacti like San Pedro and Peruvian Torch — but peyote contains the highest natural concentrations.

First isolated in 1897 by German chemist Arthur Heffter (yes, that Heffter), mescaline was later synthesized in 1919.

Though once popular, mescaline lost cultural ground to LSD in the mid-20th century.

Today, pure mescaline remains rare and difficult to source — making peyote’s ceremonial use all the more sacred…

🌈 The Peyote Experience

Each peyote journey is unique, but some common effects include:

• Vivid visual distortions (think: color intensification, breathing walls)

• A sense of emotional openness and empathy

• Euphoria, awe, or spiritual insight

• Deep introspection and ego dissolution

• Connection to nature, self, and spirit

But the experience isn’t always smooth…

The come-up phase can bring nausea, increased heart rate, sweating, or trembling. Set and setting matter — a lot.

Ceremonial guidance, intentional preparation, and safe surroundings are key.

⚠️ Dose, Duration & Safety

Peyote’s effects typically begin within 30–60 minutes and can last 8–12 hours.

Dosage varies by preparation:

• Mild: ~3–6 buttons (dry) or 50–100g fresh

• Moderate: ~6–12 buttons or 150g fresh

• Strong: 12+ buttons or 200g fresh

For crystalline mescaline:

• Light: 50–200mg

• Moderate: 200–400mg

• Heavy: 400–800mg+

As always: respect the medicine. Peyote is not recreational. It’s sacred — and should be treated that way.

Furthermore, it should always be utilized under supervision of a shaman, trip sitter, and/or trained medical professionals in legally designated areas.

🌍 The Road Ahead

Peyote’s survival depends on us.

As interest in mescaline and natural psychedelics grows, so must our commitment to conservation, cultural preservation, and ethical use.

Supporting Indigenous-led efforts and protecting peyote’s natural habitat is critical for the generations to come.

🌵 This isn’t just about a cactus. It’s about culture, spirit, and survival.

🎉 Top Weekly Blog!

Our Top Psychedelic and Plant Medicine Blog from Webdelics

The Webdelics website has over 160+ evidence-based, research-backed blogs that were intentionally written to give you the facts, not just our opinions. 

📚️ Here is this week’s top blog on our site, rated by our readers:

• MDMA Safety Check - Exploring Drug Interactions

🧪 MDMA has come a long way since it was first synthesized in 1912 and we know A LOT more about it today than we did back then…

⁉️ Do you think it will finally be FDA approved for PTSD before the end of the year…?

💬 We will leave you with this…

Michael Shermer has been quoted stating, “Science is not a thing. It's a verb. It's a way of thinking about things. It's a way of looking for natural explanations for all phenomena.”

And he’s 100% right…

Science is not a person, place, or thing. It’s a continuous evolution of thinking, challenging beliefs, and forever seeking the truth.

It’s what makes the exploration of plant medicine and psychedelics such an interesting place to be in right now.

Until next time…

🧠 The Guide - by Webdelics

Disclaimer: Webdelics does not support or promote any illegal activities, including the use of substances that may be mentioned in this newsletter. We encourage all readers to familiarize themselves with and adhere to the laws in their region. Please note that Webdelics does not offer mental health, medical, or clinical services and should not be used as a replacement for professional medical, psychological, or psychiatric care, diagnosis, or treatment.