Michael Pollan is a bestselling author. His first book on psychedelics, How to Change Your Mind, came out in 2018 and immediately rocketed to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.
His newest book, This Is Your Mind on Plants, came out July 6, 2021.
And it really takes the debate over the legalization of psychedelics to the next level. (More on that in a moment.)
Both books are excellent reads. And I recommend you take a look at them. There’s a ton of research and science in each.
But what really caught my attention is this passage from This Is Your Mind on Plants:
As I write, psychedelics seem to be undergoing a change of identity. Since researchers have demonstrated that psilocybin can be useful in treating mental health, some psychedelics will probably soon become FDA-approved medicines.
This is on Page 2 of Pollan’s book.
What’s even more astonishing to me is that I found This Is Your Mind on Plants at the Fort Lauderdale airport in the terminal bookstore with all the other bestsellers.
And that got me thinking about how mainstream plant-based medicines have become. They’re part of our pop culture now.
For instance, in August, Hulu launched an original TV show called Nine Perfect Strangers, starring Nicole Kidman.
In the show, Kidman plays a therapist who uses micro-doses of psilocybin to treat guests at her wellness retreat. There’s a lot more to the show than that. But according to Deadline.com, it’s the most watched Hulu Original of all time.
My point is this…
Psychedelics are becoming part of the zeitgeist. And investors in high-quality early-stage, plant-based medicine companies stand to make a fortune as this trend takes off.
About Me
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mike Zapolin… but all my friends call me Zappy.
At 23, I’d made it to the top on Wall Street and had become the youngest vice president in history at one of the most prestigious investment firms.
Over the years, I’ve met and worked with numerous celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Quentin Tarantino, Michelle Rodriguez, and Lamar Odom.
And as a futurist, I’ve been identifying megatrend categories for decades…
For instance, I was an early pioneer in the internet domain-naming industry.
I went on to own many of the world’s top domain names, including CreditCards.com, Music.com, and Diamond.com… I even had my own Super Bowl ad in 2000.
My knack for identifying early-stage trends naturally drew me to the psychedelics industry… And I’ve spent the last 15 years personally researching psychedelic medicines and their therapeutic powers.
My advanced insight into cutting-edge products and new investment opportunities in this space has earned me the nickname “Psychedelic Concierge to the Stars.”
Earlier this year, I joined Daily editor Teeka Tiwari to launch Palm Beach Special Opportunities.
We launched this newsletter because we believe it will help you profit from what Teeka calls his “next trillion-dollar trade.”
A Trillion-Dollar Trend
According to the World Health Organization, more than 800 million people worldwide suffer from mental health disorders.
And in 2019, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention estimated there were 1.38 million suicide attempts in the U.S. alone.
Suicidal ideation is often the result of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, stress, or trauma.
Overall, we estimate the global mental health epidemic costs society $3 trillion in health-related expenses and lost productivity.
Psychedelics will go a long way in solving this multitrillion-dollar problem. That’s why Teeka and I call psychedelics the next “trillion-dollar trade.”
Right now, the U.S. government classifies psychedelics as Schedule I, which includes other drugs like marijuana and heroin.
But we believe the category psychedelics belong in – and will eventually be reclassified to – is Schedule III. This includes drugs like Tylenol with codeine, anabolic steroids, and Vicodin. While still regulated, they’re widely recognized for their medical benefits.
Here’s why we believe this reclassification is inevitable…
The FDA has been granting approval to psychedelic-based therapies for a few years now, and some states have also legalized use. Plus, the Department of Veterans Affairs has approved a psychedelic-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients.
And even states like Texas have passed bills that would allow study on psilocybin therapy to treat PTSD in veterans.
More importantly to me, psychedelics are going mainstream. In Pollan’s words, “We’re turning the corner.”
That’s why I believe books like This Is Your Mind on Plants and TV shows like Nine Perfect Strangers are so important. They’re changing public perception of psychedelics.
We’ve seen this before…
Recently, a sea change in sentiment has brought cannabis to the forefront of medical research and legitimacy. For instance, according to two separate polls from Gallup and Pew Research, about two-thirds of Americans now support cannabis legalization.
And to date, some form of cannabis is legal in all but six states. Of those 44 states where cannabis is allowed, medical sales are legal in 36, and recreational sales are legal in 19.
As you can see, we’re moving toward broader acceptance of psychedelic medicines and therapies. And we believe it’s only a matter of time before they become widespread.
We’re Turning the Corner
Every day, I wake up and check my phone to see if the government has rescheduled psychedelics.
That’s how confident I am.
It’s just no longer rational to view plant-based medicines as anything but beneficial. They can help end the mental health crisis costing us trillions of dollars each year.
That’s why it’s important to position yourself in this trend before rescheduling happens… I don’t know when it happens… But it’s just a matter of time.
And when rescheduling does happen, we’ll see an explosion for the ages in high-quality plant-based medicine companies.
If you want broad exposure to this space, consider the Defiance Next Gen Altered Experience ETF (PSY). It holds a basket of companies working on psychedelic and cannabis-based therapeutics.
These are early-stage companies on the very cutting-edge of the biotech space. That means there’s a significant risk that some will fail to see their therapies reach the mass market… but PSY spreads this risk out across many different companies in this space.
And if you want to really make life-changing gains in this trend… you need to position yourself in the small plant-based medicine companies that will become the pharmaceutical giants of tomorrow.
This trillion-dollar trend is already reshaping how we treat the world’s most serious mental disorders… and like Teeka says, it’ll give early investors a shot at life-changing returns if they position themselves now.
Peace,
Zappy
Co-editor, Palm Beach Special Opportunities