Martin Luther King Day 2022: What is Worth Fighting For?

Today is Martin Luther King Day, and this great man taught us so much about the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility, and service.

We have a chance to restore balance into our daily lives and into our country. Today is a great day to reflect on our own values. How we will be of service? What is worth fighting for? 

I wanted to share a little about what I fight for. 

As patient with numerous chronic illnesses and a neuroscientist who studies drugs, I’ve been in a unique position to see firsthand the harms caused by bad policies, work with groups to write and change laws, and educate legislators, healthcare professionals, and the public on why we need these policy changes.

Cannabis

As a former partner of the Drug Policy Alliance, I’ve testified for cannabis legalization efforts in numerous states and countries and helped pass additional qualifying conditions (like opioid addiction) in states. I’ve helped setup clinical research studies to support legalization and educated hundreds of thousands of people on the health benefits of cannabis. 

Finally, I’ve partnered with groups that work to fight the racial inequities in the cannabis industry and undue the harms of the war on drugs.

Psilocybin (magic) mushrooms

I co-sponsored the first successful initiative decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms in the U.S., in Denver, Colorado. After this passed in 2019, several other cities began to successfully pass laws decriminalizing mushrooms and other plant medicines. 

I served as the Research Director for Decriminalize California before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, where I am now helping Decriminalize Nature Nevada with the effort to decriminalize entheogens at the city and state level. Decriminalize Nature is the national organization to volunteer with if you don’t live in Nevada, or there are almost 100 local grassroots groups!

Kratom

I’ve worked with the American Kratom Association to fight against the DEA placing kratom as a Schedule 1 drug, and continue to support their efforts to make sure another plant medicine alternative for pain continues to be safe and accessible to all patients. 

I’m also working to create clinical research studies around kratom to fight kratom bans across the country.

How can you help?

1) Volunteer or donate to one of the above nonprofits or another one of your choice. Be of service.

2) Buy kratom products, books, and t-shirts from AURA Therapeutics. Your purchase supports my advocacy work to keep cannabis and kratom legal for everyone. Wear your Kratom Is Medicine shirt with pride!

3) Take some time this Martin Luther King Day to write down your 10 most important values and causes, and pick 5 to focus on this year.

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