Beckley Foundation

The Beckley Foundation is a UK-based think tank and UN-accredited NGO, dedicated to activating global drug policy reform and initiating scientific research into psychoactive substances. The foundation is a charitable trust which collaborates with leading scientific and political institutions worldwide to design and develop research and global policy initiatives. It also investigates consciousness and its modulation from a multidisciplinary perspective, working in collaboration with scientists. The foundation is based at Beckley Park near Oxford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1998, and is directed by Amanda Feilding, Countess of Wemyss.

Beckley Foundation
MottoPsychedelic Research, Changing Minds
Formation1998
TypeECOSOC Accredited NGO
Legal statusCharitable Trust
PurposeScientific Research and Drug Policy Reform
Location
Director
Amanda Feilding
(Director and Founder)
Websitebeckleyfoundation.org

Background

Since its creation by Amanda Feilding in 1998, the Beckley Foundation has been at the forefront of global drug policy reform[1] and scientific research into psychoactive substances.

The Beckley Foundation Scientific Programme initiates, designs and conducts research into the effects of psychoactive substances on the brain, in order to minimise their potential harms, learn more about consciousness and brain function, and discover and explore their therapeutic potential. Recent research includes collaborations with Dr Jordi Riba at Sant Pau Hospital on ayahuasca, Professor David Nutt at Imperial College on the effects of psychedelics on cerebral blood flow, Professor Valerie Curran at University College London on the effects of cannabis on the brain with a view to possible therapeutic applications and with Professor Roland R. Griffiths at Johns Hopkins University studying the effects of psilocybin in combating addiction.

The Beckley Foundation Policy Programme is dedicated to improving national and global drug policies, through research that increases understanding of the health, social and fiscal implications of drug policy, and the development of new evidence-based and rational approaches. It brings together country representatives, science and policy experts at international seminars in order to discuss alternative drug policy, and commissions and disseminates reports[2] to open up and facilitate debate among policy-makers and the public.

Policy

Roadmaps to Regulation: MDMA 2019

This policy proposal published by Amanda Feilding examines the acute, sub-acute, and chronic harms related to MDMA use in detail. The authors examine the production, distribution, purchase, and consumption of the drug; related risks and harms; and the impact prohibition has on these, as well as the potential impact of alternative policies. Crucially, our evidence shows that most harms associated with MDMA use arise from its unregulated status as an illegal drug, and that any risks inherent to MDMA could be more effectively mitigated within a legally regulated market.

Roadmaps to Regulation: New Psychoactive Substances 2016

To coincide with the introduction of the UK’s Psychoactive Substances Act 2016[3] on 26 May 2016, Amanda Feilding released the report, "Roadmaps to Regulation: New Psychoactive Substances".[4] The document surveys the complex and unique world of NPS production and distribution and suggests a harm reductive model for the legal regulation of this vast array of substances. The NPS report is part of wider family of forthcoming reports, "Roadmaps to Regulation: Cannabis, Psychedelics, MDMA and NPS“.[5]

Public Letter 2016

Recognizing the clear need for the nations and countries of the United Nations to design their own drug policies, tailored to mitigating their individual experiences of the 'War on Drugs', Amanda Feilding attended the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs and hosted an official side event at the UN Headquarters in New York. The event marked the launch of the Beckley Foundation’s 2016 Public Letter,[6] "Out of UNGASS: A New Approach" which calls for the abandonment of the 1961 Drug Convention, and for every country to be allowed to implement drug policies that are cost-effective, harm-reductive and respect human rights.

Jamaica's Regulated Cannabis Industry: First Steps 2015

In Spring 2015, Amanda Feilding and the Beckley Foundation were invited by Mark Golding, then the Jamaican Minister of Justice, to advise the government on the formation of a balanced policy in the regulation of the cannabis industry in Jamaica, and to provide feedback on global drug policy issues as Jamaica moved towards the creation of a successfully-regulated cannabis industry.[7] The two-day conference brought together academics, government officials, growers, Rastafari and healthcare professionals. The outcome of these discussions was fed into the process for the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on global drug policy.

