In Episode 7 of Examining the Psychedelic Renaissance, Ifetayo Harvey will discuss the healing potential of psychedelics. 2020 has been one of the most turbulent and traumatic years in living memory, but it has also seen psychedelic-assisted therapy and drug decriminalization permeate mainstream consciousness.
Date: Tuesday, November 3rd
Time: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM PST (8:00 PM – 9:30 PM EST)
About Ifetayo Harvey
Ifetayo Harvey is a writer, civil rights advocate and public speaker. In 2013 Ifetayo addressed the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, as a victim of the war on drugs. As a child her father was arrested and deported narcotics charges, with his arrest the subject of her HuffPost article on the war on drug’s futility. Unfortunately Ifetayo’s story is all too common in the US, where blacks are up to eight times more likely to be arrested for drugs than whites.
Ifetayo graduated from Smith College in 2014, with a BA in History and African Studies. Presented the prestigious Outstanding Student Leader of the Year award, she led the institution’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, which prepared Ifetayo for her first position in psychedelics – with MAPS in California. As Executive Assistant to Rick Doblin, Ifetayo was instrumental to his leadership and went onto join the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA). Ifetayo has been with the DPA for more than four years in a number of roles, most recently as Marketing Coordinator.
In 2017 Ifetayo founded the People of Color Psychedelic Collective, to promote collective healing and justice for ethnic minorities through psychedelics. The fledgling organization has already achieved outstanding success, raising over $10,000 to benefit the archive of Maria Sabina and organizing a people of colour psychedelic conference.
Since the People of Color Psychedelic Collective was founded, psychedelics have slowly entered mainstream consciousness. In 2019 both Denver and Oakland decriminalized entheogen possession, with Santa Cruz quickly following suit. To determine whether Oregon could become the first entire state to decriminalize drugs, citizens will head to the polls later this month.
The proposed act, Measure 110, would swap arrests and criminal penalties for fines to fund treatment services. This would be a momentous shift away from policies that imprison people and could protect innocent victims of the discriminatory drug war, like Ifetayo, in the process.
It is the potential of these policy reforms that Ifetayo will discuss in the next episode of Examining the Pyschedelic Rennaissance. Uniquely positioned to speak from both personal and professional experience, Ifetayo will examine the importance of laws that move away from prohibition, criminalization and society’s hostile perception of drugs and its users.
You can read more about Ifetayo here.
Tickets
Examining the Psychedelic Renaissance – Season 2 has three different price points , starting from $75.00 for the full 15 episodes. Single episodes are available for $15 each, with discounted rates for students, seniors and those affected by COVID-19. If cost is a barrier for your participation, please email webinar@mapscanada.org for a complimentary ticket. Tickets can be purchased online at www.mapscanada.org/webinar