Psychedelics Replace Pot as the New Favorite Edgy Investment
- Psilocybin and other drugs seen as next ‘get-rich-quick’ plays
- Weed liberalization could pave the way for legal hallucinogens
Psilocybin mushrooms
Photographer: Roger Cremers/Bloomberg
Cannabis is only on the cusp of many investors’ comfort zones, but the family offices and high-net-worth individuals hungry for early stage, edgy investments have already moved on to psychedelics.
Marijuana’s legal headway in recent years has paved the way for new interest in remedies typically relegated to the black market. Companies that work with drugs like psilocybin, an ingredient in magic mushrooms, or Ibogaine, used in ayahuasca-style ceremonies, are proliferating, with early-stage investors predicting such substances have an even better shot than cannabis at disrupting the $70 billion market for mental health. The question now is whether such aims bear out -- and in time to catch up with all the money flowing in.