Beckley Foundation Guatemala 2012–13

On 3 July 2012 Beckley Foundation Guatemala was launched after the organisation had been asked to convene an international Board of Experts to write reports which would:

  1. analyse the impact of the current drug prohibitionist policies;
  2. propose a sophisticated range of alternative policy solutions for Guatemala.

The alternative drug policy solutions were presented to President Otto Pérez Molina by Amanda Feilding in January 2013 in this 'Paths for Reform' report. The suggestions include a proposal to investigate legalising the illicit opium poppy crop in order to produce pain-relieving medications for the Guatemalan people,[8] an initiative that has been mentioned by President Pérez Molina during Davos 2013 and other official appearances[9]

Public Letter 2011

In 2011 an open letter from the Foundation was published in The Times and The Guardian calling for a new approach to drug policy. The letter opened by emphatically stating that the war on drugs has failed and calling for a new approach. Signatories of the letter now include the current Presidents of Colombia (Juan Manuel Santos) and Guatemala (Otto Pérez Molina), and former Presidents of the United States (Jimmy Carter), Mexico, Colombia and Switzerland, as well as Nobel Prize winners and numerous other world figures.[10]

Global Initiative for Drug Policy Reform 2011–12

The Global Initiative for Drug Policy Reform is a collaboration between the All Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy, the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the Beckley Foundation. It was held at the House of Lords in November 2011, bringing together representatives from countries interested in reform, and countries that have successfully implemented alternative drug policies, along with the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

Science

The Beckley Foundation is one of the few organisations in the world initiating, supporting, and directing scientific research investigating the effects of currently-controlled psychoactive substances.[11] This ground-breaking research explores how substances such as cannabis, psychedelics, and MDMA act upon the human brain, using the latest developments in neuroscience and brain imaging technology. The purpose of the research is to increase our scientific understanding of consciousness itself, and to explore new avenues for the treatment of illnesses and the betterment of humankind. Over the last 18 years, the Programme has produced dozens of scientific articles published in influential peer-reviewed journals,[12] and Amanda Feilding has spearheaded numerous collaborations. Collaborating partners include leading institutions such as Imperial College London, Sant Pau Hospital, University College London, King’s College London, and Johns Hopkins University, and topics have covered:

  • changes in brain structure, function, and blood supply in response to cannabis,[13] LSD,[14] psilocybin,[15] ayahuasca/DMT,[16] and MDMA;[17]
  • LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for conditions such as depression,[18] anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);
  • cannabis and cannabinoids in the treatment of brain cancer;
  • LSD in the treatment of cluster headaches; and
  • cerebral circulation, cranial compliance, and their relationship to age-related cognitive decline.

Latest findings from the Beckley Foundation scientific programme

Ayahuasca and Neurogenesis 2016

A preliminary study conducted within the framework of the Beckley-Sant Pau Research Programme and in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Council found that harmine and tetrahydroharmine, the alkaloids present in highest amounts in ayahuasca, have potent neurogenic properties (the ability to create new brain cells). The addition of harmine and tetrahydroharmine to cultures containing neural stem cells dramatically increased their differentiation and maturation into neurons.[19]

Psilocybin for Depression 2016

Based on the Beckley/Imperial Research Programme's psilocybin study brain imaging results, in 2012, the Medical Research Council awarded funding to the programme for a clinical study investigating psilocybin in the treatment of depression. Results from the study, published in the Lancet Psychiatry Journal, showed that two doses of psilocybin lifted depression in all 12 volunteers for three weeks, and kept five of them depression free for three months.[20] The size of the study and the absence of a placebo make the research proof of principle only, but the remarkably positive results highlight the need for continued research in this promising area of psychiatry – psychedelic-assisted therapy. Amanda Feilding and the Beckley Foundation are currently trying to secure funding to expand this research and further evaluate the potential of psilocybin as a treatment for depression.

LSD Revealed 2016

On 13 April 2016, the Beckley/Imperial Research Programme released the world’s first images[21] of the human brain on LSD,[22] collected as part of the first ever brain imaging study to examine the effects of LSD on the human brain. Programme co-directors Amanda Feilding and David Nutt, together with lead-investigator Robin Carhart-Harris, held a press conference at the Royal Society on 11 April 2016 to herald the publication of the paper.[23]

Continued LSD research

A report in early 2019 indicated that the Foundation would be conducting further research into the use of LSD to trigger long-term improvements in creativity. (A previous study by the Beckley/Imperial Research Programme, in conjunction with Imperial College, indicated some likelihood of success in this goal, according to Fielding.)[24] Fielding offered this summary of the new plan.[25]

Participants will receive two microdoses (10 mic) per week over a period of four weeks. On each microdosing day, they will complete questionnaires to assess various aspects of their mood, wellbeing and cognitive functions as well as other tests, including a computerized Go game, to investigate creativity and intuitive thinking. Brain function will be measured using EEG both at rest and while participants are actively involved in those tests. Importantly, this study will also evaluate the safety and tolerability of repeated microdoses of LSD, via measures of LSD pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, including physiological markers of inflammation and neurogenesis.

Beckley Canopy Therapeutics

News reports in 2018-2019 indicated that the Foundation had been retained by the Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corporation to conduct research as to the benefits of various strains of its products, particularly in treating pain, anxiety and drug addiction. One goal is to reduce dependence on opioids in treating cancer-related pain. The two formed Beckley Canopy Therapeutics in Oxford, to raise funds from investors for cannabinoid research and drug development.

Canopy Growth has been planning to export its products to the UK.[26] The long-term intent of the partnership is to confirm the value of cannabis in specific conditions and to convince insurers to pay for medical cannabis when used accordingly. Mark Ware, Canopy’s chief medical officer, said in an interview that Feilding's "ability to take a scientific look at what would otherwise be considered as controversial therapeutics makes her a very good partner".[27]

Fielding's son, Cosmo Feilding Mellen, is the managing director of the partnership.[28][29]

Ongoing Projects Include
  • The Beckley Foundation/Imperial College London Psychedelic Research Programme, investigating the effects of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs on cerebral blood flow, and linking this with cognitive effects (for example, improved episodic memory recall and increased vividness of subjective experience under the influence of psilocybin).
  • The Beckley Foundation Ethnobotanical Research Programme, investigating the effects and potential benefits of Ayahuasca and DMT, including a study involving ketanserin on evaluating the effects of glutamate release by DMT, a study investigating the association between brain plasticity and Ayahuasca, and a long-term study investigating the effect of Ayahuasca on personal development and health.
  • A Beckley Foundation/Johns Hopkins University collaboration investigating the potential use of psychedelic drugs to treat addiction. A pilot study is underway using psilocybin to treat nicotine addiction.
  • A Beckley Foundation/King's College London collaboration with Dr Paul Morrison at the Institute of Psychiatry is investigating the differing effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), two of the main cannabinoids found in cannabis that determine its subjective and cognitive effects. Cannabidiol is showing promise in inhibiting the psychosis-like effects of THC, and indicating great therapeutic potential.
  • A Beckley Foundation/University College London collaboration with Professor Valerie Curran is investigating medicinal uses of cannabis (in tandem with Harborside Health Centre in Oakland), as well as various research projects looking at the effects of cannabis on various cognitive or neural measures.
  • A Beckley/Imperial Psychedelic Research Programme collaborative study on psychedelic microdosing.[30][31]

Recent Scientific Journal Publications:

  • Lebedev, Alexander V.; Lövdén, Martin; Rosenthal, Gidon; Feilding, Amanda; Nutt, David J.; Carhart-Harris, Robin L. (2015). "Finding the self by losing the self: Neural correlates of ego-dissolution under psilocybin". Human Brain Mapping. 36 (8): 3137–3153. doi:10.1002/hbm.22833. PMC 6869189. PMID 26010878.
  • Carhart-Harris, R. L.; Kaelen, M.; Whalley, M. G.; Bolstridge, M.; Feilding, A.; Nutt, D. J. (2014). "LSD enhances suggestibility in healthy volunteers". Psychopharmacology. 232 (4): 785–794. doi:10.1007/s00213-014-3714-z. PMID 25242255.
  • Carhart-Harris, Robin L.; Leech, Robert; Hellyer, Peter J.; Shanahan, Murray; Feilding, Amanda; Tagliazucchi, Enzo; Chialvo, Dante R.; Nutt, David (2014). "The entropic brain: A theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs". Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 8: 20. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00020. PMC 3909994. PMID 24550805.
  • Carhart-Harris, R. L.; Wall, M. B.; Erritzoe, D.; Kaelen, M.; Ferguson, B.; De Meer, I.; Tanner, M.; Bloomfield, M.; Williams, T. M.; Bolstridge, M.; Stewart, L.; Morgan, C. J.; Newbould, R. D.; Feilding, A.; Curran, H. V.; Nutt, D. J. (2013). "The effect of acutely administered MDMA on subjective and BOLD-fMRI responses to favourite and worst autobiographical memories". The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. 17 (4): 527–540. doi:10.1017/S1461145713001405. PMID 24345398.
  • Muthukumaraswamy, S. D.; Carhart-Harris, R. L.; Moran, R. J.; Brookes, M. J.; Williams, T. M.; Errtizoe, D.; Sessa, B.; Papadopoulos, A.; Bolstridge, M.; Singh, K. D.; Feilding, A.; Friston, K. J.; Nutt, D. J. (2013). "Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State". Journal of Neuroscience. 33 (38): 15171–15183. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2063-13.2013. PMC 6618409. PMID 24048847.
  • Carhart-Harris, R. L.; Leech, R.; Williams, T. M.; Erritzoe, D.; Abbasi, N.; Bargiotas, T.; Hobden, P.; Sharp, D. J.; Evans, J.; Feilding, A.; Wise, R. G.; Nutt, D. J. (2018). "Implications for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: Functional magnetic resonance imaging study with psilocybin". British Journal of Psychiatry. 200 (3): 238–244. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.111.103309. PMID 22282432.

Beckley Foundation Press Publications

The Beckley Foundation Press was created to allow the publication of Drug Policy and Scientific material that was not being picked up by mainstream publishing houses due to the controversial nature of the material.

Authors: Albert Hofmann. Translated by Jonathan Ott and Edited by Amanda Feilding - Publisher: The Beckley Foundation Press and Oxford University Press (2013). ISBN 978-0-19-963941-0, 248 pages

Authors: Robin Room, Benedikt Fischer, Wayne Hall, Simon Lenton and Peter Reuter, Convened by Amanda Feilding - Publisher: The Beckley Foundation Press and Oxford University Press (2010). ISBN 978-0-19-958148-1

Authors: Annelie Hintzen M.D. and Torsten Passie M.D., M.A. Paperback: App 200 pages - Publisher: The Beckley Foundation Press and Oxford University Press (June 2010) ISBN 978-0-19-958982-1

Edited by Amanda Feilding - Publisher: Beckley Foundation Press (2010) ISBN 978-0-9548054-9-4

Authors: Yuri Moskalenko, Amanda Feilding and Peter Halvorson - Publisher: Beckley Foundation Press (2010) ISBN 978-1-907072-01-7

Major Seminars

See also

References
  1. Feilding, Amanda (23 June 2016). "The war on drugs is failing – decriminalisation is the only way forward | Amanda Feilding". The Guardian.
  2. "Policy Reports and Briefing Papers". 14 April 2016.
  3. "Psychoactive Substances Act 2016".
  4. "Drugs should be moderated, not banned – the new ban will push more users into danger". 4 June 2016.
  5. "Roadmaps to Regulation: Cannabis, Psychedelics, MDMA, and NPS". 15 May 2015.
  6. "The Beckley Foundation Public Letter (2016)". 19 July 2016.
  7. "Advisory work in Jamaica". 14 April 2016.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. http://www.elperiodico.com.gt/es/20130213/pais/224704/
  10. "The global war on drugs has failed - It is time for a new approach".
  11. Tom, Peterkin (27 November 2011). "Countess courts rich and famous to end drug war". The Scotsman.
  12. "Science Publications". 29 March 2016.
  13. "Cannabis/Cannabinoids". 11 April 2017.
  14. "LSD Home". 12 April 2017.
  15. "Psilocybin". 6 April 2017.
  16. "Hallucinogenic Amazonian Medicine Stimulates Generation of New Brain Cells".
  17. Kamboj, Sunjeev K.; Kilford, Emma J.; Minchin, Stephanie; Moss, Abigail; Lawn, Will; Das, Ravi K.; Falconer, Caroline J.; Gilbert, Paul; Curran, H Valerie; Freeman, Tom P. (2015). "Recreational 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) or 'ecstasy' and self-focused compassion: Preliminary steps in the development of a therapeutic psychopharmacology of contemplative practices" (PDF). Journal of Psychopharmacology. 29 (9): 961–970. doi:10.1177/0269881115587143. PMID 25990558.
  18. Feilding, Amanda (17 May 2016). "We saw magic mushrooms lift long-term depression. It's time for a change of perception | Amanda Feilding". The Guardian.
  19. "Recent advances in the study of Ayahuasca - Jordi Riba".
  20. Carhart-Harris, Robin L.; Bolstridge, Mark; Rucker, James; Day, Camilla M J.; Erritzoe, David; Kaelen, Mendel; Bloomfield, Michael; Rickard, James A.; Forbes, Ben; Feilding, Amanda; Taylor, David; Pilling, Steve; Curran, Valerie H.; Nutt, David J. (2016). "Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: An open-label feasibility study". The Lancet Psychiatry. 3 (7): 619–627. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30065-7. PMID 27210031.
  21. "The brain on LSD revealed: First scans show how the drug affects the brain | Imperial News | Imperial College London".
  22. "This is your brain on LSD, literally".
  23. Cormier, Zoe (2016). "Brain scans reveal how LSD affects consciousness". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19727.
  24. "Amanda Feilding: 'LSD can get deep down and reset the brain – like shaking up a snow globe'". The Guardian. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  25. Forbes. 26 February 2018 https://www.forbes.com/sites/willburns/2018/02/26/the-beckley-foundation-intends-to-study-links-between-microdosing-lsd-and-creativity/#449ab1d06406. Retrieved 2 April 2019. I strongly suspect LSD, and other psychedelics if used responsibly, have the potential to enhance creativity. The brain imaging studies we carried out through the Beckley/Imperial Research Programme showed a remarkable increase in connectivity throughout the brain under LSD and psilocybin, which with further research may well prove to be linked with mental flexibility and enhanced creative thought. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. "First Cannabis Clinical Trials All Set in UK". Cannabis Industry Journal. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2019. Beckley Canopy Therapeutics, based in Oxford, England has raised £7.4 million for the purposes of cannabinoid research and drug development. The new company is a unique partnership established between Canopy Growth Corporation and the Beckley Foundation, a research institute which examines the utilization of psychotropic drugs for the treatment of physical and mental conditions. Studies focusing on the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of opioid addiction and cancer pain will be conducted in Europe, the UK and the US. .. This is exactly the kind of high-placed, societally influential effort in other words, that might finally break the medical taboo at the most important remaining logjam– at the point of prescription and approval for patients.
  27. "The Countess of Cannabis". Bloomberg News. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  28. "Beckley Canopy Therapeutics raises £7.4m for cannabis R&D". PharmaForum. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2019. As a new business partnership investing in UK medicine and research, we would like the government to ensure that access to medicinal cannabis is as simple and straightforward as possible for patients.
  29. "The Countess of Cannabis". Bloomberg News. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  30. "We Are Recruiting for a New Psychedelic Microdosing Study!". The Beckley Foundation. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  31. "LSD Microdosing Research". The Beckley Foundation. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
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